Toblerone Trail in Switzerland

Incase you are thinking this article is going to be about the iconic chocolate Toblerone, you can’t be more wrong. The Toblerone Trail or Sentier des Toblerones is a 10km trail made of 2700 triangle shaped concrete structures to stop the advancements of tanks during World War II. In addition to being a historical trail, it’s a great natural trail as well. If you love offbeat attractions, then this is definitely for you.

Toblerone Trail

During WWII, the Nazis had defeated the French in 1940 and there was a high possibility of them attacking Switzerland. Although Switzerland was a neutral country, the occupation of Norway and Netherlands (the other neutral countries) by the Nazis put the Swiss on an alert. They started building a defense line which was called Promenthouse since it was built across a river which goes by the same name. This defense line consisted of triangular shaped concrete structures weighing 9 tons each stretching 10 kms from Nyon to Bassins. The triangle shape resembles the famous chocolate Toblerone and hence the name. The primary purpose of this line was to stop the enemy tanks.

Along the routes are some bunkers and fortifications, the most famous being Villa Rose which is a fake house. These fake houses or chalets were built to house Swiss Army and their weapons. One of the most fascinating moments was to see one of these bunkers right in the middle of residential buildings. The trail has enough of natural beauty to keep the long walk relaxing. Infact, the nature has taken over this historic line as most of the structures are now covered in moss.

Toblerone Trail Route

The trail begins in Prangins in Nyon district and ends at Bassins. Prangins is 30 kms from Geneva by car. Alternatively, you can catch a train from Geneva to Nyon (15 mins ride) and then take a bus from Nyon to Prangins (bus no 805). If you are short on time, you can start your trail at Villa Rose, which is a 2 km walk from Gland station. Gland is just 20 mins by train from Geneva (on most of the trains it’s the next station after Nyon). In your Google Maps, type Fortification Villa Rose to get the walking directions from the station. Once you reach Villa Rose, follow the walking man on the yellow board to be on trail.

From Bassins catch a narrow gauge train called the NStCM (Nyon–St-Cergue–Morez Railway) to Nyon, from where you can catch a train to either Geneva or Lausanne. Please note that NStCM is a stop on request train i.e you should press the stop button before the train arrives on the platform else the train will run past you and won’t stop. I had to wait for the next train  😛