Day trip from Montreux by train - suggestions please
 

I'm having a three night mini break with my son (27) in the middle of July. He's flying from Amserdam and I'm flying from the UK. We both arrive late at night so I've booked the first night in Geneva, we can have a quick look around the next morning before taking the train to Montreux. We have a full day in Montreux and I thought a day trip up in the mountains for a bit of Alp scenery might be an idea. Can anyone offer any suggestions please...I've done some research and have come to the conclusion, cheese and chocolate or wine trains are not our thing. I've looked at the differences between the Golden Pass train and the normal train and for a short distance, perhaps Gstaad, it doesn't seem to be too advantageous to buy the golden pass...

Also looking at normal train prices , we'd only be going from Geneva to Montreux, return and the day trip any passes don't seem to be advantageous either...but I'm open to being corrected. I don't want to lock ourselves into any set times and prefer to buy on the day...

so so my question is any suggestions for day train trip...destination and stop offs on the way and is buying regular train tickets the way to go. Any help would be appreciated...

Gruyeres is a nice day trip from Montreux (we went to the castle there and had lunch in an incredibly quaint restaurant, no cheese or chocolate tours) but we did this by car. Looks like by train you'd have to go back thru Lausanne to get there, so seems perhaps not the best suggestion after all.

You can take the tram up the mountain right from Montreux, the Roches de Naye. If the weather's clear, it's spectacular. Will you already have been to Chateau de Chillon? If not, include that. Friday there is the weekly Farmer's Market under the pergola on the main street in Montreux. Also very fun and authentically local.

How about a boat ride across the lake over to France?!

For an Alpine that is totally awesome - much more than anything around Montreux is to day trip by train or bus to Chamonix, France from Montreux- only a couple of hours away and glaciers and thrilling cable car rides, etc. Gruyeres is yes a really neat old walled medieval-looking town and ride there by train rather scenic. Golden Pass to Gstaad is easy too and you also experience the high Alps in all their majesty. Trains to Rochers-de-Naye and Chambery from Montreux area are nice Alpine adventures close by but not nearly the majestic high Alps of Chamonix or Gstaad. The Golden Pass train is great - nifty panoramic cars and not that expensive to Gstaad and back (regular trains also run the route). No pass would be worth it to you unless there is some local Lake Geneva pass - for lots on Swiss trains and where to go check www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. Just buy tickets day of travel though GP scenic train should be reserved in advance to make sure you get seats in panoramic cars.

Another very enthusiastic vote for the Rochers-de-Naye! And yes, do consider making time fore the Chateau de Chillon.

Enjoy!

The jazz festival in Montreux runs until July 14 this year. During the day, there are many free events (and many music fans) along the lakeside promenade.
I'll add another vote for Rochers-de-Naye!

And be sure IMO to take a ride on one of those iconic Swiss lake steamers on Lake Geneva - for variety can head over to Evian-les-Bains, France on northern side of lake and a spiffy mineral water spa with casino - or just an evening cruise to nowhere - relax on deck bring any food and drink you want and having a moving picnic bench.

Hi schnauzer,

Here's a vote for a combination of Gstaad & Gruyeres (and you'd go via Montbovon on the Golden Pass route, not via Lausanne). There are lots of regular trains that do that route, so you don't need to make reservations if you don't want to...but you may want to do it to get the VIP seats with overhead windows at the very front & very rear of the train.

Gstaad & Gruyeres are very near each other, but you can't go directly from one to the other and have to change trains at Montbovon. The trip is gorgeous! If you have the time, there is a lovely walk between Saanen & Gstaad that takes less than an hour. Here are some of my "reviews" (with photos) to give you an idea (but I think shutterfly doesn't work on this site now):


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


Gstaad to Saanen
https://swandav.shutterfly.com/434

Instead of taking a day to do the Rochers-de-Naye trip, you can just stop at Les Avants or Glion on the train as it returns down into Montreux.

I do hope you have the time to wander in/around the vineyards above the lake, either at Lutry or Chexbres. You can take a ferry from or two. Also, it's very worthwhile spending half a day in the tangled streets of old town Vevey!

Have fun as you plan!

s

I did the trip swandav suggested and enjoyed it very much. Didn't have much time in Gstaad, though, as I'm a big fan of castles and small towns and Gruyeres took up too much time ;-)

I also took the trip that swandav describes (although I did it with an overnight In Gruyeres); for seeing a bit of Alpine scenery up close, I FAR preferred the trip to Rochers-de-Naye to the trip to Gruyeres. JMO! No bad choices here -- I enjoyed both! Just do a bit of research and see which better suits your interests.

Thanks everyone for the great ideas. Our time is very limited so appreciate all the suggestions. I'll get googling now!!

And the Rochers de Naye train ride itself is thrilling and for something easy-peasy from Montreux it's the best to to get a taste of the Alps - wondrous views over Lake Geneva and all around. No need to book I think but inquire when getting to Montreux by train - leaves from same station as you'll arrive at in Montreux.

Gruyeres took up too much time

Ingo, What do you mean by that? I don't understand the comment. We just toured the amazing castle there. Which I especially loved as it is from a completely different era than Chillon. By car and including lunch, it was not even a 1/2 day trip from Vevey.

Well Gruyeres IME deserves more than just a quick look at its castle which is on the edge - literally- of the hill Gruyeres sits on and wonderful old town to bop around in and if going by train takes more time obviously to get to. There is also a 'cheese factory' to tour cranking out the famed Gruyeres cheeses. Gstaad takes time if you want to go from the town itself into the high Alps around it - the reason for going.

Gruyeres the town:

https://www.google.com/search?q=gruyeres+switzerland+images&tbm=isch&tbo= u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi4i4q4q_LbAhUI7oMKHV DKBMwQsAQIKA&biw=1536&bih=758

They said they didn't want a cheese or chocolate tour.

I'm talking in general to others maybe going to Gruyeres - that it is much more than just a neat castle.

For suze:

I hesitate to answer for Ingo... but I will ;)

I know him, have known him for years, and I know the detail and focus and learning with which he approaches his travel destinations. I myself toured the castle in Gruyeres in about 2h, looking at a few information placards but not all of them, and standing for a few minutes at many of the displays but not all of them. I imagine it would take Ingo about double that time, 4h??, because it really is an interesting castle, an amazing tableau of the amazing history of that corner of Europe and the intertwined families that lived there and ruled. I know you already know this... Ingo probably knows the history and the families awfully well, so for him, each display would have more meaning as a tangible piece of that history.

Also, Ingo said he's a fan of small towns, and I am, too. I've visited Gruyeres several times, and each time I spend a few hours wandering around the town, especially behind it and in the cemetery.

For me, including a meal, Gruyeres is a very full half-day, even without touring the castle, which I've only done once.

About the cheese/chocolate tour -- the OP said she doesn't want a cheese/chocolate or wine train. Since you are always in your friend's private vehicle when you are in the area, perhaps you don't know about those Chocoate Train trips that take up the whole day -- it departs from Montreux at something like 08.30 or 09.00, and it doesn't come back until 17.00 She said she didn't want that. But spending an hour going through the cheese-making display at Gruyeres might be an entirely different thing. It would be to me. The Chocolate Train has never appealed to me, but I could see myself going through the "factory." However, I usually find that an hour or two in the big shop next to the train station is enough for me -- lots of cheese and chocolate and treats there.

I do think that you are looking at these suggestions through the glasses of your own very personal and somewhat limited experience. If someone says s/he takes a day to tour a castle and a village, s/he does. And also... yeah, remember that difference between the Chocolate Train and a simple tour.

Hope my response isn't aggravating to you. I enjoy our shared experience of the area... maybe that's why I noticed and disagreed with your posts here.

s

Well actually I'm not "always in my friends private vehicle" (ha-ha) usually we take the bus or the train or walk places. But for Gruyeres trip, yes she did break out the Volvo.

But thanks for clarifying the various options!

Thanks swandav! Exactly what I wanted to say. You know me well, indeed ;-) In addition I also had a look at the church - nothing to write home about for the average tourist, but interesting for me. And there's La Maison du Gruyère, everything about cheese, right by the train station. For a cheese lover like me this is a *must*.

I admit I did misinterpreted the comment. When Ingo said that it "took up too much time" ... I thought they meant don't both to go there.

You both obviously have WAY more experience than I do. No argument there. I am certainly not "aggravated" by anything you said or because you know more. And I did not mean to step on anyone's toes with my limited and perhaps naive experience.

ah kumbala! Everyone has different approach to places.

Ahhh, suze, now that comment makes sense! Happy that we both agree that Gruyeres is worth the time -- whether a half day or an almost-full one!!

s

Well OP has just three days and though Gruyeres is neat I'd suggest going to Gstaad or other high Alps place to experience the Switzerland etched in many folks' minds - Montreux and environs can easily occupy the other two days but trying to do too much in short period I would not do Gruyeres and Gstaad on same day.

for a short distance, perhaps Gstaad, it doesn't seem to be too advantageous to buy the golden pass...

