Villars-sur-Ollon is a mountain resort in southwest Switzerland, with views across the Rhône Valley and French-Swiss alps. Though lesser known to tourists, it’s a popular destination for Swiss families living in the Lake Geneva region.
Our family spent a summer weekend there: golfing, hiking, swimming in an alpine lake, eating delicious Swiss-French cuisine, and enjoying our luxurious family-friendly hotel Chalet RoyAlp.
Below I detail activities we did, as well as our hotel and restaurants we enjoyed. You should have everything you need to plan a fun-filled weekend in the beautiful Villars-sur-Ollon region.
Note: This weekend was sponsored by Chalet RoyAlp, Golf Club Villars, and Alpes Vaudoise tourism.
Contents
Special offer! Check out the Royal Family and Royal Golf packages for attractive that include the activities we describe here.
Overview
To give you a quick feel for our weekend, here’s a gallery of highlights. All of these are described in more detail below.
This map shows the Villars-sur-Ollon village and the location of the hotel and activities we did over the weekend.
How to get to Villars-sur-Ollon
Villars-sur-Ollon is located in the alps of southwest Switzerland, near Montreux. See on Google maps.
By car
You can drive to the Villars village. But it does require driving up a winding two lane road, about 25 mins up from the valley.
Here are some sample driving times from Swiss cities:
- Montreux 45 mins
- Geneva 1h45
- Bern: 1h30
- Basel: 2h30
- Lucerne: 2h40
- Zurich: 3h
Parking can be a little tricky in the village. Happily, Chalet RoyAlp has its own parking garage, which made our stay quite convenient.
By train
To get to Villars-sur-Ollon, you typically take a train to Lausanne, then another train to Aigle. Then you transfer to a bus the rest of the way to Villars.
Here are some sample travel times from Swiss cities:
- Montreux: 1h
- Geneva: 2h10
- Bern: 2h30
- Zurich: 3h30
- Basel: 3h40
- Lucerne: 4h10
If you are staying at Chalet RoyAlp, they offer a free shuttle from the Villars bus stop. Just inform them of your scheduled arrival and they will send the van to pick you up.
Where we stayed: Chalet RoyAlp
Chalet RoyAlp Hotel & Spa is a 5-Star hotel near the center of the Villars-sur-Ollon village.
The hotel has a stylish modern chalet style, giving a cozy Swiss alpine feel but with all the comforts you expect a hotel of this quality.
The location is super convenient, right next to the Bretaye mountain train, taking us directly to the golf course and hiking trails. We absolutely loved the hotel and would go back in a minute.
Note: our stay was hosted by Chalet RoyAlp.
Rooms
They have a wide variety of accommodations, from rooms and suites to holiday apartments with kitchens.
We stayed in a Junior Suite with a king size bed and two roll-away twins for our two boys. It had a sitting room and balcony, giving us plenty of room to spread out.
From our balcony, we loved watching the morning and evening light drift over the mountains. Such a peaceful setting.
Family fun
This hotel has a lot of extras for families. My boys loved the game rooms, with ping pong, billiards, foosball, chess, and video games.
My kids were in the game rooms every morning and evening, happily competing with each other.
The hotel also has a little kids play room with a play castle to explore, toys, books, and games. This is a great place for them to make lots of noise before going back up to the room for bed.
Visit with the family? Check out the RoyAlp Family package for a special offer.
Spa & Wellness
We particularly enjoyed using their spa and pool after a full day of outdoor activities. They have a sauna, steam bath, indoor pool and hot tub. This was a great way to unwind before dinner.
My son was happy in the fitness room, as he’s training for a marathon and didn’t want to get too behind on his routine.
Restaurant
Chalet RoyAlp has multiple restaurants and bars on the property, including a casual brasserie and a fine dining restaurant.
We ate at the Le Rochegrise Alpine Brasserie both evenings and had so many delicious bites.
The food was beautifully plated and very flavorful.
In nice weather, you can often dine on their outdoor terrace, which has a lovely garden and little playground.
We also enjoyed drinks in their lounge, with tasty signature cocktails and a really nice lager from the nearby village Bex – Brasserie La Mine. The brewer happened to be attending an event that night, so we got to chat with him. So fun when you get that real authentic local experience.
Golf Club Villars
We spent our first day at Golf Club Villars, located on the mountain just above the Villars village at 1600m.
The best way to get there is riding the Bretaye mountain train to the Villars-sur-Ollon Golf stop, which is a 7 min ride from Chalet RoyAlp or 9 min ride from the Villars village.
Then a short walk to the clubhouse. Of course, best to reserve your tee time in advance, which can be arranged by the hotel when you book your room.
Their 18-hole course is well maintained and a pleasure to play, with spectacular mountain views in all directions.
You can see some of the first nine holes in this picture. We were so happy to have our golf carts but we saw a few local members walking the course – so Swiss! P.S. The next day we hiked around that mountain you see in the background.
You can even see Mont Blanc peeking out in the distance, such a treat.
Before our round, we had lunch at their club restaurant, which has a fantastic view from the terrace.
I had the local trout with a delicious sauce accompanied by wine from the region, while my boys were happy with their hearty burgers and fries.
Although our family has golfing experience, some in our family (mostly me) are still beginners and need a lot of guidance. Happily, the club arranged golf pro Patrick Terru to accompany us, giving us lots of pointers and helping us adjust our play to the course. I still have a lot to learn, but I had a great time trying.
My husband and I have golfed in several beautiful places in the world including Hawaii, Ireland, and San Francisco. We both agreed that golfing in the Swiss alps is an incomparable experience, even after living in Switzerland for so many years. I wish all my golfing friends could enjoy a day like this.
Interested in Swiss golf? Check out the Golf by RoyAlp package for a special offer.
Mountain railways & tickets
Many of the outings described below use mountain transport to reach the activities, trails and viewpoints. This includes the Roc d’Orsay gondola and the mountain train from Villars-sur-Ollon to Col de Bretaye.
If you are staying at Chalet RoyAlp, you can board the mountain train directly in front of the hotel at the Roches Grises stop. For the gondola, the hotel provides a free shuttle from the hotel to the Roc d’Orsay gondola station (less than 5 min ride).
Tickets
For the mountain railways, you can buy single one way and return tickets. But in most cases, it makes more sense to buy an unlimited “summer lift ticket” for the Villars-Gryon-Diablerets region.
In 2024, this day pass costs CHF 34/adult. This ticket is 50% discounted with the Swiss Travel Pass, Swiss Half Fare or for children aged 6-15. Free with the Magic Pass.
Children under 6 ride free on all mountain transport.
Carte Bienvenue: Discounts with Guest Card
If you are staying at a hotel in the area, you usually get a free “Carte Bienvenue” guest card, which entitles you to free and discounted services in the region. (Not applicable to AirBnb accommodations.)
In general, the card includes free public transport between village, 50% discount on most mountain railways in the region, and discounts on some museums and other attraction like the Bex Salt Mines.
Note: no additional discount with the Swiss Travel Pass, Swiss Half Fare Card, or GA.
See current benefits and learn more. If you aren’t sure, ask your hotel if you get a Carte Bienvenue with your stay.
Helpful links for Villars region
Hiking & Mountain Activities
Of course, we had to also enjoy a day of family hiking in this gorgeous area. I’ll begin by describing what we did and then give a few easier options.
You don’t have to travel far, as a gondola and mountain train leave directly from Villars-sur-Ollon, accessing mountain viewpoints, lovely lakes, and gorgeous hiking trails. If you stay longer and need more ideas, check the Alpes Vaudoise region website.
Our hike: Le Chamossaire Peak – Lac des Chavonnes – Bretaye
On our mountain outing, we visiting the Le Chamossaire peak viewpoint, hiked along the ridge and down to the Lac des Chavonnes lake for a swim. Then we hiked over the pass and looped through alpine meadows back to Bretaye. The rode the mountain train back to our hotel.
