A morning gondola ride and lunch at a cozy mountain hut set the tone for the coming week • Hike down into Gstaad, where our glorious spa hotel welcomes us with a French flair • Stroll Gstaad’s cobblestone main drag to ogle boutiques frequented by part-time residents including Julie Andrews and Madonna • Views stretch forever as we hike across the top of the Wispile Mountain • Stop trailside at the dairy of a local cheesemaker who shows us how he makes Alpine cheese in a giant copper pot • Stroll along the shore of jewel-like Lake Lauenen • Hop a quick evening train to French-speaking Switzerland, where a fondue dinner is served. 

A local hiking guide joins us for the traverse from Gstaad to Lenk, through phantasmagorical gypsum formations located high on the mountain • Relax in our grand hotel’s 7sources spa • Hike in a loop that links the valley’s waterfalls, from the towering Simmenfall to the Seven Fountains, where you can get close enough to feel the spray • “Eating local” gets a new meaning as you dig into a lunch of cold cuts and cheeses on the farm that produces them • Meet up with an artisan who introduces you to the traditional Swiss art of Scherenschnitte, or paper-cutting. 

Make our final mountain crossing over the Hahnenmoos Pass, which Catholic priests once used to flee from the Reformation • Chase a grand finale of 360-degree views if you choose to bag the peak of the Regenboldshorn • Opt to hike through flower-covered slopes down into Adelboden, our final destination, or hop on a Trotti bike: a uniquely Swiss type of downhill scooter • Toast to our adventure together as alpenglow lights up the Engstligenfall, Adelboden’s iconic cascade, then spend your last morning strolling up to the falls’ thundering base.