Actually the best part scenery-wise of GP scenic train is between Montreux and Gstaad and could be a wonderful way to go in those panoramic cars with commentary and unque swivveling seats in first class. Normal trains same scenery of course. But GP is not much extra and for a real treat book VIP seats that put you inseats next to driver's compartment so you can think you're driving the train - obviously those have to be booked far in advance on official Golden Pass site and cost more as demands a first-cass ticket to ride.

We took the steamer across Lake Geneva to Evian-les-Bains and had a menu du jour 20E for lunch at Hotel Les Cynges on the lake. Wonderful!

Yeah Evian-les-Bains in France is certainly neat again for a late-afternoon early evening experience - relax on boat and clean up at casino.

For a full day, you could do Evian les Bains and Yvoire. Yvoire is a beautiful flower-bedecked village good for a 1/2 day and lunch!

I'm madly researching based on all your terrific ideas.... I'm torn between Gstaard, Gruyeres and Rocher de N for the scenery bit!! We tend to argue when the arrangements are more complicated ( cos I get anxious and that annoys my son!) so looking to do easiest with maximum scenery return... I'm learning from experience how to handle our times together, he's not the easiest chap in the world!

An evening cruise sounds like a winner for day one I think. Has anyone done the tourist office walking tour of Montreux or are we better wandering along the lakeshore etc by oursel

Ourselves....iPad kept jamming sorry!

Well the "easiest" from Montreux by far would be Rochers de Naye. Because you just walk to the train station, to catch the tram, it's a different ticket office in the train station from the regular trains, but same building.

It is spectacular scenery IF the weather is clear... so I'm not sure how you'd make that decision much in advance, if you're basing it on the weather. To me Gruyeres was more about the castle and having lunch, not only "scenery" although the entire area is so fantastically beautiful... there's pretty much gorgeous scenery everywhere you look.

Rochers-de-Naye is easiest and really nice Alpine experience - nice mountain train - check your hotel if they have any discount cards. Gruyeres is just a nice old town - Gstaad really high Alps but long train ride each way then have to take gondolas into the high mountains.

As for the Montreux lakeshore, I can't imagine any need for a tour. FWIW, I loved the part near the Chateau de Chillon, but didn't find the part in town itself all that interesting. JMO.

Yeah but the tours sound great in making what you may not find interesting rather interesting - https://www.montreuxriviera.com/en/Z4773

But only at 10am-noon for OP would split up day where they could be going to Rochers-de-Naye, etc. But for others with time sounds cool.

Hi again,

I agree with kja that a tour might be overkill. You can easily read up on all the celebrities who have lived there (or nearby), so the tour could be a bit boring. I adore walking along the lake -- about 45 minutes to Chillon, then another 45 minutes from Chillon to Villeneuve. This last part is my favorite, as there will be fewer folks, and I just adore the lakeside beach at Villeneuve. There are a few interesting coves at Chillon as well, and often you'll see scuba divers getting into the water from there. You can then return to Montreux by bus #201.

As for Rochers-de-Naye, I'm pretty sure my opinion is clear. To me, it's not high-Alps enough to be interesting (about 2,000m); if you want a true Alpine experience, head to the Engadin or the Oberland (and I believe you have lived in Switzerland or have visited it a bunch of times, so that would not be new information for you).

To me, the landscape from Montreux to Gstaad is drop-dead gorgeous; I really prefer it to the high Alpine peaks. It's not dramatic, but it's rather feminine in beauty, with soft green rolling hills. It slays me every time. I don't agree with Pal that Gstaad is "really high Alps"; to me, it's still part of the Pre-Alps or maybe just at the end of the Pre-Alps where the big Alps start. The mountains around Gstaad are up to 2,000m while of course the Jungfrau is twice that.

Have fun!!

s

Hi, all of this is new info, I haven't ever lived there and only visted once or twice donkeys years ago. So enjoying all the info...

Thanks

Yikes! Sorry I got that wrong.

I really think it's actually a win/win decision :)! You can't go wrong either way!

s

swandav is right Gstaad not high Alps and only place for that nearby is Chamonix which trains or buses can get you to in a few hours - those are dtamatic high Alps - great scenic train route -Montreux-0Martigny than mountain train to Chamonix and glaciers tumbling nearly to the tracks - easily done. Tour may be good.

When choosing a train pass, consider that they offer more than just the tickets to and from...they offer discounts on lots of other things.

But, with just 3 days no train pass can be viable.