Woodland Wonder > Gstaad Palace Walig Hut, Switzerland

The Walig Hut, owned and run by the Gstaad Palace Hotel is hidden away 1700m above Gsteig village. Dating back to 1783 I can truly say that this is one of the most beautiful, tranquil & romantic hideaways I challenge you to beat.

Now you have 2 choices on how to reach it, have the hotel drive you, or hike for 3 hours from Gstaad and really deserve that dinner which is being prepared for you as you arrive at the top. We hiked & loved it.

As you ascend, you climb amongst the steep woodland until you join a trail and you just walk and walk, but pause for breaks and take in the crisp air. I’d never witnessed views like it. You can see for miles, and by the time we reached the top, the Gstaad Palace was just a pin drop in the distance in the valley beyond.

Walking with Stefanie, the hotel PR Manager who joined us for dinner

The Gstaad Palace is the white building in the middle of the picture, pretty satisfying to know your starting point!

The Walig Hut, and one of the neighbours

Meet Maurizio our butler for the evening, as you arrive you’re handed your first glass of local Fendant before exploring the hut and taking a much deserved rest to take in the landscape. Find the bottles of wine and water kept cool in the water trough in the field (which we share with the cows), the Walig Hut has a tap and sink in the dining area to brush your teeth, and a solar panel for a couple of lights inside. Otherwise it’s you, the wood burning kitchen stove, a log burner, open fire in the kitchen and some candlelight in the evening.

With authentic outdoor ‘facilities’ at the back of the hut, you’ll be washing beside the cows in the field next door before bed. It’s all part of the experience, and it’s wonderful fun. It was just Etienne and myself for our overnight stay, but the hut can accommodate 4, with 2 children in single beds in the rafters above the master bedroom.

The kitchen

The Dining Room

Meet our neighbour. A small partition door in the kitchen and you walk into the barn. Best take a mental note of that incase you walk though the wrong door in the middle of the night…

With all the candles lit, we watched the sun set with some local swiss cheese and bread outside before our 3 course local Swiss menu, totally deserved after our hike.

Happy Hikers

After Maurizio over indulged us, we were discreetly left for the evening, with a breakfast picnic for us to unpack in the morning. With a bottle of red to finish, we headed outside to take it all in one last time before the candles reached their last light.

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We woke up at the crack of dawn, to catch the sunrise just in time…

Breakfast inside or out?

Our traditional Swiss breakfast, a beautiful view, & the morning to ourselves.

We were fortunate to witness the local farmer take his herd on their bi-annual journey down the mountain for pastures new, wearing their ceremonial bells adorned with local flowers which you can see around their necks. The larger the bell, the older the cow, and what a noise they make! Click on this link to see my video.

A final goodbye from us from the Walig Hut, as our Palace transfer come and collect us for the ride back to our hotel for one more night of indulgence at the Gstaad Palace. We could have walked, but well you know there was a pool with our name on it back at the hotel…

The hut can accommodate up to 25 people for lunch or dinner, or an overnight stay for 2-4 people. Rates for an overnight stay with a 3 course dinner & breakfast begin at CHF 1’600 for 2 people. To book your overnight stay (during the summer season only), contact the Gstaad Palace Hotel.