Thanks, Enzian, Montreux sounds wonderful. So far that's Montreux = 1, Lausanne = 0.

Hi Again,

Hey, I'll chime in a second time to raise the tally for Montreux! Here are my reviews (w/photos) of the activities there:

Montreux old town
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Lavaux
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Promenade Fleuri
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Morges
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...rges_Vaud.html

Gruyeres
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR..._Fribourg.html

Also, please don't rely on Railsaver for schedules as it doesn't list all available trains. Use the Swiss Rail site at www.rail.ch to see all your options.

Have fun!

s

Swandav, you're thre greatest! How wonderufl. I'm sold! Anyone else have anything to add for Lusanne?

Hello Again!

Thanks to all the great advice in this thread, I’ve finally completed my itinerary:

Berlin (5 days) – Munich (3 days) – Lucerne (3 days) – Montreux (via the Golden Pass train) (2 days) – Zurich (2 days).

Thanks to PAL Q’s advice, I got a
First Class German/Swiss 5 trip rail pass from BETS for $349. Yes, it did turn out to be a better deal than point-to-point (for example, just going from Berlin - Munich & on to Lucerne would be about $300 total).

You were right, PAL Q, The BETS rep. spent almost an hour with me on the phone and gave me a lot of great information. For example, he told me that I’ll need to pay a small surcharge to cover the bit of Austria that the route takes on the train from Munich to Lucerne (via Zurich, of course).

So, now, does anyone have hotel recommendations for Montreux? I’d like to find something decent that’s under $120 a night…or is that out of the question?

Thanks again. Fodors Travel Talk is the best! I couldn’t have put this trip together myself without it!

Hi again john323,

No, $120 for a night isn't out of the question at all!

One hotel that's been popular here is the Hotel Masson (www.hotelmasson.ch), though it's about two miles from the center of town.

Another hotel, in Vevey, that's been popular is the Negociants (www.hotelnegociants.ch), which is just a few blocks from the train station.

Both of these hotels are in your price range.

If neither of those looks right to you, just go to www.montreux.ch, click on "hotels," and search for a three-star.

Have fun!

s