SKPKCP11

Hi we will be visiting Montreux in May.
Can someone recommend sports shoe shops in Montreux /Vevey.
Interested in buying K. Swiss brand or any other brands suggested.
Can we take home swiss sausages? We may not be able to freeze them. Which ones are recommended and from where can I get them?
Any local (not very high end) chocolate recommendations? Please advise.

Any other must eats? Please recommend.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

swandav2000

Hi SKPKCP11,

For sausages, I suggest Le Laiterie de Gruyere at Rue de l'Eglise Catholique 9. I bought sausages there as gifts for my neighbors, and the staff is very good about recommending local sausages.

For chocolates, I recommend Confiserie Zurcher at Avenue du Casino 45. They make their own chocolates. Not sure what you mean by "not very high end" - if you don't want to spend a lot of money, you can just buy a few pieces.

http://www.confiserie-zurcher.ch/fr/.../chocolats.php

Other things I think you should try -- a dairy shop in Vevey (and Le Laiterie de Gruyere in Montreux) sell double cream from Gruyeres -- be sure to try some. Most folks pour it over meringues or over fresh berries.

If it's a cool day, you should try a fondue or a raclette; I highly recommend Caveau des Vignerons at Rue Industrielle 30 (up in the old town of Montreux). I've been there 3 times, and each time I was the only tourist there. Everyone else seemed to know each other as there was banter flowing across the room from patrons and the proprietor.

Sorry I can't help with the shoes.

Have fun!

s

SKPKCP11

Thanks Swandav2000. You have been a great help for my Montreux sector planning.

Last request if we want to go to see the Narcisus in bloom and the Lavaux vineyards. Firstly, will the Montreux card be valid for the train?
We are looking at short walks. Not anything steep or strenuous.
To see the Narcisus which station should we get down at and from which station should we catch return train?
Also, to see the Lavaux vineyards, which station to get down at and which village to catch return train? Does one just start walking from the station or do we need to go to the tourist office first? From the station is it marked which road / path leads to next village? What are the wine taverns like? Are they close to the walking paths?
Sorry for asking just too many questions. Lastly are the children allowed to have wine in case we (beer lovers) decide to have wine? Do we just ask for house wine or is it called some name? What is the kind of food that we can expect in wine taverns? Is it expensive or reasonably priced?

That is all for now.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

swandav2000

Hi again,

I'll try to help.

I've never walked or hiked the Narcissi paths in the mountains though I've intended to a few times (hard to tear myself away from the waters of the lake, lol). Here's a link to a page with information for those hikes:

http://www.narcisses.com/#sentiers

(the one I've been trying to do is the one from Sonloup to Les Avants) If you click on any one of the hikes presented, you'll get detailed information about start & end points, elevation gain, duration, etc. These are walks/hikes in the mountains, though, and I don't think any of them will be flat. Make sure you look at the profile for the walk you intend to take.

The Lavaux stretches for several miles above the lake, so there are numerous, numerous walks you can take. Some of them on the main roads are well signed while others are not. You can take a train to Chexbres and then walk downhill through the vineyards to Rivaz, and that's about 30 minutes. You can't get lost because you just head downhill. There's a wonderful restaurant, Auberge du Rivaz, in Rivaz, where you can sample the local wines. Rivaz also has the Vinorama where you can sample all the wines in the region in one place (and the entrance fee includes some snacks).

Another walk through the vineyards is to take the train to Lutry, then walk through that wonderful town (it has a signposted walk through its medieval buildings) and then go up again to walk through the vineyards. You can walk to Cully (about 2h) or to Rivaz (about 3h).

Here is a link to some walks you can take, again with lots more information when you click on an individual walk:

http://www.montreux-vevey.com/en/cul...rekking_Lavaux

These walks are all mostly flat.

Here is a link about where to taste wine, from wine bars to private cellars:

http://www.montreux-vevey.com/en/cul...en/degustation

There are all kinds of local wines. Yes, any "house" wine should be a local one, but there are many more to choose from. I'm not sure if children can drink wine with parents -- I forget how old your children are. Do you mean, like 14- or 16-year-old children? If so, you should have no problems (my sister and I had no trouble buying beer when we were alone, and we were 15 and 13 years old).

The Riviera Card will give you free transport on trains or busses on zones 70, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77 and 78. That means, effectively, for all of Montreux, