There is something particularly satisfying about setting off from Gstaad in the morning and ending up somewhere that feels completely different – without ever getting into a car. This autumn, we explore Les Pléiades above Lake Geneva, with a mountain brunch as a great reason to make the journey.

We are rather spoilt when it comes to train travel from Gstaad. Head one way and you are soon in Zweisimmen and the Bernese Oberland; go the other way and the landscape changes almost continuously as the MOB line winds through the Pays-d’Enhaut, past Château-d’œx and Rossinière, and gradually drops towards Lake Geneva.
For this particular day out, stay on until Montreux. From there, the journey continues to Vevey before changing onto the railway through Blonay to Les Pléiades. The final section is quite different again: the train climbs steadily away from the Riviera until it reaches Les Pléiades at 1,348 metres. Curiously, the higher the train climbs, the larger Lake Geneva seems to become below, or so I have been told. It is a good destination even without a programme.

There are walking trails and plenty of room simply to wander, while the view stretches across Lake Geneva and the surrounding Alps. And because the train takes you practically to the top, this is one mountain excursion that does not demand a serious hike before you have earned lunch.
This autumn, lunch can be considerably more substantial. On 27 September, 25 October and 29 November, Les Pléiades is holding a series of autumn brunches at the mountain restaurant. Rather than a formal meal, it is a generous buffet built around regional and seasonal produce, with salads, grilled dishes and local specialities, along with coffee, tea and fruit juice. A vegetarian option is also available.
Brunch runs continuously from 10.30am until 2.30pm, so there is no need to rush once you arrive.
There is also something pleasantly old-fashioned about the set-up. Guests sit together around a large, shared table, while those who arrive early may be lucky enough to find a place on the panoramic terrace overlooking the lake and Alps.

The railway is part of the experience, not just the transport to get there. For the autumn brunch dates, MVR is offering a combined brunch-and-train package that includes a 30 per cent reduction on the return journey from Vevey via Blonay to Les Pléiades. Reduced rates are also available for children up to 12. From Gstaad, that makes it a proper little expedition: mountains in the morning, the Riviera around midday, then back up into another landscape altogether. And perhaps that is the best argument for leaving the car at home. The destination is Les Pléiades, but quite a lot of the pleasure happens before you get there.

JEANETTE WICHMANN