I am here (with family - wife and 2 small kids) in Geneva and have a day left before heading back to the US. A last minute idea to go to Lyon for a day?
Is a day trip to lyon practical - with 2 small kids? take the train in the morning and head back in the evening?
What would be a good itinerary if you only have 8 hours or so in Lyon?
Is there a train discount for the Swiss rail pass owners?
Can one just hop on to a train or have to book in advance - I still have a couple of more days to plan before the day of the trip.
Or alternative is to go to Mountblanc?
Any recommendations?
Thanks a bundle!

> Is there a train discount for the Swiss rail pass owners?

No discounts. This train route is considered entirely French.

I have done this day trip for a few times, exactly as you say, by train. No reservation possible with regional trains and reservation obligatory with TGV. With TGV, it costs a little more and you can return to Geneva one hour later than with the regional ones. Change at Lyon Part-Dieu and go to Lyon Perrache from where most things are within walking distance.

I'd think about Annecy, a beautiful town on lake of same name and closer to Geneva.

Thank you. Someone else suggested Annecy as well. They also suggested instead going to Yvoire as the bus ride with 2 year olds for a day can be taxing. Any recommendations on Yvoire or Annecy?
Thanks,

Hi mahjong2010,

Haven't been to Annecy but Yvoire is stunning. There's not a lot to do there outside of touristy shopping and eating and maybe a bit of strolling. But the scenery is gorgeous, with flowers just everywhere and the very old town walls and the very old buildings -- Just gorgeous.

Have fun!

s

BTW, what else have you done at the lake? Have you seen Chillon and Montreux and the flowered lakesdie promenade? How about Vevey with its old town next to the lake and the market square? And the toy museum at La Tour-de-Peilz? Have you been on a lake ferry? How about the vineyards of the Lavaux and a nice village like Lutry or Chexbres or Rivaz?

Anyway, have fun!

s

Yes, Chillon and Montreux are done. Also lake ferry (meaning took the ferry to Chillon). I was told I can skip Vevey if I do these two. Is that right? Had not heard about La Tour-de-Peilz or Lutry or Chexbres or Rivaz. Now this is getting exciting -- I have a day and a half.
Thanks!

Hi again,

Here's a link to some info on the Lavaux:

http://www.lavaux.ch/fr/default.htm

On the right-hand side of the page, under "Cartes de la Grande Traversée," click on "Carte globale: lausanne-Montreux(180 KB)" to see a map overview.

You can rummage around the site to find the individual caves for tastings.

I personally adore Lutry (which has a good red wine cave according to my friend). It has some preserved medieval buildings that are signposted with info and linked with a walk. It also has lots of cafes and small boutiques. I love this town!

Chexbres is a town on top of a hill, and it's a great place to walk down to and through the trails of the Lavaux.

Rivaz is a vineyard village right on the lake; it's really small with nothing much except the Auberge du Rivaz, one of my favorite little restaurants on the lake.

I cannot say if Vevey would be good for you; I do like it. It is a lot different from Montreux -- while Montreux is a resort town, Vevey is full of residents bustling here and there. Its old town, right next to the lake, is very nice and full of small boutiques and great restaurants.

La Tour-de-Peilz is just a small community at the edge of Vevey, a suburb so to speak. But it's low key and sweet. It has its own dock and a little harbor, and the toy museum is right in the old small castle at the harbor.

Have fun!

s

Sorry, I skipped a step at the Lavaux site. On its opening page, look for "Parcours pédestre" at the top and click on that. Then continue as I posted.

s