Geneva to Montreux - Advice!
 

Hi all! In March my friends and I are taking the Glacier Express to Zermatt and we want to visit Geneva from there (one of my friends grew up there and we'd like to see his old "haunts"). We planned to stay for two in Geneva, but most Fodors posters say to stay in Montreux or Vevey instead.

Would you recommend travelling from Zermatt to Montreux and settling in there, and then taking a full-day trip to Geneva? If so, would it be easiest to travel by rail (about an hour) or use some sort of ferry?

Of course, if someone wants to advocate staying in Geneva I'd like to know that too! Thanks!

The ferry services are somewhat curtailed on LacLeman until about the first, or so, of April.

if you do opt to stay in Montreux or Vevey the easiest way to get to Geneva would be by rail and there is frequent service along the lake.

Easiest way to get from Zermatt to Montreux is also be rail. Unless you are taking a Cisalpino service westbound, most regional services will stop at Visp so no reason to backtrack to Brig.

I've actually stayed in Geneva and I can understand why many prefer the other locations mentioned. They probably seem much more charming and picturesque.

Hi abbydog,

I'm someone who loves Montreux; I've stayed there 11 times, most recently three weeks in Aug-Sep 07.

I personally prefer smaller towns and villages to big cities, so that's one reason why I prefer Montreux. But if you and your friends like the vibe and action of a big city, then Geneva would be better for you.

I like Montreux because of the 11-km long flowered lakeside promenade. I enjoy sitting on one of the dozens of benches -- either munching a sandwhich or crepe, or reading -- and watching the parade of folks going by. You see everyone, from Euro-trash to bone-fide matrons to tourists from all over the world. However, that's one of the drawbacks of Montreux: it's more of a resort city than a residential one, and you really can't escape that suspended-in-time feeling of a resort. This is really bad in August when crowds of tourists descend on the promenade like locusts! Don't even try it on the weekends in August!

Vevey is a good option if you'd like to stay in a city that's more residential and less touristy.

The ferry from Montreux to Geneva takes about four hours, and that's far too long in my opinion. Other options for a ferry ride might be between Vevey & Montreux or Montreux & Chillon castle or Montreux & Rivaz (for the vineyards). Ferry schedules are at www.cgn.ch.

Have fun!

s

I would stay in Vevey (or Montreux). The train into Geneva couldn't be easier, yes it's about 1 hour. I often visit a friend who lives there and love these two towns. Geneva was OK to look around one day but didn't thrill my heart like Vevey and Montreux do.

Lausanne would be another in-between option. Literally. It's larger than Vevey/Montreux but smaller than Geneva and located in between the two. Plus has more train connection options.

Thank you all!