Itinerary help Geneva, Lausanne , Montreux or Vevey
 

Hello,
Need some help on figuring out an itinerary. We (4 adults in 60's but active) will be disembarking from a river boat cruise in Chalon Sur Saone, France on Sept 14th and flying out of Geneva at 10:30 am Sept 18th. Because Chalon does not carry a large enough car rental we were going to take a train to Lyon and rent some type of SUV and drive towards the Geneva area, but then was advised to take a train from Chalon to Lyon to Geneva and pick up car there.
First of all, your thoughts on that. Then, where should we base ourselves and suggestions on day tours and where to stay. From what I've read in past threads, if we are going to the area, then staying on the lake is a must!
TIA

Hi zanne,

I have to say that I think having a car is really a bad idea for this area. Trains and busses link all the towns and attractions very conveniently, and in fact your hosts will give you a tourist card making the busses free.

The busses run every 10 minutes, and there are bus stops on practically every other corner. Believe me, it is much easier to just hop on & off a bus rather than fighting the traffic on the main streets, getting lost in the tiny winding streets above the lake, and competing for the few parking spaces.

And of course, using the busses and trains is more green -- !! The emissions from the cars collects above the lake, and it is pretty unattractive. You may be happy not to contribute to it!

So, I would suggest you just continue on by train!

Have fun as you plan!

s

I would ditch the car rental idea because IMO you really don't need one; there's plenty to see and do if you use public transport.

Ok, I can ditch the car! Where should we stay?

We really liked Hotel Mason in Montreux - we looked for hotels in the other nearby cities - Luassane and Vevey - and Hotel Mason was the one that appealed most. It is up a bit of a hill tho but about a 5 minute walk to where you get the busses tht will take you all around the area. We spent a day walking in the vineyards - should be nice in Sept., went to castle de Chillon, did a lake cruise and a great train ride up to, oh can't remember the name now. Also very close to beautiful lake promenade. Wonderful area, should be a wonderful trip!

Hi zanne,

What a great decision!

I always prefer to stay in a hotel with lake views; it seems to me to make the most out of being on the lake. I stay in an apartment these days, but if I didn't, I would stay at the 3-star Hostellerie Bon Rivage, which sits right on the lake just outside of Vevey. It is right at a bus stop for trips to Montreux and Chillon, etc, and it's about a 10-minute walk to Vevey's train station (either along the lake or through Vevey's beautiful old town).

Other places I would recommend are the 4-atar Eden Palace au Lac (right on the lakeside right in the middle of town) or the 4-star Golf Hotel Rene Capt, right on the lake in a quiet area not far from Chillon.

With three full days in the area, I would divide them this way: one day to see the inland areas (Gstaad, Gruyeres, Rougemont, etc), and you can do this on your own or by taking the Chocolate Train. Then, one day in Vevey and the vineyards of the Lavaux, which are spectacular in the fall. You can take a short 30-minute walk through the vineyards or a longer 2h or 3h walk, or you can take one of the little tourist trains that run through the vineyards. Finally, I would spend one day seeing Montreux and all that's nearby: walk the flowered lakeside path from Montreux to Chillon (45 minutes), see Chillon (2h), then continue on the path to Villeneuve (45 minutes). Walk uphill and get lost in the old town, etc.

Have fun as you plan!

s

Another vote for the Masson. Have stayed there some years ago and loved it. You can also get rooms with lakeview there.