Villas in Emmental

Rohrbach and Huttwil suit families wanting space, Burgdorf a small-town base, and Lützelflüh and Lauperswil cheese and covered bridges. The Emmental is the green hill country east of Bern, home of the holey cheese. It has farms and walking rather than big sights or mountains, and a car makes the most of it.

Where

Villas: 22
From, per week: £328
Cheapest month: July
Nearest airports: Zurich is the closest major airport, around an hour to Huttwil and an hour and a quarter to Burgdorf and Langnau. Geneva is around two hours away. Bern's own airport has few scheduled flights. Flights from London to Zurich take around an hour and three quarters.

Where to stay in Emmental

Rohrbach, Huttwil and the upper Langeten valley (Dürrenroth, Wyssachen, Walterswil)

Rohrbach has more of our Emmental homes than anywhere else. Huttwil is a small market town with a station. Dürrenroth has a protected village centre of old timber inns, and Wyssachen sits below the Ahorn, a ridge with views from the Jura to the Alps. Zurich airport is around an hour away by motorway.

Best for: Families and walkers who want farmhouse space and hill walks

Not for you if: You want to reach Bern often: this is the far side of the Emmental, around 45 minutes away.

Burgdorf, Heimiswil, Wynigen and Hasle-Rüegsau

Burgdorf is the gateway town, with a castle above the old town that now holds a museum, a hostel and a restaurant. Trains to Bern take around 15 minutes. Heimiswil and Wynigen are farming villages in the hills just east and north-east. Hasle-Rüegsau is a few minutes up the Emme, with one of the valley's largest covered wooden bridges. Zurich airport is around an hour and a quarter away.

Best for: Visitors who want shops, trains and Bern within 20 minutes

Not for you if: You want deep countryside: this is the busier, flatter edge of the Emmental.

Lützelflüh and Affoltern (Grünenmatt, Häusernmoos, Heimisbach)

Häusernmoos is part of Affoltern im Emmental, home to the Emmentaler show dairy, where you can watch cheese being made in copper vats. Grünenmatt is in Lützelflüh, where the writer Jeremias Gotthelf was pastor and a small centre tells his story. Heimisbach is a quiet side valley village, good for walking. Bern is around 40 minutes away and Zurich airport about an hour and a quarter.

Best for: Food lovers who want to see Emmentaler being made

Not for you if: You need nightlife or many restaurants: villages close early.

Lauperswil, Zollbrück, Emmenmatt and Oberfrittenbach (near Langnau)

These villages sit along the Emme just below Langnau, the Emmental's largest village, with shops and a station. Covered wooden bridges cross the Emme at several points nearby, and the cycle path follows the river. The Kambly biscuit factory shop at Trubschachen and the Lüderenalp viewpoint are within around half an hour, and the Napf, the summit on the Lucerne border, makes a good day walk. Zurich airport is around an hour and a quarter away.

Best for: Walkers and cyclists who want the Emme river and the Napf hills

Not for you if: You want views of the high Alps from the house: the valley floor is enclosed.

When to go to Emmental

May to October is the best time, for walking, cycling and the farm shops. Summer is warm but rarely as hot as the lowlands near Basel or Geneva,. September and October bring harvest festivals and the cows down from the hill pastures. Winter is quiet, with some snow on the higher ground for sledging and winter walks, but there is no real ski area. Many inns close one or two days a week all year.