scrb11

I'm looking to visit Lavaux, stay in it for the first time, in the second half of July.

Will be coming there after 4 nights in Interlaken. Have stayed in Wengen a couple of times before, this time the idea is to spend more time around the lakes.

So will be staying 4 nights in Lavaux before proceeding to Chamonix and Annecy. Trying to decide on where to stay. Mainly interested in sightseeing and photography. For instance, want to visit and take pictures of the terraced vineyards but not so much for wine tasting, though when I checked, a lot of these vineyards didn't seem to regularly open to the public or if they offered wine tastings, seemed kind of pricey for wines which aren't that renowned. Not too interested in the Montreux jazz festival, as I would avoid crowds.

Places I've seen are either in the bigger lakeside towns or smaller villages in between versus maybe some place high up from the lake, like in Jogny or Chexbres. If I didn't stay up in these places, I'd certainly want to visit them. If I were to have a car, it seems the parking is easier in these smaller villages away from the lakeside towns or at least the hotels seem to have free parking whereas in a city like Vevey, you're going to pay, possibly a lot.

But if I stayed in a smaller village, I would have to probably drive to the bigger towns for meals, so I'd have to deal with parking then.

One thing that makes me lean towards renting a car is some uncertainty about bus schedules, the frequency of how often they run, especially from lakeside to say Mont Pelerin or similar places high above the lake. In truth, I really won't need a car until I depart for Chamonix, because it seems impossible to rent a car in Chamonix itself. I would have to take the bus from there to Annecy to get a reasonably priced rental.

But it would make it easier to get to some of these places further away from the lake and it would be useful in Interlake for going to Gelmerbahn and Beatenberg, two of the places I want to see. When I checked a month or two ago, I couldn't search on sbb.ch for bus schedules in the summer. So what they showed at the time was infrequent buses to Gelmerbahn from Interlaken or Meringen. I'm sure it will be more frequent in July but even still, it seems an easier trip to drive there rather than take the train and sync up with the bus.

So whether I'd have a car would also determine if I can stay up in the hills. Again, public transportation may not be frequent enough for me to stay further away from the lakeside towns.

Has anyone stayed in any of the smaller Lavaux villages away from Lake Geneva in the summer?

twk

We stayed at Auberge de la Gare outside Grandvaux in 2016.

https://www.aubergegrandvaux.ch/?lang=en

We really liked this place. They have their own restaurant (rooms are kind of a side business), and there's another pretty good restaurant a short walk away. The auberge is about 100 steps from the train station, so you can get anywhere in the region rather quickly, although this is the upper line, and not the lower one that runs along the lakeshore (to catch that, you take a train into Lausanne). If you get a Swiss rail pass, its phenomenal. If you want to drive, they have parking.

scrb11

Thank you. It is listed in Google Maps as Auberge de la Gare. Did the trains get noisy?

Did you have a car and drive around? Any difficulty parking in the bigger towns?

twk

I did not have a car, so I can't really comment on what parking is like in the towns.

I don't know where you are from, but the trains that pass by are nothing like the freight trains we have in the US. For one, the are electric rather than diesel, and they are lighter. The sound they make is more like a passing truck than an American train, and I didn't have any trouble sleeping.

scrb11

Great to hear.

I've taken trains in other parts of Switzerland but I wasn't familiar with what they have in Lavaux.

I guess if it's a local train, it stops operating at night.

twk

They have a few freight trains that seem to operate on these tracks only at night, but they aren't the mile long trains we see here in the US.

One thing I forgot to add, at most hotels, I initially go to sleep with earplugs which will cut out most noise, but not all, then take them out if I wake up in the middle of the night (as I almost always do). I couldn't hear the trains at all with ear plugs in, and didn't have trouble sleeping once I took them out, either.

kja

I'm not sure if this idea will be of any value, but I though Lutry a charming little town with easy access to Lausanne to one side and Montreux (much further) to the other. I didn't stay there, though, and so it might not suit your needs.

Enjoy!

neckervd

Swiss train and bus timetables valid until December 2020 are published since July 2019.

Vevey - Mont Pelerin: every 15 min from 5.30am until 7pm, then every 20 min until midnight
Gelmerbahn - Innertkirchen (- Meiringen - Interlaken):
Gelmerbahn dp 7.33, 8.33, 11.33, 11.56, 12.33, 13.33, 13.55, 15.33, 16.33, 16.35, 17.33, 17.56, 18.33
Beatenberg - Interlaken:
Beatenberg dp 5.50, 6.20, 7.20, 8.04, 8.20, 8.44, 9.04, 9.20, 9.44, 10.04, 10.20.............until 22.30

scrb11

I’ve been doing some research and the main advantage of having a car would be if I wanted to do a day trip to Glacier 3000 or Verbier to visit Mont Fort.

These trips would take 90 to 120 minutes each way by trains and buses according to Sbb.ch.

But driving by car would make it no more than an hour each way.

However, I could also do a much easier day trip by going to Rocher de Naye, for which you don’t need a car at all. It’s not as high up there but the view of Lake Leman looks great.

It also seems like while there are very good public transport options between the towns, a car would still be faster in cases where you have to take more than a direct bus or train. However, of course you’d have to deal with traffic and parking in the summer.

One thing I wanted to do was go from Chexbres to St. Saphorin to take pictures. Seems like a good hike but wondering if it would be advantageous to have a car to leave afterwards.

kja

I loved Rocher de Naye! Gorgeous views, and fascinating train ride, too.

Public transportation in Switzerland is a delight -- comfortable, convenient, on time, etc. As you note, having a car would mean having to find parking and get to from the places where you can reach directly by public transportation. AND the driver really doesn't get to appreciate the views -- or at least, responsible drivers who pay attention to the road don't get to do so.

neckervd

Auberge de la Gare Grandvaux:

The hotel has very good reviews, but some people were disturbed by the noise of the trains between 5am and midnight.

scrb11

I’m leaning towards Hotel du Leman in Jogny, which has parking and views.

