Hi again,

I'll add some food comments --

Had probably the best rösti I've ever tasted at the Caveau des Vignerons on Rue Industrielle up in the old town. I've been there three times, and each time I was the only one there who didn't know the owners/servers and wasn't joking with the other customers. The rösti was called Rösti Vaudois, and it had some really wonderful smoky cheese as well as some saucisse vaudoise. It was really heavenly -- and it wasn't expensive. (neckervd, if you know this place and have had this rösti, maybe you can say what was in it better than I -- !).

The best fondue I've had in the region was at the pinte (like a pub) Le Jaman in Glion, above Montreux. Le Jaman has a full-on restaurant with linen tablecloths, etc, but on the right-hand side is the pinte, which is more informal and cheaper. I've eaten in the restaurant three times and in the pinte once -- both are good. To get there, just walk or take the town bus to the stop "Territet Gare," then go behind the big church and you'll see the funicular; take the funicular to the top, Glion. At Glion, just walk down the lane to the main street, and the restaurant is right at the junction of the two streets. The funicular is free with your Riviera Card.

One note about eating cheese dishes -- you need to be careful what you drink with them. You should have a hot tea or a good glass of wine to help cut the cheese. If you have a beer or a cold soda or water, the cheese will ball up in your intestines and give you some . . . grief . . . later in the day . . .!

Have fun!

s

Thanks Swandav2000 for the helpful tip of having hot tea or wine with cheese. Was not aware of this.
Just to confirm Caveau de Vignerons restaurant is in Montreux.

One more thing when I do hotel search for Montreux I get hotels in Leysin, terriet, glion, villeneuve. Are these suburbs of Montreux? We will not have a car and will depend on public transport. Will I have small local restaurants in these places and grocery stores? What are the names of the chain grocery stores in this area for getting picnic food.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

Hi again,

Yes, the restaurant with the fabulous Rösti is Caveau de Vignerons (rue Industrielle) in Montreux.

Territet is a suburb of Montreux, yes. You can't really tell where Montreux ends and Territet begins. Chillon castle actually sits in Territet, I think (or maybe in Veytaux, another little suburb).

Villeneuve is not a suburb but is another town that is on the other side of Chillon, about 5 km from Montreux. I love Villeneuve because it is (so far) undiscovered by many tourists. I love the walk from Chillon to Villeneuve along the lake (about 45 minutes), and there is a lovely beach there.

Glion is also not a suburb but is another town, and it sits above Montreux about 1.5 km away. However, because it sits on the ledge of a large hill/small mountain, it's not easy to walk back and forth. I've walked it plenty of times, but it takes about 45 minutes, all UPhill, including a long portion with steps. So, just imagine walking steps for about 45 minutes . . . Or you can take the funicular (departures every 15 minutes) as I discussed above, or you can just take the train (departures about 1x/hour).

Leysin is not even close. It's about 28 km away, and it takes about 1h to get to Montreux from there.

Villeneuve has a large grocery store (Coop), and Glion has a small grocery store. Villeneuve and Glion both have a nice selection of restaurants (one I noted above in Glion). Territet doesn't have much, as most folks just go to Montreux to the big stores.

There are three main grocery chains in Montreux -- Coop, Migros, and Denner. There are 3 Coops in the area: one small one by the Montreux train station, one big one in the shopping district, and one big one in Villeneuve (there are also a few in Vevey. There is 1 Migros in Montreux, downstairs at the Forum in the center of town. I don't visit the Denner much -- I believe it is a discount grocer, but I'm not sure. Anyway, it is located at the main shopping street.

Don't forget that you can use google maps to find the location of these communities & towns -- then you can do a search for "grocery store," etc, to see what comes up.

Have fun!

s

Sorry --

Forgot to say that it's very easy to get between Villeneuve and Montreux (and Vevey); bus #201 runs all the way from Villeneuve to/through Montreux to Vevey. The bus comes every 10 minutes, and it will be free with your Riviera Card.

Also forgot my close parenthesis in one sentence above. Should be:

<<There are 3 Coops in the area: one small one by the Montreux train station, one big one in the shopping district, and one big one in Villeneuve (there are also a few in Vevey).>>

Don't want any confusion.

s

Lots of great ideas here, am 'saving' for future reference. Swandav, you got me hooked on Mittenwald (2 visits in the last 2 years and would you believe my teens named it their favourite part of last years' holiday) and I see you are a great contributor for this part of Switzerland (on my wishlist).

I've nothing to add to swandav's posts.
Sweet wine isn't very popular with Swiss people. The sweetest one pressed in the area (Valais) is the Malvoisie.

