Geneva 12 to 15 December

Old Aug 26th, 2013, 08:26 PM
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Geneva 12 to 15 December

Hi
I'm arriving Genava on 12th and leaving on 15th December. Geneva Escalade festival is around the same period. I would like some help to plan day trip to Lausanne, montreux, scenic view, choc and cheese factory , lake geneva steamboat or cruise , etc. it's possible to do a day trip Lausanne, montreux , scenic mountains views in one day? Does escalade take whole day? I know it is a very short break but would like to cover as much as I can. They are 4 of us, 2 adults, 12 and 16 years old. Please give me suggestion on train route to Lausanne, montreux, .....then back to geneva in one day.
I will be coming from Lyon by tgv. After geneva, I will going south to Nice. The tgv from geneva to nice takes more than 5 hours. Do you think I should take easyjet to Nice as the tgv ticket and easyjet ticket price not much different? Easyjet is 1 hour.
Thanks
CharlieSoon is offline  
Old Aug 26th, 2013, 09:57 PM
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Hi CharlieSoon,

No, I don't think you can do Lausanne, Montreux, and scenic mountains in one day. There's just not enough time for it.

Do you know that the many Christmas markets in Montreux will be going on then? The Montreux markets are a major attraction for the area, and they are wonderful to see. The only free one is the one along the lakefront and the main street in town, and it's really great. There is another one inside the courtyard of Chillon castle, but you have to pay entrance to get in to see it -- but you really ought to see Chillon, so you shouldn't mind paying for it.

I'd also suggest that you make the time to see Vevey, which is a lovely little town.

In one day, you can easily see Vevey, Montreux, the Christmas markets, and Chillon castle. Just take the train to Montreux and walk along the lake viewing the markets as you walk to Chillon. See Chillon and its medieval market. Then take the bus (#201) from Chillon all the way to Vevey and explore the town. Then take the train back to Geneva.

I don't think the lake ferries are running in wintertime.

The mountains you can ascend from/near Montreux are not that high -- they are only the ends of the Prealps and are only about 2,000m. You can ascend the Rochers-de-Naye from Montreux, but it will take an hour to go up and an hour to go down. I wouldn't take time away from the lakeside, the markets, and Vevey just to do that. Perhaps you can return to Switzerland another time to see some really high Alps??

Have fun as you plan!

s
swandav2000 is offline  
Old Aug 26th, 2013, 10:35 PM
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Thanks swandav.
12th geneva
13th Dec I'll go Montreux, Vevy, Chillon, Christmas. Markets, etc.
14th dec escalade festival
15th Dec train or easyjet?

Should I take tgv train or easyjet to nice?
CharlieSoon is offline  
Old Aug 26th, 2013, 10:43 PM
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Hi again,

That's a really difficult decision, whether to take the train or the plane. I usually opt for the train, unless the ride is 12 hours long.

The connections from Geneva to Nice look pretty good -- there's one that leaves Geneva at 12.42 and arrives in Nice at 19.05, without any changes of train (6h23). You can check all the schedules at the Swiss rail site at

www.sbb.ch

BTW, here's a link to the markets of Montreux:

http://montreuxnoel.com/en-site-1-christmas-market.html

and wait to look at all the photos as they load, one at a time.

Have fun!

s
swandav2000 is offline  
Old Aug 26th, 2013, 11:31 PM
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Thanks. Another option is I take train from lyon to montreux or vevy. Stay montreux or vevy on 12 and 13.
On 14th move to geneva. 14th I explore escalade festival and the geneva city. Is escalade worth going?
Is this alternative plan better than he 1st plan? Is 2nd plan is better, where should I look for acommadation? I already have hotel booked in geneva which can be cancel or alter without charges.
Th train route from geneva to nice, any scenic view? After Nice, we are heading north back to Paris by train. I assume the train track is the same as one from lyon to nice.
.
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Old Aug 27th, 2013, 11:21 AM
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Hi again,

I'm sorry, but I don't truly like either plan!

I like to stay put in a place and not move around and switch hotels often. Every time you switch hotels, you lose about half a day of "outside" time because of the chores of packing up and checking out, then checking in and unpacking again. For that reason, I sit in one place and do day-trips.

I don't like big cities, so I personally would never stay in Geneva for four nights. I would pick Lutry as an alternative spot -- it sits outside of Lausanne on the Vevey side, so you can get to either Geneva or to Montreux easily. Or Vevey as a base for all four nights.

Sorry, I've never been to Escalade.

Sorry again -- I haven't taken the trip from Geneva to Nice. However, just looking at a map makes me think it won't really be super scenic -- maybe industrial or maybe farm fields.

Sorry I can't help more!

s
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Old Aug 27th, 2013, 12:26 PM
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The scenery may be nice Geneva-Nice but I would fly unless you have a LOT of time to spend.
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Old Aug 27th, 2013, 03:14 PM
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On you day trip to Lausanne/Vevey/Montreux (if the weather is clear) you will *see* beautiful mountains across the lake (just not have time to go up into them.

As far as the train from Geneva out to these towns, there is only one route. Check because some trains you have to transfer at Lausanne, some go direct thru to Vevey & Montreux.
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Old Aug 28th, 2013, 01:40 AM
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Dukey, I will probably take easyjet from geneva to nice. After nice I already decided to take train to paris. Part of the train route geneva - nice, nice- paris is the same. I won't miss much, right?

I agreed with swandav switching hotel lose time.

Should I use geneva as my base, or montreux or lutry? I just can't decide. I was told escalade is special and I should go. Which city/town will you choose? I know the nearest airport is in geneva. Montreux, Lausanne has direct train to geneva airport.
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Old Aug 28th, 2013, 02:17 AM
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"I will probably take easyjet from geneva to nice."

If the weather is nice, you'll have wonderful views of the Alps.
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Old Aug 28th, 2013, 09:36 AM
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I would stay in Vevey or Montreux, and use the airport in Geneva.
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