Regarding a couple days in the Geneva area for a friend... she arrives Sat PM and flies out Tues AM.

So Sunday & Monday are her only full days. I know in Vevey the shops etc. are mostly closed Sunday and some on Monday mornings.

My question - Would there be more things to do in this situation if she stayed in Geneva or Lausanne (because of their larger size)?

I was encouraging her to base in Morges or Vevey before she told me the specific days.

Thanks, in advance. Suze

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Hi suze,

Can you define what you mean by "things to do"? If you only mean shops (grocers, souvenires) then probably there won't be much to do in Morges. Of course, she can always walk the promenade, grab a snack at a cafe, take a ferry cruise, or visit the museum in the chateau (open on Sunday afternoons but closed Mondays).

In Montreux, which thrives on tourism, I think many stores & cafes on the promenade will be open at least part of the day on Sunday. The Migros in the Forum has "special hours" in July & August, so if she's there then, it may be open.

Of course, both Geneva and Lausanne have the "Railcity" in the train stations, so she'll have access to a lot more.

Good luck!

s

Swandav, Thank you so much. I'm not sure exactly what will interest her. I was just picturing Vevey on a Sunday, and if it hadn't been for staying with friends, I might have been at a bit of a loss.

Montreux is more open on Sunday, for sure. But her visit is during the Jazz Festival so I am not sure if that will work for or against her as far as visiting there.

She wanted to stay in Geneva and I talked her out of it, but then hearing the days of the week wondered if maybe I was giving bad advice.

All ideas welcome. Like visit the museum at the chateux in Morges on Sunday afternoon sounds right up her alley! Thanks as always for your excellent advice.

I visited Geneva on a Sunday - the shops in the city were closed, but I did enjoy my time. I am a fan of architecture, though ;-)

I visited the Maison Tavel, the oldest preserved town house in Geneva and now a museum (local stuff). I also toured the cathedral incl. the roof and tower - took more than an hour. I liked strolling along the lake promenades and gardens too - especially Parc de la Grange and Eaux Vives were full of (mostly younger) folks. The old town was not deserted at all - the locals enjoyed their Sunday with meals in the cafes/restaurants. People watching was very interesting ;-)

I assume that shops in Geneva are open from Monday morning on.

Hi again,

Well, actually, the museum in the chateau is a military museum; don't know if that'll appeal to your friend. Here's a link:

http://www.chateau-morges.ch/intro.htm

I would always take a ferry cruise (if you don't know it already, it's at www.cgn.ch) or a walk in the Lavaux & exploring Cully & Rivaz (not far at all from Morges.

Really, I'm sure she'll come away loving it as much as we do!

s

Ingo and Swandav- Thank you both so very much. Architecture, military, whatever... all good, just trying to give her some insider tips.

I'll also research when Chateau de Chillon is open, like that.

She's coming after a week on a river barge trip in France, so I'm not sure sending her out on Lac Leman will fit the bill -lol!

Hi again,

Chillon's website is www.chillon.ch -- simple!

s

Would she be interested in doing the lakefront walk from Montreux to/from Chillon or,. for that matter, approaching Chillon by lake steamer which I think is the most spectacular way to arrive there..and by that time the whole boat schedule might be in operation (we only did this from Ouchy in early April one year...limited boats).

And, of course the trip up to Rochers...just somethoughts not knowing excatly what her interests might be.

Thanks everyone. My goal is only to make a good list of reasonable suggestions and then leave her to figure it out herself -lol!

She has traveled quite a bit so with these ideas... well she can take it from here. The start of her trip is Paris, then a river barge which was the focus of her planning. The few days in Switzerland got added at my suggestion.

Again, thank you each so very much.