For a high-alpine view of Switzerland's highest heights, consider a day trip from Lausanne to the high-alpine village of Les Diablerets, which is rather confusingly designated as the geographical and spiritual centerpiece of a high-altitude and rocky Les Diablerets region. To reach the village of Les Diablerets, visitors take a conventional train from Lausanne to the town of Aigle -- a 30-minute relatively high-speed ride, priced at 28F ($18) per person round-trip. In Aigle, they transfer onto a relatively slow narrow-gauge train that carries them to the village of Les Diablerets -- a 46-minute ride priced at 22F ($14) per person round-trip.
In Diablerets, you can wander around the alpine village, site of about 10 hotels, including two in the government-rated four-star category. There's an attempt to maintain old-fashioned aesthetics in this town, and it does have some alpine charm. Diablerets "Village" is the centerpiece of three distinct regions: the D'Ifenau ski region, the Le Meilleret ski region (which funnels into yet another ski region known as the Villarf region); and the Glacier region ("Les Diablerets Glacier 3000"). It's also the site of a 7.2km (4 1/2-mile) bobsled ride (piste de luge) that's among the most thrilling (terrifying?) in the region.
After visiting "Les Diablerets Village," you can either return to Lausanne, or continue on to see the Glacier des Diablerets at 2,997m (9,835 ft.). In winter, a free minibus will haul you to the door of most of the hotels in Les Diablerets Village, then continue to the base of one of Switzerland's newest (inaugurated in 1999) cable cars at Col du Pillon, which will carry you on to the Glacier des Diablerets. The minibuses take 15 minutes for the ride. In summer, there are no free minibuses: instead, you'll board any of five daily departures aboard a Swiss Postal Bus for the 15-minute ride to the base of the cable car at Col du Pillon, and pay 12F ($7.50) per person each way. Or if you want to walk through the village, it will take you about 90 minutes from the railway station to the base of the cable car.
Once you reach Col du Pillon, departures on the cable car to the glacier are continuous between 8:30am and 9am (depending on the season), ending at between 4 and 5:30pm (depending on the season). The 15-minute uphill ride (very steep, very dramatic) requires one change of car at a midway point up the mountain. The cost is 54F ($35) per person round-trip. For cable car information and confirmation that the car is running, call tel. 024/492-33-77 (the cashier) or 024/492-28-14 (the administration).
The summit is the site of a futuristic-looking aerie designed by Mario Botta, resembling an angular Inca temple or a spacecraft, depending on your point of view. Inside, there are two eateries (a self-service restaurant and a more formal sit-down restaurant); and the departure point for winter skiing (Dec to mid-Apr), summer skiing (late June to late July), and lots of hiking trails on or near the edges of the glaciers. There's also a "snow-bus" excursion, priced at 12F ($7.80) for a 30-minute outing, in a vehicle with very big snow tires and big windows. There might be a group of husky dogs on-site, practicing dog sledding, Alaskan-style, but this is unpredictable and iffy. The entire site, including the cable car, is closed during May for annual maintenance.
