The view as you're eating is stunning. Photo / Destination Gstaad
The view as you're eating is stunning. Photo / Destination Gstaad
What is it like to rent a ‘fondue backpack’ in the Swiss Alps and hike to a giant fondue pot? Sarah Kuta does what all good cheese lovers do and travels to Switzerland to find out.
I rip off a chunk of crusty bread, slide it carefully onto my skewer,and plunge the tip into the vat of warm, gooey cheese on the table in front of me.
I swirl the hunk around for a few seconds, then pop it into my mouth and let the umami-packed flavours wash over my tastebuds — pure heaven.
But I’m not inside a restaurant, and this is no ordinary fondue experience.
I’m sitting in a giant, open-air, human-sized fondue pot on a hillside in the Swiss Alps, eating cheese that I made with gear from a special “fondue backpack”.
Surrounded by the postcard-worthy peaks of the Swiss Alps in the small village of Gstaad, I’m having what has to be one of the most unique picnics on the planet — a true “only in Switzerland” moment. I pinch myself to make sure the moment is real, then keep eating.
Climb inside a giant fondue pot. Photo / Destination Gstaad
Fondue backpacks and giant fondue pots
While planning a recent trip to Gstaad, a charming mountain town in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland region, I came across a search result that immediately intrigued me.
Apparently, I could rent a backpack from a local dairy filled with everything I’d need for a mobile, al fresco fondue feast — a pouch of classic or truffle cheese, bread, spices, plates, forks, a pot, and a warmer.
I could take the backpack anywhere I wanted, but the website recommended heading to one of the large, wooden fondue pots (called caquelons) strategically placed throughout the region to offer panoramic views of the mountains and the Saanen Valley below.
Eating fondue while sitting in a huge fondue pot? It was so meta that I knew I absolutely had to try it.
Warm up by indulging in a delicious cheese fondue. Photo / Sarah Kuta
The backpack came from Molkerei Gstaad, a local dairy that also offers candlelit tours of its underground “cheese grotto,” where it stores more than 3000 wheels of ageing cheese. The life-sized fondue pot was located on the outskirts of Gstaad, about an hour’s hike from the promenade.
Once I reached the pot, I stepped inside, slid along the seating bench and unloaded the contents of the backpack onto the table. After a few minutes of impatiently stirring and waiting for the cheese to melt, I finally dug in.
The views in every direction were stunning: white fluffy clouds floated lazily across the sky, traditional chalets dotted the hillsides, and the craggy peaks of the Swiss Alps loomed in the distance.
Fondue on the Swiss Alps, anyone? Photo / Destination Gstaad
Gstaad’s cheesy traditions
Gstaad is best known for being the glitzy Swiss playground of the ultra-wealthy. Celebrities, royals, diplomats, and billionaires flock here each winter, and the main promenade is lined with designer shops like Louis Vuitton and Prada. But, despite its luxe clientele, this village has managed to hold on to many of its beloved historic traditions, including dairy farming and cheese-making.
More than 350 dairy farms — and roughly 10,000 cows — help to keep Gstaad humble. In July and August, farmers take their cows up into the mountains, where the brown-and-white bovines feast on the lush grass that sprouts once the snow disappears.
The farmers tend to their herds while living in alpine huts, where they make a special kind of cheese known as alpkase — literally cheese that’s made on the mountain tops.
When temperatures start to drop in autumn, they march their cows down to fields at lower elevations, passing through Gstaad on their way during an annual parade known as Zuglete. For this special occasion — which the whole community turns out for — they adorn their cows with elaborate flower crowns and big decorative cowbells.
Cows dressed up in Gstaad. Photo / Destination Gstaad
The fondue backpacks and giant pots are far from the only ways to immerse yourself in the region’s rich, cheesy heritage. You can also visit a local dairy farmer and help make alpkase from scratch, or take a scenic ride on the GoldenPass-MOB “cheese train”.
If you get hungry while you’re out exploring, simply stop at one of the many self-serve cheese refrigerators situated along the hiking trails.
Many restaurants in Gstaad serve fondue, raclette, and thinly sliced rolled cheese, but if you’re feeling peckish in the middle of the night, you can also grab a snack from a refrigerated cheese vending machine. You can also enjoy fondue while riding in a horse-drawn carriage.
Here, cheese is more than just food — it’s a way of life.
Fondue is a way of life. Photo / Destination Gstaad
Practical information for a cheesy holiday
Fly to Geneva or Zurich, then take the train the rest of the way to Gstaad. Switzerland’s train system is extremely easy to navigate, clean, quiet, and punctual. I recommend buying a Swiss Travel Pass ahead of time, which gets you unlimited rides for a set number of days.
Once you arrive in Gstaad, you don’t need a car — you can walk, bike, use hotel shuttles, or ride the public buses. (Public transit is free, thanks to the digital “Gstaad Card” issued to all overnight visitors.)
The giant fondue pots are available on a first-come, first-served basis — you cannot reserve them. But, in Switzerland, fondue is meant to be a social, shared meal, so if you show up and another group is already using one, simply ask if they have room for a few more. It’s a great way to meet and chat with Gstaad residents.
Don't be afraid to share fondue with strangers. Photo / Destination Gstaad
Order your fondue backpack at least one day in advance from Molkerei Schonried, Fromage and Pain Saanen, Molkerei Gstaad, Restaurant Zitbodeli, or Dairy Zweisimmen. The cost is 18 CHF ($35) per person for classic fondue and 21 CHF ($40) per person for truffle fondue; Some of the dairies also offer wine for an extra fee. Be sure to return the backpack and all the equipment when you’re done.
In the summer, you can reach the fondue pots by hiking, riding a bike or taking public transit. In the winter, you can hike or snowshoe.
Fondue in the alps is for all season. Photo / Destination Gstaad
Checklist
GSTAAD, SWITZERLAND
GETTING THERE
Fly non-stop from Auckland to Geneva Airport with one stopover with Qatar Airways and Emirates, as well as Air NZ and Qantas on a Star Alliance code-share basis.
Gstaad is a two-hour drive east of Geneva Airport.
