Montreux/Yvoire
 

Has anyone visited this area and if so do you have advice about which location to stay in? and a four star hotel or unique property/ bed and breakfast you loved?

we will be traveling around Switzerland with two teenagers this summer, and are wanting to sleep in this area so we can perhaps take the Golden Pass Chocolate tour...

Any other recommendations?

Many thanks,
Ilene

I spent a few nights at the Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic and loved that hotel. Large, balcony room facing the lake. It is a 4 star property.

After I left Montreux, I spent a couple of nights in Evian les Bains (yep, where the bottled water comes from). Did a day trip from there to Yvoire... Had lunch and walked around for a few hours or so. Yvoire is gorgeous!

I didn't take the chocolate train but did do the Callier chocolate tour and visited Gruyere on my way to Montreux. Highly recommend both!

Also highly recommend a visit to Chateau Chillon while in Montreux. Either walk there along the lake or take the steamer boat... Maybe one of each to get there and back.

Should have added that others here on Fodors prefer Vevey over Montreux. But, I liked Montreux better and am glad I stayed there. With teenagers, it may be different.

Hi ileness,

I visit Montreux often, usually every year or every other year for 2 weeks.

A good 4-star hotel there is the Eden Palace au Lac, where I stayed three times before they added the "Palace" to the name. I love its location right in the center of town and right on the lake.

Another 4-star I like the looks of (but never stayed there) is the Golf Hotel Rene Capt, which sits right on the lake in the suburb of Territet, where it is very quiet and is close to Chillon.

Another hotel I like the looks of but never stayed in is the 3-star Hostellerie Bon Rivage, which sits right on the lake outside of Vevey in the suburb of La Tour-de-Peilz. I really like its location in a quiet spot.

Another hotel to consider is the Au fil de l'Eau, a bed & breakfast at the edge of Montreux in the suburb of Clarens. I stayed here when it was under another owner and was called l'Hermitage. It's a good location.

And finally, my favorite hotel in the area is the Hotel Victoria, which sits above Montreux in the town of Glion. You will need to take a bus+funicular or the train to get up there, but the views are fabulous. I've stayed there 3 or 4 times.

Yvoire is a very, very small town on the lake in France, and I didn't find much to do there. It wouldn't make a very convenient base from which to visit Chillon or to catch the Chocolate Train.

Oh, one important thing -- Montreux hosts the internationally famous Montreux Jazz Fest for 3 weeks every July, and it is jam-packed, elbow-elbow crowded at that time. If you are a fan of jazz, it would be worthwhile to visit then; if not, you ought to stay in Vevey or Villeneuve.

Have fun as you plan!

s

I second Swan: forget Yvoire. if it must be France, go at least to Evian. But Glion is at least 10times better!

Thanks! I will research !

actually one question..
given we will have already done zermatt, and also st bernard walk in Montaigny and two years ago did the lauterbrunnen area..
do you think Gilon would still be worth the ride?
i am wondering if we will have had our fill of amazing views.... and the girls will be looking for something different to do or see....
thanks,
ilene

Hi again,

No, Glion is nothing like Lauterbrunnen/Jungfrau area. Glion sits on a shelf at only about 700m, and the mountain behind it is only 2000m. This is the Pre-Alps, not the middle of the Alps. There are some high peaks across the lake, but not around Montreux.

You could go to google maps, do a search for "Glion Switzerland," then pull up some photos of the area to see it for yourself.

Have fun!

s

It depends on what you really want to do and see. Glion is just a bit above Montreux, linked to it by rope railway (5 min journey) running every 15 min from 5.15am until 9pm and then every 30 min until 1am.