A two-day itinerary in the canton of Fribourg (Switzerland) around St Nicholas 2026: La Poya, Gruyères, Corbières, Vaulruz and Mézières
Christmas 2026 in Fribourg: A festive weekend from La Poya to Gruyères via Mézières
From 4 to 6 December 2026, St Nicholas returns on a donkey’s back through the streets of Fribourg. A two-day itinerary linking the procession to five castles in the canton, from the Palladian villa of La Poya to Gruyères’ Roaring Twenties Christmas.
Editorial journal · Carte des Châteaux ·
Avent en pays fribourgeois
Every first weekend in December, Fribourg celebrates its patron saint. In 2026, the festivities take place from 4 to 6 December: St Nicholas parades through the old town on a donkey, flanked by his sinister companions, before addressing the crowd from the cathedral that bears his name. It’s the perfect excuse to explore a canton often overlooked between Bern and Lake Geneva. Around the city and deep into the Prealps of Gruyère, Savoyard lords and Fribourg patricians left behind an astonishing series of residences: a count’s castle perched on its hill, bailiffs’ seats on rocky spurs, a villa inspired by Palladio, and salons adorned with Napoleonic-era wallpapers. Here’s a two-day itinerary, from Saturday in the city to Sunday in the Gruyère countryside.
Three figures to encounter along the way
François-Philippe de Lanthen-Heid
mort en 1713
Magistrate and Avoyer of Fribourg, he represented the Swiss cantons at the court of Louis XIV in Versailles. On his return, he commissioned the Villa de La Poya around 1700, the first neo-Palladian building north of the Alps.
Michel de Gruyère
XVIe siècle
The last ruling Count of Gruyère. Deep in debt, he went bankrupt in 1554: his creditors, Fribourg and Bern, divided his county between them, and the Château de Gruyères became the residence of the Fribourg bailiffs from 1555.
Camille Corot
1796-1875
French landscape painter and major 19th-century figure. He was among the artists hosted at the Château de Gruyères by the Bovy brothers, the Genevans who had bought the estate in 1849.
Which stop for which traveller?
Preparing your weekend
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The route on the map
St Nicholas weekend in the Fribourg countryside
From La Poya, on the outskirts of Fribourg, to Gruyères, Corbières, Vaulruz and Mézières: the suggested order for Sunday minimises backtracking.
Markers follow the suggested visiting order. Select a castle to open its page.
Sources
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Day by day
The itinerary
Day 1 – Fribourg, from La Poya to the St Nicholas procession
A morning on the heights facing the old town to see the Palladian villa of La Poya, an afternoon wandering the lanes of the Bourg, then the St Nicholas procession at dusk and the speech from the cathedral.
Day 2 – The Gruyère region, from Gruyères to Mézières
Visit the Château de Gruyères as soon as it opens, a stop in Corbières on the shore of Lake Gruyère, then Vaulruz, and a late-afternoon tour of the Wallpaper Museum in Mézières before heading back to Fribourg.