I'm planning our end of May trip to Switzerland. We know we want to stay in the Bernese Oberland area for about 5 days and we are leaning toward staying in Grindelwald. We have 2-3 more days and are now trying to decide between Montreaux and Luzern. We could fly into and out of either Zurich or Geneva, and prices seem about equivalent. So I'd love to hear people's opinions on these two locations. Which one would you rather visit? We will have our 7 and 8 year old children with us if that makes a difference although we are mostly interested in the scenery, hikes, and perhaps castles or other historical areas.

Thanks for your help!

There's a great castle at Montreux:

http://www.chillon.ch/en/

Overall, I prefer Luzern, but I think Chateau de Chillon is worth stopping in Montreux for one night.

Do you want to be surrounded by French-speakers or German-speakers? If you go to the Bernese Oberland, do you want to have a taste of French-speaking Switzerland? Both cities are lovely - on beautiful lakes with amazing scenery. There are plenty of side-trips to do from both.

I've only been to Luzern but it was just truly beautiful. There was quite a lot to do, good site seeing, good eating, and I really would love to get back there at some point, along with other areas in Switzerland.

How about Vevey? Its smaller than Montreaux but has much more charm.
One day we walked along the lake promenade as far as we could then went up to the main road and caught a bus to Chillon Castle then the ferry back to Vevey. Another day we caught a bus up into the wine growing area behind Vevey then a train to Lausanne. The ferry ride back was just beautiful. Try to be in Vevey on a market day, from memory I think it was a Saturday. You can make up a great picnic lunch to have on the lake front while the children swim.

The train that runs on the Golden Pass line from from Interlaken to Montreaux would be perfect for you.
www.goldenpass.ch/GPL/main.asp

Best wishes for a great holiday.

Hi see the worlk7,

Yes, I've been to both -- Montreux about 10 times and Luzern maybe three. It's a hard choice.

As others have said, Luzern is in the German-speaking part of the county and is similar to the BO in many ways -- language, cuisine, atmosphere, etc. Montreux is in the French-speaking part so will offer much more contrast in language, cuisine, and architecture (think French Riviera).

Montreux will also be warmer than Luzern as it sits in a warmer, little microclimate that is very mild. May would be an ideal time to see the lake -- flowers just coming out at the lakeside promenade and nice and warm afternoons in a cafe in the sun.

For your kids -- you can rent bikes at the train stations of Lausanne, Vevey, and Montreux and cycle along the lake. The kids might enjoy the castle of Chillon, as noted above. There is also a toy museum near Vevey, and Vevey's Saturday market is fun for everyone.

Basically, it's a choice of Germanic and maybe cooler vs. French and a bit warmer.

Have fun!

s

I'll look into Vevey. Thanks for the suggestion. It sounds like we'd enjoy either location. Perhaps the Montreaux/Vevey location would be a better choice just to get more of a different taste from the BO area. I welcome more comments and I'll let you know what we decide in the end.

Thanks!

Hi again,

Ok, if you think you may be heading there, here is some more information, my own travel "reviews" for my favorite activities:

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

Saanen
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html

Gstaad
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html

Just note that the vineyards of the Lavaux won't be much to look at in May. Also know that Gstaad, Saanen, and Gruyeres are along the route from the BO to Montreux on the GP route.

Have fun!

s

For when you are doing research, it is spelled Montreux, not Montreaux. Take a look at www.montreux.ch. It's in English too.

I live just down the road a bit in Lausanne and it is lovely here at that time of year.

Thanks for the spelling correction. I've only started looking into that area and I actually copied the spelling from another website! I'll make sure I spell it correctly for future searches.

If your kids like trains, they'd probably enjoy the Swiss Transport Museum in Luzern. Here are some pics:

http://travel.webshots.com/album/52332689eTYoQs

There are also some cogwheel and cable car train rides out of Luzern, but the weather in May might not cooperate.