2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship 
Explore regional route 78, the “Fribourg Pre-Alps Trail”. Split into five stages, the “Fribourg Pre-Alps Trail” takes you from the town of Fribourg to Schwarzsee, then through La Gruyère, below the Gastlosen mountain chain to the Pays-d'Enhaut, arriving at the Château d'Oex, the Eldorado of hot-air ballooning.
The route for the first stage of the trail passes through mountains and valleys to reach the Upper Sense, through a landscape characterised by dense forest and farm pastureland criss-crossed by rivers and streams. It also crosses villages and hamlets typical of the German-speaking part of the canton of Fribourg.
Religion has always played an important part in the life of Fribourg and its traces are clearly visible in both civic and religious buildings. While the town is the canton’s main administrative centre, it is also home to a large number of churches, convents and monasteries, the most charismatic of which is the St. Nicholas Cathedral. The villages on this first stage of the trail are also known for their churches, which are often the focal lifepoint in the community.
The route to Plaffeien winds its way through the Sense hills, first passing through Bourguillon. The church of Notre-Dame-de-Bourguillon is a famous pilgrimage destination. A former leper hospital – later a hospital and then a poorhouse – used to stand on the current site of the Auberge des Trois-Tours. The undulating path then leads you through a magnificent landscape that brings you close to the Pre-Alps. You will pass through both Sankt Ursen and Rechthalten, until you reach Oberschrot-Plaffeien. All of these places were built in the Middle Ages and have seen marked economic and demographic growth since the second half of the 20th century.
Possible to leave the trail at this point: yes (return by bus: there are bus stops in all the villages along the way)
Accessible by public transport: yes
Accessible by car: yes
Difference in height: + 740m /- 520m
Properties of the itinerarie
Difficulty: Easy
Duration: 05:25
Distance: 20 km
Ascent/Descent: +865m / -644m
Altitude min./max.: 537m / 1051m