Our hike stats: moderate • 4hours • 11.5 km loop • 508m up 805m down • see trail map
We started by riding the Villars-Roc d’Orsay gondola up the mountain.
Then Bretaye chair lift up to the Le Chamossaire peak, the highest viewpoint above the Villars-sur-Ollon village. (I took this picture later when we were hiking along the ridge)
At the top, there is an enclosed viewpoint over the cliffs where you see this.
Then we hiked along the ridge and down to Lac des Chavonnes, which you can see in the distance.
We took a break at Lac des Chavonnes for a lovely swim.
Then over a mountain pass to spectacular views of the tall mountains in the Les Diablerets region.
Then we looped back through classic alpine meadows, passing lounging cows on the way.
We ended at Col de Bretaye where we rode the mountain train back to the hotel.
Easy walk: Bretaye to Lac de Chavonnes
If you want an easy day out, you can ride the mountain train from Villars to Bretaye. Then follow the wide gravel path, only about 30 mins easy walking directly to the Chavonnes lake.
Hike: easy • 3 km round trip • about 30 mins each way • 100m up & down • See trail map.
At the lake, you’ll find a restaurant (see website) as well as lots of sunny and shady places to set up your picnic.
Bring your swimsuits!
You could even bring a stroller as far as the lakeside restaurant. Leave the stroller there and wander along the lakeshore as far as the little feet will carry them.
No hike: Le Chassomiere viewpoint
If you want to visit the La Chassomiere peak without hiking, no problem!
For minimal walking, you can ride the mountain train from Villars to the Col de Bretaye stop. If you are staying at Chalet RoyAlp, you can board the mountain train directly in front of the hotel at the Roches Grises stop, shown below.
From the Bretaye train stop, it’s a very short walk to the chair lift that brings you up to the La Chassomiere peak.
Then another very short walk, about 1 min, to the viewpoint at the top.
Return the way you came or ride the chair lift down and walk out to the lake as described above.
Adventure! Roc d’Orsay Mountain Carts
If you have adventurous older kids, they’ll love the Roc d’Orsay mountain go carts. The route starts at the top of the Roc d’Orsay gondola and rides 5 km down the mountain, descending 700m in elevation.
Unlike other Swiss mountain go carts, they have specific start times (5 per day) and they ask you to book a specific day/time in advance. Then you meet 15 mins before your scheduled time at the bottom of the Roc d’Orsay gondola.
In 2024, the cost is CHF 20/person for the cart plus a one-way ticket on the gondola, CHF 20/adult and CHF 10/child. If you have day pass for the region or Magic Pass, you don’t pay extra for the gondola.
The mountain carts are offered daily from mid June through last weekend of August. Then weekends only in September. Check current schedule here.
If you also wanted to hike, I’d either do the mountain cart first in the morning or last time of the day and schedule outing carefully to end back in Villars to catch the gondola. This makes more sense if you have a hiking day pass for the region.
Profi Tip: GoldenPass Express
If you’d like to ride the GoldenPass Express during your Switzerland trip, the Villars region would be a nice and easy add-on to your itinerary.
The GoldenPass Express starts or ends in Montreux, which is only a one hour journey by train/bus to Villars-sur-Ollon.
The Villars-sur-Ollon area would be a great place to have a couple relaxing days at the end of your busy traveling. Or a nice place to get over jet lag before you start the whirlwind tour.
Learn more about the GoldenPass Express
Last thoughts
Honestly, this was one of the nicest family weekends we’ve had in Switzerland. We got to visit a Swiss region that we haven’t been to in summer, making me want to come back soon and explore every corner. The accommodations, amenities, golf and views were top notch – all praise, no complaints.
Everyone in the family was happy and it felt like a real holiday, even though it was just a weekend. And even I felt relaxed, although I was also working much of the time, capturing photos, videos and info for this article.
Thanks again to Chalel RoyAlp, Golf Club Villars, and Alpes Vaudoise tourism for hosting our visit and planning such a seamless itinerary.
See more things to do in the Vaud/Lake Geneva region.
More family weekend itineraries in Switzerland