BTW: Swandav is not the first people who fell in love with Villeneuve VD:
Mahatma Gandhi, Lord Byron, Léon Gambetta, Victor Hugo, Richard Wagner, Romain Rolland and Oscar Kokoschka were fans of Villeneuve too.

Hi Adelaidean! I'm so glad you've enjoyed Mittenwald -- staying there is what made me decide to move to Bavaria. It is so sweet and beautiful.

But Montreux is where I **wish** I could live!! I don't have the money or the requirements to immigrate there. I visit often though -- used to be two weeks every year and now it's two weeks every other year. I adore it. Looking forward to seeing your plans (I get to travel vicariously . . .!).

neckervd, I'm happy that I'm in such great company!

s

Thanks all for the great info.

Can someone direct me to where I can rent an apartment or a small B&B. Nothing fancy with swimming pool and spa as we will be out most of the time. I have looked at the Montreux website and there are only 2 B&bs listed.

Swandav2000 would you know of B&Bs. Not sure where to look.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

i'm joining in with my 2 penn'oth too -

one to bmk this great thread,

two to add that there is a terrific market in Vevey on a Saturday morning, and

three to suggest that anyone considering staying in Vevey on a Friday night NOT to stay anywhere near the Market Square as they start to set up the aforesaid market at about 3am, and I heard it all!

Hi again,

The same website also lists apartments --

http://www.montreux-vevey.com/en/acc...iday_apartment

You can just input your dates & the travellers' information and see what comes up. I'll add, though, that most apartments rent only for a whole week, not just 3 nights.

The best source for a B&B is

www.bnb.ch

You can search by town name or by map. Here's the map search:

http://www.bnb.ch/index.php?p=carte&...e0eb66c2e63ef5

There are only two listed in Montreux, two in Villeneuve, three in La Tour-de-Peilz (suburb of Vevey), and one in Vevey. Don't go for Corseaux or Chardonne or Corsier --they're up in the hills and too far away imo.

The problem with a B&B is that they can be somewhat remote, not usually in a central location.

Have fun as you plan!

s

Thanks Annhig for the weekly market info in Vevey.
Does Montreux have a weekly market?

Thanks Swandav2000 for your inputs. I have got two offers :
First is from Villa La Falaise located on Rue de l'ancien Stand 46
Second is from studio at Rue du Centre 14
Please advise location wise which is more convenient to train station and the lake with restaurant and grocery stores.

I have read the links you have posted above. Can we do Chateau de Chillon, Gruyeres cheese factory visit and Nestle chocolate factory visit in one round trip?

For our onwards trip to Chamonix, do I need to buy separate tickets for Montreux-Martigny sector and Martigny-Chamonix sector?
For both the sectors since we will buy a family card at the airport, do we buy tickets for the children or do they travel free on these two sectors? Just need the clarity as Family Card will be valid for Switzerland and our last stop will be Chamonix in France.

We want to do the scenic cable car from Montreux and then do the walk but cannot recall the cable car name.

Thanks once again for your valuable inputs.
Swandav2000 lucky you staying in Garmisch. On your and Ingo's advise had stayed at Garmisch on our very first Europe trip and would visit it again in a heartbeat. Enjoyed the Metzgeries and the chocolate shops. Wow!

Hi again,

Both of those addresses are FAR up in the old town; neither is convenient to the train station or the lake or grocery stores. It will be about a 30-minute walk (UPhill) or maybe 5 minutes with the bus. According to google maps (again strongly encourage you to be using them!!!), busses #204 & 205 stop near the rue du Centre 14 address.

No, I don't think it's a good idea to do Chillon, Gruyeres, the cheese demo, and the chocolate factory in one day. You'll need at least 3h for Chillon (45 minutes to walk there and admire its outside, then 2h for the inside).

The trip to Gruyeres takes 1h15, then you'll need at least 3h there to see the village and its castle and see the cheese demonstration. Add more time if you'd like to have a meal (highly recommended). So this is 4-5 hours.

Then it's 30 minutes from Gruyeres to Broc-Fabrique for the chocolate factory, and you'll need about 2h here.

The it's 1h40 returning from Broc to Montreux.

So that's 12 - 13 hours solid of rushing around. Are your children pretty easy-going, or would they start to get cranky at around hour 6?

I think it's far better to slow down and spend more time where you are -- your experiences will be deeper, and you memories will be more vivid.

