The sky’s the limit in Switzerland

While it’s sizzling hot in South Africa in January, thousands of kilometres away in Switzerland, in a picturesque town about two hours’ drive from Geneva, balloonists gather annually for a spectacular festival.

Chateau d’Oex (pronounced “day”), located in the Swiss Alps, became a popular seasonal holiday spot when British families discovered it about 175 years ago. There’s even an Anglican church, St Peter’s, dating back to 1899.

The town became better known when the local tourist office launched the inaugural hot air balloon festival in 1978, with 12 balloons from five countries. This was sponsored by local resident, English actor and author David Niven, whose best-selling autobiography was The Moon’s a Balloon.

Chateau d’Oex enjoyed yet another boost when two aviators ‒ Swiss Bertrand Piccard and Briton Brian Jones – chose this town to launch the first non-stop, around-the-world balloon flight. They took off in March 1999 and landed in Egypt nearly 20 days later, having covered over 25,000 miles and setting multiple aviation records.

Today the festival, with vividly coloured balloons floating above snow-covered fields and forests, takes place over nine days of competitions and demonstrations, with about 60 hot air balloons from 15 countries and 20 000-50 000 spectators.

There’s even a delicious local beer, the Altitude brand, best sipped ice-cold in the central town square with the locals.

The local balloon centre, Espace Ballon, is a magical introduction to this fascinating world.

An interactive exhibition, The invention of flight, leads you through the history of ballooning, from Pilâtre de Rozier’s first flight in Paris in 1783.

The highlight of this visit for me, apart from the informative illustrations and audio-visuals, was the 4D simulated balloon flight, where you step into a balloon gondola and feel exactly as if you’re floating over the town. We visited the centre on our last day, so recognised many of the places we’d hiked in and explored earlier. The ‘flight’ covers all four seasons, so you “fly” over snow-clad slopes in winter, and river rafters in summer.

As a memento, photograph yourself in a balloon gondola, complete with dress-up hats, but don’t be like me and forget to remove your headwear before dashing out to check on your public parking ahead of the ever-present municipal police.

If time and weather conditions allow, this balloon centre is where to book a morning mountain flight, departing from Château-d’Oex, or an evening flight over the Swiss plateau.

Ballon Espace is also a great place to buy unusual, lightweight take-home gifts such as balloon cards and toys.

Beyond ballooning, the town is ideal for Swiss sights such as traditional chalets painted with pastoral scenes, and hikes around small lakes with spectacular backgrounds of snow-capped peaks and waterfalls. You’ll probably encounter gentle goats and cows with enormous bells dangling from thick leather straps around their necks, which tinkle constantly as they graze.

I finally understood the saying “to be in clover” when I spotted a cow asleep in a pasture with only its horns peeping out above the yellow, white and purple meadow flowers.

Le Chalet restaurant, with touches like carved wooden chairs, red and white checked curtains and a cuckoo clock, is well worth a visit not only for a Swiss fondue or raclette but also the opportunity to watch artisanal cheese-making.

Dressed in a black smock, with a flash of white at the neck and cuffs, the cheese-maker stirs a vast, bubbling pot of milk over a fire, finally producing a 16-20 kilo round of “Le Chalet Bio” which matures in the cellar downstairs for about six months.

The Musée du Pays d’Enhaut is also worth a visit for its showcase of local historical items and detailed examples of the intricate art of paper-cutting. It’s located on the outskirts of the town in a 17th-century house with a hearth and open fireplace, log-framed bedrooms and a cheese cellar.

Here you can admire antique furniture, tools, skis and paintings. There’s also a long-standing partnership with the Swiss Paper Cutting Association, which has entrusted the museum with its collection of 600 paper cutouts. There are regular exhibits and workshops with leading paper-cutting artists.

Day trips

Vevey on Lake Geneva has a lovely art museum, Musée Jenisch, with works by Dürer, Goya, Degas, Picasso and others.

Take the cogwheel “star train” and view stunning scenery of the Swiss Riviera and Lake Geneva as you climb 1000 metres through fields of narcissi and meadow pastures to the Les Pléiades summit, named after the star cluster ‒ the Seven Sisters in Greek mythology.

Les Pléiades is a popular destination with sports enthusiasts: skiers and snow-shoers in winter, paragliders, mountain bikers and walkers in the summer.

Enjoy lunch at the summit restaurant, and on your return, don’t miss L’Appartement – Espace Images Vevey, a contemporary photography exhibition space located in a former railway workers’ apartment on the second floor of the main Vevey train station.

Montreux is renowned for its jazz and other music festivals – we went to a wonderful electronic music festival. Stroll along the rose-scented lake promenade, past elegant hotels, to the Chillon castle perched dramatically on a rocky outcrop on the shore.

We drove home past hectares of sun-soaked, steep terraced vineyards, the source of Switzerland’s Grand Crus. I later read that a 32 km footpath leads from Lausanne-Ouchy to Chillon Castle. En route you’ll find circuits with information panels detailing facets of local viticulture, and can taste local wines and learn more about the wine-growing culture and grape varieties.

In Gruyères, explore the mediaeval castle, which houses prestigious collections such as Burgundy capes and paintings by Corot. There are marvellous details such as the intricate stained-glass windows dating back to the Middle Ages and delicate wallpaper painted with birds. The troubadour decorations of the Knights’ Hall were created in the 19″ century by a colony of passionate artists.

Sample local chocolates, and view serene Tibetan art and artifacts in a small museum. If your taste is for the fantastical, there is a collection of works by Swiss surrealist artist H.R. Giger. His “biomechanical” style blends human forms with machines; his design for Ridley Scott’s film Alien earned him an Oscar.

This was my first trip to Switzerland, where I experienced woodlands, pastures and scenery that could have come from an illustrated fairy tale, as well as the sophistication of the Montreux Riviera.

How to get there

I flew from London to Geneva, where we hired a car. You can also reach Chateau d’Oex by train. Stock up on food and beverages at the local Coop.

We were extremely fortunate to be loaned a lovely apartment, with 180˚views of the snow-capped mountains from the red geranium-encircled balcony. Search Booking.com for a range of accommodation.

International balloon festival https://www.festivaldeballons.ch/en

Espace Ballon: https://ballonschateaudoex.ch/en/espace-ballon

Musée du Pays d’Enhaut: https://musee-chateau-doex.ch/en/visit/

Le Chalet restaurant and cheese factory: https://www.lechalet-fromagerie.ch/en-gb