Also considering Baron Tavernier, also for views, but it seems it would be more convenient to be nearer Vevey if I do a day trip.

There are some reviews who said they could use AC at times. I remember thinking that when I’ve stayed in Luzern or Zurich while up in the mountains it wasn’t an issue in the summer.

scrb11

Looks stunning. The Chocolate Train also seems popular and also seems to include scenic places. But more of an all day excursion.

neckervd

The Baron Tavernier is directly on the local vineyards road from Chexbres to Epesses, 400 metres from the railway station and 1 km from the motorway exit Chexbres.
Trains to Lausanne (25 min journey) every hr from 6.23 until 23.23; trains to Vevey (10 min journey) every hr from 6.34 until 23.34.
From this place, most day trips are much faster by car than by train.

The Hotel du Leman at Jongny is 4 kms from the motorway exit Vevey and 600 metres from the funicular stop Chardonne: Trains to Vevey (5 min journey) every 15 min from 5.30am until 7pm, then every 20 min until midnight. Bus to Chatel-St-Denis railway station (20 min journey) every hr. Bus to Bossonens railway station (15 min journey) every hr.

scrb11

Also buses from Jogny Village down to Vevey Gare, about 15-20 minutes.

Chexbres to Vevey train is about 20 minutes according to SBB.

I'm kind of leaning towards having a car. First I have to pick up a car in Switzerland because there is no way to pick it up in Chamonix unless I go back to GVA. Or I take the bus from Chamonix to Annecy and pick up there. Those are the places I'm going to after Lavaux, Chamonix and then Annecy.

Second, a car in Interlaken where I start my trip, would cut down the day trip I want to do to Gelmerbahn in Handegg, at least comparing times on SBB with drive times on Google Maps, though who knows maybe in July the traffic will equalize that a lot.

neckervd

Of course, the Vevey - Chatel and the Vevey - Bossonens buses pass through Jongny. But they are less frequent than the rope railway.
Chexbres-Village - Vevey by train is 10 min as you can see at the timetable published by SBB: 111.pdf

Interlaken - Handegg Gelmerbahn is a lot faster by car as you can use the motorway up to Unterbach (Swiss Army airport Meiringen).

Car rental:
I cannot help you as long as I don't know your whole itinerary. The only thing I know for sure is that a car is of no benefit for the Chamonix Valley between Vallorcine and Saint Gervais-Les Bains Le Fayet.

scrb11

Yes I probably wouldn’t need a car at all except I plan to spend 4 nights around Annecy.

Then fly out of GVA. When I researched it, there weren’t good transport options between Annecy and GVA compared to driving.

I haven’t booked all the hotels yet but have allocated 4 nights in Lavaux, 4 in Chamonix and 4 in Annecy.

I expect to do day trips out of Annecy like Aix les Bains, Chamberey, maybe Grenoble. Lyon is also reachable but I’ve been before.

So to have a car there, I’d either pick up in Switzerland or wait til I arrive in Annecy because I didn’t see options in Chamonix.

That would mean I’d take a long bus ride from Chamonix to Annecy with my luggage.

scrb11

Well I wasn't sure whether to get a car but got a much better rate than I expected, about $35 a day, so I went for it. Will have it for the whole trip.

I figured whether can be iffy in the mountains so if the expense of a car gets me to certain places faster, as good as the Swiss trains are (but maybe not as good in France, especially Haut Savoie), it's worth it if it lets me maximize taking advantage of good weather.

And surprisingly, I was able to find places with parking, right in the middle of Interlaken, by the Interlaken West train station, for free.

Will have to pay in Chamonix and likely in Annecy as well but doesn't seem too bad.

kja

I didn't take it. My understanding is that the Chocolate Train is an overpriced tourist thing. You can easily go to the chocolate factory in Broc on your own using public transportation. BTW, even as a chocoholic, I was underwhelmed by the chocolate factory in Broc; other people seem to have enjoyed it very much.

I took what was essentially a door-to-door bus (very comfortable) from Annecy to GVA last June. Took about an hour. Worked for me!

neckervd

PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN HAUTE SAVOIE

Martigny - Argentiere - Chamonix - Les Houches - St. Gervais-les-Bains:
scenic metre gauge train, runs at least every hr (all the year round)
plus Chamonix bus between Le Tour - Argentiere and Les Houches, at least every 30 min (during the season)

St. Gervais - Geneva Cornavin (SBB main station), Leman Express train, 1 1/2 hrs journey:
about every hr from 5.49 until 19.49, evrey second train is direct, otherwise you have to change in the small station of Annemasse.

St. Gervais - Annecy, Leman Express train, 1 1/2 hrs journey:
about every hr from 5.49 until 19.49, take a Geneva resp Annemasse bound train and change at La Roche-sur-Foron

Annecy - Geneva Cornavin (SBB main station), Leman Express train, 1 1/2 hrs journey:
every hr from 5.44 until 20.44. Most trains are direct, ootherwise change at Annemasse

BUS Annecy - Geneva airport (1 1/2 hrs journey): at least every hr from 4.30 until 19.15, more frequent in rush hrs
BUS Chamonix - Geneva airport - Geneva city center (1 1/2 - 2 hrs journey): Chamonix dp 3.45, 8.00, 8.15, 10.00, 11.15, 12.30, 13.30. 17.15, 18.30, 19.25, 21.30
BUS Chamonix - Annecy (1 1/2 hrs journey): Chamonix dp 7.00, 10.50, 14.45, 16.30, 18.30
Bus timetables may change until summer