No, you don't need separate tickets for Montreux-Martigny and Martigny-Chamonix. Just buy Montreux-Chamonix, and specify: via Martigby. You won't need to buy anything for the kids; just make sure you show the Family Card to the conductor when s/he comes by. Of course, the Family Card will only be valid to the border of Switzerland, so you'll have to buy tickets for the children from the border to Chamonix. Make certain you explain this when you buy your tickets.

Thanks for your good wishes!! No, I wouldn't call it "luck" at my living in Garmisch -- it was a LOT of sweat, blood, tears, and prayers. I am, however, truly blessed.

Have fun!

s

Oh, sorry, forgot this.

There are no cable cars in Montreux or Vevey. There is a funicular that runs from Territet up to Glion and another one that runs from Vevey up to Mt. Pelerin. A cable car is suspended by cables from tall towers -- a funicular is a train that runs on the ground on cog wheels to ascend a hill or mountain.

Not sure what you mean --

s

Hi All,

Finally secured accommodation in Montreux. Though to be very honest I am struggling with google maps.
Just need some quick advise :
Budget eating in Montreux and Vevey especially on Sundays when the grocery stores are closed.

Plan to combine trip to Gruyere and chocolate factory. Can someone provide the link which gives the timing of the Cheese making process. Do we take train from Montreux to Gruyere first? Also, please confirm from Gruyere we again take train to Broc Fabrique for chocolate factory visit? From Broc we return by train to Montreux. Right? Does the Riviera Card include complimentary travel to Gruyere and Broc station by train?

Is there a link for the bus schedules? I will get the train schedules on sbb.ch. correct?

I was looking at the option on sbb.ch for Montreux to Chamonix and the minimum changes are at 2 places at Martigny and Vallorcine which I assume is in France as there is F indicated in the bracket. Since we will be have big suitcases I have doubts if we can make the 4 min and 6 min connections involving change of platforms. Just need to understand in case we miss the connection will the same ticket be valid for the next train?

Swandav2000 as suggested by you we will buy tickets for the children from Vallorcine to Chamonix as we will have the Family Card so children travel free in Switzerland and that means from Montreux to Vallorcine?

Understand that some of the local chocolates in Coop and Migros are very good. Any particular names? Also any must try dairy products as we will need to source our own breakfast. Swandav2000 in your earlier post for Gruyere you have indicated cream and berries as must have? What is it? Is it an ice cream? As we love ice creams?

Thanks once again for the advise.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

Both Martigny and Vallorcine are small stations.
At Martigny, you change from a SBB train to SNCF French train. Neither change involve platform changes. Just track changes.

Martigny. See the map? http://www.google.com/maps/@46.10590...!3m1!1e3?hl=en
See the street name "Avenue de la Gare"? The first dark horizontal area about two letter height above "Avenue de la Gare" is the SNCF track to Vallorcine. Right above the SNCF track, there is a wide platform in light color. Then you see series of SBB tracks. The SBB train from Montreux stops at the track closest to the SNCF. But notice that the SNCF station is at the west half of the Martigny station. This means, you want to be more at the back half of the SBB train to reduce the door to door distance. If you are ready when the train stop, you should be able to walk across the platform in 1-2min. If you were ended up sitting on the front half of the SBB train to Martigny, ask the ticket inspector which door you should get off to make the transition to the SNCF train easier. If possible, get seats on the left side of the SNCF train in the direction of travel. SNCF train leaves to the west, that is the only direction possible at Martigny. While the view from the right is good while climbing out of the Martigny, once you enter mountains, the train travels on the right side of the valley to Vallorcine.

Vallorcine is a tiny station. It thought there was only one platform and two tracks. The SNCF train from Martigny stops at one side and the train to Chamonix waits at the other side. From door to door, it was probably no more than 30 feet away and I would be surprised if you take even one minutes to make this transfer if you are at the door. The train to Chamonix has bathrooms on board, just in case you wanted to know.

I used a Swisspass for this trip and the Swisspass was valid all the way up to Chamonix! So I did not have to worry about validating the tickets.

Hi again,

As greg notes above, you should be able to make your changes fine. Remember that experts have engineered the changes, and have been doing it for around a century; they design the changes to be convenient for the majority of travellers (travellers with mobility problems or too much luggage might miss the connection).

It can be difficult to find budget restaurants, especially in Switzerland. I can't think of any specific names -- but will just suggest that you get away from the tourist attractions. That means, walk away from the lake; walk inland from almost anywhere to find cheaper places to eat. If you see some guys in orange coveralls, follow them -- they are working men and will go to the best and best priced meals. The Jaman pinte I noted above was filled with them. The Caveau de Vignerons wasn't expensive.

