monicanaha

hi guys,

i in montreux on june 28, 29 and june 30 of this month. i have almost 2 n half days in montreux. hubby n myself know what we want to do but don't know what is the best way to cover it..

things to do :

i don't how to arrange in the best order. pls help me out. i have 2 n half days in the montreux area.

things to do :

1. visit chatea of chillon
2. rochers de naye
3. balloon ride from chateau d'oex
4. visit gstaad n gruyeres
5. visit the wineyards at lavaux.

can someone pls help me arrange this in the best order .. the balloon ride is at 6. 30 am

also have i left out anything interesting in that area.. any suggestion of good restaurants .. thks

Suja

Do you have a car??

swandav2000

Hi monicahaha,

I'm afraid it will be pretty tough to get to all of these activities in only three days. For instance, I think the balloon ride at Chateau d'Oex will be an all-day affair. It looks like you've begun making the plans for it, so you should be able to tell. Anyway, if you have any time left over in the evening, you can also visit Gstaad & Gruyeres as they're close by.

You might be able to visit the Lavaux vineyards & Chillon on the same day.

I think you've already gotten the SBB site, but in case you haven't let me do it -- www.rail.ch. You can time your train trips, and that should help you see how much time each activity will take.

Also, some people take different times at each thing -- I could spend all day in the vineyards of the Lavaux but get through Chillon in 45 minutes. I have no idea how long each will take you.

On a completely unrelated topic, I ask you to please use full words and proper capitalization and punctuation in your posts. It's easier for your audience to read, and so it's only polite. It seems to be especially important to be polite when you're asking for help!

s

swandav2000

ps,

If you don't already know it, Chateau d'Oex is about an hour away from Montreux, so you're looking at a 5.30 departure.

s

enzian

The earliest train departing Montreux (at 5:36) does not arrive in Chateau d'Oex until 6:40. So if you with to do the balloon flight, you should spend the previous night in Chateaux d'Oex. This village is on your route from Interlaken to MOntreux, so it would be easy to leave the train there and check into a hotel. You could visit Gstaad and perhaps Gruyeres that afternoon, and do the balloon flight in the morning. I believe the balloon experience takes a half-day (3 to 4 hours). Here is the info from the website (in French):

"Décoller depuis le lieu de rendez-vous, suivant les vents
Voler au minimum 1 heure. La prestation dure au total entre 3 et 4 heures. Si on sait où l’on décolle, on ne sait jamais exactement où l’on atterrit!
Etre reconduit en mini-bus au lieu de décollage ou à L'Espace Ballon pour une visite gratuite
Recevoir un certificat de vol et le verre de l’amitié"

Then you could travel onward to Montreux and visit Chateau de Chillon in the afternoon.

monicanaha

Hi Enzian and Swandav ,

Thanks a lot for the inputs. I am sorry I really did not mean to be rude , I am just really getting nervous as we are leaving in a weeks time and I still don't have a clue about Montreux and Lugano.

But Swandav , I found some excellant suggestion that u made on the previous thread . I am going through them and maybe will need your help. I know I am trying to squeeze too many things in , but what is the best things u recommend in montreux for 3 days ?

Is the balloon ride worth it ? And thanks a lot for the info about the train from montreux to chatea deox.

Thanks guys .

swandav2000

Hi again,

Oh, thank you so much for your better writing practices! I'm so glad I didn't offend you -- as I can see how hard you're working to pull all this together.

My all-time top-3 things to do would be --

Ferry ride, flowered promenade, & the Lavaux vineyards. You can do this easily enough by taking the train to Chexbres, then walking downhill through the vineyards to Rivaz. Take the ferry from Rivaz to Chillon and explore the castle if you wish. Then do the 45-minute walk along the flowered promenade from Chillon to Montreux.

Next would be a day in the Saanenland -- Gstaad, Chateau d'Oex, & Gruyeres. That will fill up an entire day.

Then on your last day, you could easily go up to Rochers de Naye.

Sorry, I can't comment on the balloon ride as I haven't done one. They seem really, really expensive!

Anyway, hope this helps!

s

beaupeep

I live in Lausanne and am not sure that the balloon rides are year-round, they are usually in the winter. In any case, the train ride from Montreux to Rochers de Nayes is really lovely - then you can walk down. And the 1900 era steamboats on the lake are superb. www.cgn.ch.

monicanaha

Hi Enzian and Swandav,

With the help of u guys (especially swandav's excellant to do list of montreux ) i have now fix this . Pls give me your feedback.

Arrive Montreux: June 28 at 12.15 pm

Activities for June 28

1. Rochered De Naye
2. Visit Vevey

Is both of this possible or should I just do one?

June 29 (Will rent a car) and drive to gruyeeres, gstaad and chateau de ox. Will do the balloon ride at 6.30 pm and drive back to Montreux at around 11pm. Is it safe to drive so late ? We don't want to stay over night in Chate Deox.

June 30:
Ferry ride, flowered promenade, & the Lavaux vineyards, chatea of Chillon.

Pls let me know how does this sound . And Swandav thanks a million for your excellant inputs .

monicanaha

Message for Swandav,

Hi Swandav, I was wondering where would be the best place to ride a bike in the 3 days intineary u have suggested ?

We are planning to rent a car and cover 3 areas u mention: gstaad, gruyured and chatea deox. Do you think this is a good idea ? We are renting a car because of the balloon ride in chatea de ox, since there is no train going back to montreux late night . What do you think about this idea, since you r truly an expert in this area.

Thanks a lot n sorry for all the trouble. U write up on montreux is really like a bible for that area !

swandav2000

Hi again,

So happy my "reviews" have been helpful! I think it's a lovely place and will be there in an apartment for two months this summer!

There are two places that would be great for a bike ride, I think. Either the flowered promenade between Clarens & Villeneuve (about 10 km) or in the Lavaux (the whole thing is 32 km). The flowered promenade can get very crowded with walkers, but if you're careful & respectful you should be ok. The Lavaux trails (actually asphalt or concrete) can be challenging as they can just abruptly end, making you backtrack and grind uphill to another trail. You can see a map at here: http://www.lavaux.com/navigation.asp?page=balades.asp

You can rent a bike at the train stations at Montreux, Vevey, or Lausanne.

I hated renting a car -- the traffic can be maddening, and parking is expensive when you can find it. The last train from CdO is at 21.31; are you sure you'll miss it?

Good luck!

s

monicanaha

Hi Swandav,

Thanks for the bike info. Can you pls tell me where can I do a visit to the chocolate factory and also maybe take a swim or visit a beach in Montreux?

The balloon ride in Chate Deox starts at 6.30 pm and it takes about 4 hrs. So we would not be able to catch the train at 21.30

I am also now having second thought about the car. But my hubby is reall keen to drive in some part of our trip.

Do you have ideas of restaurants in Grindelwald . Thks

Monica

PalenQ

chocolate Express trains goes from Montreux i believe to Gruyeres and then to Broc to visit Nestle choc factory.

You can also do by local trains - to Broc and then back to Chateau d'Oex from there.

swandav2000

Right -- you can do the Chocolate "tour" by yourself. It goes to the Cailler factory (www.cailler.ch) in Broc. I think you need to take a bus from Gruyeres to Broc -- check at the Swiss train site I gave you.

s

swandav2000

Oh, the swim -- anywhere at all along the lake. There are steps & stepping-rocks down to the water every 10 feet or so, no problem. There is also a little protected cove next to the Chillon castle where I've seen folks scuba diving.

There is a little beach in the village of Villeneuve on the other side of Chillon.

You'll have a blast!

s

PalenQ

Swanday 2000

Clarify for me please - the Callier Factory is not the Nestle Factory that the Chocolate Express goes to?

or are they one and the same?

thanks.

swandav2000

Hi PalenQ

Nestle owns Cailler. The factory in Broc is branded "Cailler" though. If you go to the Cailler website, it says it is "Cailler-Nestle" with the address in Broc.

Hope this helps!

s

PalenQ

yes thanks - i have yet to make the chocolate pilgrimmage - i assume i'll get some gratis chocolate or candy with the tour?

merci

swandav2000

Oh, I haven't done it either!! I just spend a lot of time with my nose in the many Swiss websites!

I have been to Gruyeres twice though. The next time, I want to investigate the cable car from Moleson to the top of the mountain. I guess I don't have much interest in how chocolate is made -- just want to stuff it into my mouth!

s

Dukey

I suggest you have a back-up plan in case that balloon is unable to lift off.

Unless it is tethered it will be totally reliant on favorable weather and currents.