A Visit to the Amazing House of Mirrors Gstaad in Summer
Le Mirage by Doug Aitken
A Temporary Pop Up Until March 2021
You may remember that way back in February 2019 we wrote about the Doug Aitken Chalet of Mirrors or “Le Mirage” as it is known (you can see the article here). Some of you may have been put off by the fact that in Winter it is up a mountain and surrounded by snow, but in Summer (or early Autumn before the snow comes) it is totally different! With the warmer months it is a lot more accessible and the good news is that is is still there, forming part of the “ELEVATION 1049: Frequencies” exhibition.
However, having already been to Palm Springs desert and Detroit previously, it won’t be long before it moves on to its next location in March 2021. So if you fancy visiting it before it leaves Gstaad, now is the time to plan your trip.
How To Get To Le Mirage
You can go to Le Mirage for a day trip and it takes around 3 hours or so to get to Gstaad from Zurich. You could drive to Schönried (or to Gstaad and then take the train which takes 9 minutes or the 180 bus which takes 17 minutes) but you can also go all the way by train with a walk at the final stage. When going by rail you can choose to go to either Schönried railway station (please note they are request stops so you need to ring the bell) and then take the path down towards Le Mirage, or alternatively go to Gruben and walk up. You can see the map below.
Either way it’s a pleasant walk and when you reach the chalet you can take a good look around and go inside. Entrance to the house is free and everywhere the mirrors reflect so it’s hard to take a photo without being in it – but it really is quite an unusual and unique piece of art.
Visit Gstaad
Depending on what you plan to do next you could walk or take the train or bus into Gstaad and go for lunch (and maybe one of their fabled hot chocolates) at Charly’s Gstaad or another of the pavement restaurants in the pedestrianised centre, or alternatively treat yourself to lunch at The Alpina Gstaad. Whilst you’re there check out some of the other pieces of art work around the town like this sculpture below.
Staying in Gstaad
The Alpina Gstaad
Of course if you’re staying in Switzerland this Summer you might want to incorporate a trip to Le Mirage into your holiday plans. There are some great luxury hotels with amazing wellness and gastronomy facilities such as the Alpina Gstaad which we visited earlier this year. If you plan to make a break of it and stay in Gstaad, you can read all about The Alpina Gstaad here.
We also stayed at the Gstaad Palace and you can read all about our stay here.
The Alpina Gstaad ***** Superior
Alpinastrasse 23
3780 Gstaad
Tel +41 (0)33 888 9888
www.thealpinagstaad.ch
Gstaad Palace ***** Superior
Palacestrasse 28
3780 Gstaad
Tel +41 (0)33 748 50 00
www.palace.ch
Le Mirage – House of Mirrors in Gstaad
Where: See map below. Located between Schönried station and Gruben station in Gstaad
Open: Now extended until 5th April 2021
Entrance: FREE
*** Please do check with the Tourism Board for the latest news ***
See here more information on the artist Doug Aitken
For more information please visit the website here.
Photos of Le Mirage courtesy of Gstaad Tourism
Photos of the map courtesy of Elevation 1049
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