The best family-friendly hikes and walks in Riviera-Pays-d’Enhaut

A great little hike with breathtaking views of the lake. There's a large section on tarmac depending on the route taken, but it's still a pleasant experience!

Les Avants The village was one of the first ski resorts in Switzerland. In the nineteenth century, the spa town experienced a certain tourist development with the construction of the first hotels by the Dufour family. The construction of the Jaman tunnel in 1905, which provided a rail link with the Pays d'Enhaut, allowed the resort to become a strong tourist destination until the First World War, notably with the collaboration of the architect Louis Villard. Served by one of the first electrified railways, with a steep slope and no rack railways, the village is a popular destination for the English. It is also home to Switzerland's first bobsleigh run (which later became a toboggan run) and an ice rink. It was on this ice, which was actually tennis courts converted into an ice rink below the "Grand Hôtel des Avants", that the first European Ice Hockey Championship was held in 1910. Since 1910, the Les Avants - Sonloup funicular (still in operation, with the two carriages and the historic machines renovated between June 2012 and January 2013) has been operating on the Sonloup site, allowing sledders to climb to the top of the slopes again. The first war, especially the crisis of 1929, halted development and the large hotels gradually closed. Now competing with the many winter sports resorts created after the 1939-45 war, Les Avants was never to experience the tourist attraction it enjoyed at the beginning of the century. Ernest Hemingway had recently lived in the village for a few months in 1922 (at the "Pension de la Forêt" on the outskirts of Chamby) and wrote about his experiences and pleasures of the sled race there in several chapters of "A Farewell to Arms". In the second half of the century, the village developed into a residential area and experienced a tourist activity such as hiking and some winter activities in the low mountain range (sledding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ski touring). Text / Source: SIA Les Avants https://www.lesavants.ch/histoire

Les Avants The charming village of Les Avants is located at an altitude of about 1000 meters and is part of the municipality of Montreux. It is at the gateway to the Pays d'Enhaut and the Vaud Prealps. The village was one of the first ski resorts in Switzerland and was home to the first Swiss bobsleigh run. 10 km from Lake Geneva, nestled under the Dent de Jaman and the Rochers de Naye, Les Avants is an ideal place for hiking. Many marked hiking trails, including the Daffodil Trail, attract hikers, especially in May when the hills are covered with the white flowers of daffodils. Also to discover is the flower clock, one of the oldest in Europe, on the Place de la Gare. Text / Source: SIA Les Avants https://www.lesavants.ch/

Freddie Mercury Statue, Montreux “If you want peace of mind, come to Montreux,” said Freddie Mercury (1946–1991). He not only lived here but also recorded six of his albums with Queen, including “Made in Heaven.” His statue on the lakeside promenade was erected in his memory in 1996. It is easily recognizable by the flowers that his fans still leave there today. Text / Source: Montreux-Vevey Tourism https://www.montreuxriviera.com/de/P976/statue-freddie-mercury

The view is very beautiful and the church has a very interesting modern organ inside old walls

nice view of the castle which is worth visiting

The trail away from the access road to the dam is easy to ride and partly paved.

Life has been good here for a long time