High Society and Free Cable Car Lifts for Pooches at Gstaad, Switzerland

Continuing our motorhome adventures, on the way into Gstaad, we passed through the neighbouring village of Saanen. Looking across the valley, you can see the spire of St. Mauritius Church.

Gstaad is best known as a Swiss resort where the rich and famous head to ski. While it caters to high budgets, visiting for a day gives you a clear sense of what the town and surrounding area looks like on foot.

The village centre is quite pretty, surrounded by green valleys and Alpine peaks. Traditional chalets line the pedestrian areas, alongside luxury designer boutiques like Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren. If you are looking for standard retail or budget souvenirs, your options are limited, as local prices reflect the town's high-end status. Needless to say, I didn't even go into any of the shops.

Despite the luxury atmosphere, the streets feature several interesting public art pieces and landmarks. There was the "Sitting Duck" sculpture, a bronze duck statue donated by Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards. Apparently, Julie Andrews is a longtime resident and honorary citizen of the town.

The Cow Fountain ("Rosie") is a bronze cow statue standing beside a stone water trough, sponsored by figures including Bernie Ecclestone and Elizabeth Taylor. The pooch as always did a photobomb.

There are also unique modern sculptures, including a traveller holding a suitcase ...

... and a large footed figure in gold pants displayed along the promenade.

After walking through town, we headed over to the local cable car station. A welcome perk for pet owners is that dogs travel on the cable car for free. The pooch takes everything in his stride and happily hopped in. I was the one who was a little uneasy.

The ride up provides panoramic views across the valley and surrounding mountains. I do get vertigo, but this wasn't very high off the ground, so I wasn't too bad.

Taking the trail back down on foot gave us a chance to enjoy the quiet countryside, mountain streams, and grazing cattle along the path. However, we did make the mistake of trying to take a shortcut over the field footpaths instead of sticking to the gravelled trail. It proved to be difficult underfoot, so our legs were in pain when we got back to the motorhome. You live and learn!

Gstaad is a pleasant spot to spend a few hours taking in the Alpine views and visiting a famous luxury destination. It is very pretty and easy to explore on foot, though packing your own drinks and snacks is a good idea if you want to keep the costs down!