My daughter and I are thinking about staying several nites in this area on the way fom Italy to Paris (by train). Looking for opinions as to which city/town to choose and also for a hotel around 150E per nite that would be convenient to the train. Thanks for your input! SueC1

It depends on when you're going as to suggestions. I personally like Montreux the best, although if in summer, you can take one of the river steamers along the coast to Vevey and it stops in Lausanne, then take the train back to Montreux. We stayed in one of the superior rooms in the Villa Toscane, which is on the main drag and about a 5 minute walk to the train station (short uphill walk to the station, downhill walk -- duh! -- from the station), and directly across the street from Lac Leman. Jazz (they really should call it "music", because it incorporates rock nights and blues nights as well as jazz) festival is July 1st to 16th this year. It's a really good base to explore.

Hi suec1,

Like Surfergirl, I prefer Montreux, but my reasons are mainly personal, not because it is necessarily superior to the other two choices. I'll try to give you some aspects of each.

Montreux's best feature is its 11 km flowered lakeside promenade, dotted with many benches and a few cafes where you can rest, drink, or people watch. I spend most of my time on the promenade, and I particularly love to see what kind of artistry the city's gardeners come up with (they do sculptures with leaves). The old town is a fair walk uphill from the lakeside, but it's interesting to see, particularly the views from the church. Montreux has the feel and the flavor of a resort (at the lakeside).

Vevey is more of a real-life working city with its old town right next to the lake. I love the old town of Vevey, filled with antiques markets, grocery stores, and local folks shopping. The lakeside promenade is good there too, but not as peopled -- and the cafes are clustered around the old town's central market rather than along the lakeside.

Lausanne is a city, and I don't like cities much. I haven't spent any time here at all except for hopping from one pier to another at Ouchy, its port. I do know that the city part is about 1/2 mile (20-30 minutes' walk I think) from the port.

I hope this helps. Once you narrow down your destination, we may be able to help with hotels. Let me know if I can help further.

s

Lausanne, population-wise, is the largest of the three. It has a major university, one of the largest in Europe. Big student population, lots of restaurants, hotels, etc. The really main part of the city sits somewhat back from the lake shore as mentioned above although its port area (Ouchy) is EASILY reached by underground funicular from the more central part of the city.

I think you'll find Vevey and Montreux a bit easier to deal with, smaller with hotels closer to the lake.

Since you do not say the time of year you are traveling or what your interests are I will arbitrarily recommend Montreux. You might enjoy the nearby Chillon castle or a ride up to Rochers-de-Naye for the spectacular lake views, weather permitting.

Thanks for the good info - Montreux seems to be well recommended. We will be there near the end of May. We are "laid back" sightseers - museums in small doses, we like to sun ourselves and enjoy cafes, hoping to see some lovely mountain scenery in Switzerland (our first visit) tho I think we are not in the main part of the Alps. We will be looking for chocolate and fondue and for me local wine! Maybe rent a bike for a day or take trips on the lake steamers. What else? and any other hotels in Montreux? Thanks!! SueC1

Hi suec1,

Well . . . nice choice!! Two hotels you may want to look at are the four-star Hotel Suisse-Majestic (www.suisse-majestic.com then click on "chambres&quot, right across the street from the train station. It's on a bit of a hill, so the rooms facing the lake will have good views over the lake. The other is the three-star Hotel Splendid (www.hotel-splendid.ch), just a bit downhill from the train station but with good lakeview rooms too. I think those two will be the most convenient to the rr station.

Just a note: Switzerland uses the Swiss Franc currency, not the Euro. The Suisse-Majestic has doubles for 280 chf (they show the Euro equivalent at 187 E), though you'll probably have to spend more for a lakeview room. I couldn't find the rates at the Splendid.

You may want to keep checking at the Eden au Lac (www.edenmontreux.ch) to see if they have specials. This is a favorite hotel, right on the lakeside promenade, though it's about a ten-minute walk from the rr station.

For your sightseeing, may I suggest:

Gstaad for mountain ambiance. It's about 1h45 by train from Montreux, and it's at the far western edge of the Berner Oberland mountains where the mountains are more like green rolling hills. Or you could stop at one of the smaller towns that are a bit closer to Montreux: Chateau d'Oex, Rougemont, or Saanen. It's an utterly charming section of the country. Or, of course, the Rochers-de-Naye as mentioned above.

Cornice Lavaux for wine. This is a wine-growing region between Lausanne & Vevey. Some of the villages you can explore are Lutry, Cully, St-Saphorin, & Rivaz. To get there, take the train to Vevey then switch for a train to Chexbres. In Chexbres, follow the lanes downhill until you come upon the vineyards with its trails & signposts. Continue downhill toward Rivaz. Once you hit the lake, you'll have to decide if you want to go east (St Saphorin & Vevey) or west (Lutry & Cully, both very close to Lausanne). If you're in luck, some of the vineyards will be having tasting. One of my favorite restaurants is the Auberge de Rivaz on the main drag across the street from the dock in Rivaz. Here's a site to see the area: www.lavaux.ch/sentierglobal.htm.

Let me know if I can help further.

s

I've spent quite a bit of time in both Vevey and Montreux (5 trips, a dear friend lives there). Either would be lovely! As mentioned above Lausanne is much bigger and would not be my choice for a vacation stop.

I've always stayed at someone's home but this past August stopped in and looked at the Hotel Helvetie in Montreux. It is where I would choose for myself. It's in your price range (a single was ~$100USD), perfect location right on the main street thru town, and has a wonderful rooftop patio, walking distance from the train station. Switzerland is very expensive so the 150E budget (see note above about CHF/Swiss Franc) will get you a fairly modest hotel.

In my experience, you can't go wrong following Swandav's excellent Lac Leman advice! If you find your budget pushed in Montreux, you may want to try the Hotel Negociants in Vevey. It's in the old part of the town, a couple blocks from the lake and near many cafes and antique shops.

Definitely spend a day on the steamer. I loved the trip to Geneva, taking the train back.

Here's my favorite activities-

The open air markets, there's a small one Friday AM in Montreux pavillion and a bigger one in the Vevey town square on Saturday AM - great foods of ALL kinds, fruits, vegetables, flowers, baked goods, cheese, meats, dairy. Have a warm salle (individual size cheese egg tart)! This is a place for locals to shop not a tourist aimed thing at all.

Chateux de Chillon is definitely worth a visit it's an OLD castle walking distance from Montreux.

The tram up Rochers de Naye is fun to do, although often the view at the top is fogged in.

Some kind of boat ride on the lake, for sure.

Bus and train transportation between Vevey and Montreux is excellent, frequent and easy to use. Don't be afraid to try them.

I need to back up to the original question and say, Vevey is my favorite city of the three you mentioned.

To me it is the most "Swiss" feeling. I love the old shops, winding cobblestone streets, local cafes; there's a traditional somewhat old-fashioned air about things there. I find Montreux more international and modern in atmosphere.

In Vevey, you can visit the Charlie Chaplin statue (really nice little statue), as well as his burial place in Corsiers sur Vevey. Other day trips could be Chillon castle, as mentioned by another poster, as well as the Fondation Pierre Gianadda in Maritgny (a 30 min. train ride), where they have a fun outdoor sculpture garden. Kind of reminded me of the Colombe d'Or in St. Paul de Vence in the south of France. Don't know if you'll be around in season, but there's the "Chocolate train" you can take (I haven't done this yet) that takes you to both the Gruyeres factory in the town of Gruyeres as well as the Cailler chocolate factory in Broc.

Like swandav, just walking the promenade in Montreux is really a fun thing to do, particularly during festival, when there are all sorts of stands selling things and street food.