Hi all,

I'm thinking of taking a French course for 4-6 weeks starting in June 08, and I have the choice of going to either Monteaux or Lyon.

I've never been to either one but both look great. Montreux seems so peaceful and relaxing while Lyon is a big city. Where would you go and why?

Montreux, because it is in Switzerland.

Lyon, because it is a big city.

Hi MBeethoven,

Must preface this by saying I've never been to Lyon.

I love Montreux! I've been there about ten times, most recently for four weeks in Aug-Sep 07.

There are two things I love about Montreux -- the diversity and the number of things to do.

First, the diversity -- you can stroll down the flowered lakeside promenade and literally see all of Europe on parade with you. You'll see everyone, from bone-fide old-money matrons walking their pugs to punks with spikey pink hair to tourists from the Middle East to tourists from Kansas. It is an internationally-known resort destination, and it really is an interesting to watch some extremes sort of bump shoulders. I sat in the wine bar at La Rouvenaz one time and sort of easdropped (sorry!) as Asian, European, and American students attending one of the hotel schools conversed and relaxed -- I loved the international flavor of it!

Then, the number of things to do is great. Because it sits at a lake, at the vineyards, and near the mountains, there is really a lot to keep you busy. Here is my standard list of things to do while there:

Montreux old town
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Lavaux
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Promenade Fleuri
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Morges
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...rges_Vaud.html

Gruyeres
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR..._Fribourg.html

Saanen
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html

Gstaad
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html

June would be perfect for Montreux. The lakeside flowers will be in FULL bloom, but you won't see the hordes of August.

Hope this helps!

s

Montreux!! because I'd feel I'd died and gone to heaven to get to spend a month in Montreux.

(never been to Lyon to comment)

Lausanne, because it is between Lyon and Montreux.

Montreux, because it and the surrounding areas are so magnificent and there is endless "stuff" to see and do within an hour or two.

If you feel the need for a city, Lausanne is about 25 minutes away and Geneva is about 35 minutes beyond Lausanne. Annecy is about an hour past Geneva and has a great deal of charm.

In the other direction,Berne is about an hour and a half away.

Nearby there is Evian, Vevey, Gruyere, and a number of other small and beautiful towns to visit.

If you were going in mid-winter, Lyon might be appealing,
(we have spent time there too), but IMHO June is a spectacular time to be on the lake.

We did it for a month one year.

That sounds great! Montreux it is then.

I love the idea of being able to make day drips to the surrounding towns and villages and not having to wait till the weekend since a lot of them are less than an hour away.

Thanks so much I really appreciate it.

I would definitely choose Lyon myself. I didn't like Montreux that well, just sort of a seedy resort town, IMO. It doesn't have nearly the attractions of Lyon. It is a lot more expensive, also.

Depends what you want. I'm not so big on peaceful, find that fairly dull. Montreux is a resort town full of tourists and I just didn't like it very well. As I said, it just struck me as having seen better days. There's not much to do there, either.

Spending 4-6 weeks in Montreux sounds dreadful to me.

I have a friend who lives in Montreux, so maybe I see a different side of it than Christina's description?

Montreaux is a "seedy resort town"? Yikes! Could have fooled me.

I do like Lyon a lot though. I think it would be a great place to study French and the food is fantastic.

Either way, you can't go wrong and they are only about 3 hours apart by train.

Well, I'm the opposite, I really liked Lyon, but have never been to Monteaux.

Great food, scenic, lot of history and culture (some day I'd like to take in one of the outdoor performances at the ancient roman amphitheater on hill overlooking city), good museums, friendly people, TGV access to many locations...

MBeethoven, Well would YOU prefer a smaller town or a larger city? I think that's really the deciding factor here.

I would think that the deciding factor is the quality of the program.

Well, actually both schools have the exact same curriculum as they both belong to the same institute.

I was just reading about Lyon and looks like it's also surrounded by amazing cities that I'd absolutely love to visit, having only been to Paris in France.

But then there is this voice inside my head that goes: why are you even questioning whether or not to got to SWITZERLAND!

Back to 50-50 again and I'm very decisive usually. Believe it or not though, the Montreux program costs slightly less!

If cost is a factor, I think it's generally more expensive to live in Switzerland. I know eating out is more expensive there than in Lyon.

I have to confess that I understand the description of Montreux as a "seedy resort town" even though the Swiss version of such a thing is probably on a different level from what one imagines as seedy in most other countries.

I would just say that time seems to have passed Montreux by, and not necessarily in a good way. It's not the impression that I get from most other lakeside Swiss cities.

Yes, that is my opinion, a seedy resort town. And I've been to both these places. Who knows how one will feel, obviously some people like Montreux. I did not. It was okay for a few days, but I'd never want to spend 4-6 weeks there.

I like France and Lyon is a perfect location to make side trips very easily. It's right on the TGV line and fairly central -- you can get lots of places quickly, even for a day trip. This is not so true in Montreux, either, except for places close by to Montreux and in Switzerland. Even there, going to Zurich, for example, takes hours and you probably wouldn't do that for a day trip.

I didn't like Montreux and did think it was seedy. So sue me.

Sure I can see someone not liking Montreux, no problem there. It's the term "seedy" that doesn't fit how I see it. Certainly it feels "less Swiss" and more international than other cities along Lac Leman.

I've been to Vevey/Montreux 5 times so far for 2-3 weeks each time (as I mentioned, friends live there). Actually my preference is Vevey over Montreux. The two towns are just a few minutes apart by bus or train.

Michael, I assumed we were talking about programs that were the same (which it seems we are).