For the visit to Gruyeres and Cailler, yes, use the Swiss rail site at sbb.ch to get the train schedules. You'll be going:

From Montreux
To Gruyeres

From Gruyeres
To Broc-Fabrique

From Broc-Fabrique
To Montreux

Here is the link to the cheese factory:

http://www.lamaisondugruyere.ch/visi...heese-factory/

No, the Riviera Card doesn't include transport all the way to Gruyeres. It provides free transport for zones 70, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77 and 78 -- which means as far as Les Avants.

Here is a link to information on the Riviera Card:

http://www.montreux-vevey.com/en/Ben...iviera_Card_en

And here is a map of the zones:

http://www.mobilis-vaud.ch/plan/plan...is_general.pdf

After Les Avants, you'll pay half price to Gruyeres. I'm not sure about half fare to Broc-Fabrique, but you can ask when you buy your train tickets.

When you get to Gruyeres, the cheese demonstration is in the building just next to the train station. However, the beautiful village and castle and restaurants are up on a hill. Leave the train station and cross the street, and follow the sidewalk up the hill to the ramparts/wall on the top. It takes about 15 minutes.

The creme isn't ice cream, no; it's actually richer than that. It's double creme, or Gruyeres cream. You simply have to try it. You can find Gruyeres cream in the grocery stores.

The small Coop next to the train station is open 7/7 and is open until around 22.00 at night. You should be able to get sandwiches, bread, cheese, fruit, etc, at almost any time.

One thing to look for at the Coop are prepared salads -- I had several bulgar salads that were wonderful and healthy. Of course, they also sell roasted chicken and other prepared foods.

Have fun!

s

Sorry, forgot to add the bus line information. Here's the site:

http://www.vmcv.ch/horaires_eligne-1.php

You use the drop-down menu to select the line you want (you may want to email your hosts and ask which line is close). I'll just say that line #201 comes every 10 minutes, so there's no real need for a schedule.

s

Thanks Greg and Swandav2000 for the wonderful info. I was concerned about the platform change as on the sbb site it shows as in Martigny arriving on platform 2 and departing for Vallorcine from platform 40. I hope I am not reading it wrong.

However, as advised I will buy the tickets after we arrive. Just for my info, do we exist the Geneva airport and then go to the train station outside? Or is the train station within the airport at a different level. Also, do we need to punch tickets for our travel : Geneva airport-Montreux, Montreux-gruyere-Broc? For Montreux train station do I select Montreux Gare option or some other name from the drop down options?

Any other must eats available in the grocery stores please do advise- local chocolates, yogurts? Do they have the same system as the grocery stores in Germany where one selects the bread and you select your own burger or cold cuts to put in the bread? Love the pork Pattice that they sell. Hope it is the same system in Switzerland. Any special meat varieties to try out? We love sweets and meats!

Thanks once again for the lovely info.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

Hi again,

Here is a map of Geneva airport:

http://www.gva.ch/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-60/

Note that the train station appears at the bottom of the page, but it is NOT underground. Note the long arrow (Liaison Connection) that links the train station to the end of the Arrivals Terminal. Yes, you leave the arrivals terminal and walk outside to get to the train station. Easy.

The only time I've had to punch my train ticket was on trains without a conductor (tiny rail lines through the vineyards, for instance). The main rail lines will all have conductors. Tickets are good all day long in Switzerland, so the only thing you need to be careful of is the route you take. The fares are calculated based on your exact route, so you just have to make sure that you don't deviate.

I just choose "Montreux" without any other name. If "Montreux" doesn't appear, then, yes, you can choose "Montreux Gare."

One of my favorite treats in Switzerland is the Lindt Kirsch batons -- slim dark chocolate batons filled with kirsch. I usually demolish one or two boxes while I'm there. I don't dare bring any home . . . I would need an extra suitcase.

s

Thanks Swandav2000 for all your inputs. Will definitely buy Gruyere double cream and the Lindt batons. Understand lot of companies make Gruyere double cream. Any particular brand name to try out? Does the double cream come with berries? Or did you have it as a dish in a restaurant?

Please let the information keep coming.

Since we are at it, to be honest it is helpful people like you who make trips extra special. Our knowledge is very limited especially for meats and cheeses. At the risk of sounding stupid, we do not have these available readily in our stores and we are not sure whether for cheeses to take out the outer rind or just have like that. I love the soft cheeses and the extra sharp cheddar.

One more info required - does the funicular to Glion run all the time or does it stop in the evening? For Caveau de Vignerons we will take the local bus. Right?

Any must haves and must dos in Chamonix & Lyon or in the surrounding area? Please advise. I will start a separate thread for that.

Thanks once again.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11