Gruyère

TPF trains link Fribourg to Bulle in about forty minutes and carry on to Broc-Fabrique, a two minute walk from the Maison Cailler. The same company serves Gruyères and runs down to Montbovon, while a second branch reaches Palézieux via Châtel-Saint-Denis. By car, the A12 motorway crosses the whole region, with exits at Rossens, Bulle and Vaulruz. The lake beaches are reachable by CarPostal bus from Bulle, though services thin out on Sundays.

Worth knowing: the car parks at Morlon and Corbières fill up before 11am as soon as it turns hot. Head for Pont-la-Ville or Botterens instead, both smaller and far quieter.

La Pointe beach in Morlon has a big flat lawn and a very gradual entry into the water, which helps a lot under the age of three. The village of Gruyères, by contrast, is cobbled and steep: a carrier works better than a pushchair. The Bains de la Gruyère in Charmey have a shallow pool and family changing rooms, a reliable answer to a rainy afternoon. The paddling pool at Bulle is supervised and partly shaded, and the one in Sorens is smaller but rarely crowded.

Three outings come up in every local family: the castle of Gruyères and its medieval village, the Maison Cailler in Broc for the smell of chocolate and the tasting at the end, and the Rossens dam footbridge, 105 metres suspended above the lake, which makes an impression from about six. On the water, Aventure Gruyère rents licence-free boats and paddleboards at Corbières, and Kayak Aventure does the same at La Roche. Slower but much loved: the solar boat crossing from Gumefens beach to the ruins on the island of Ogoz.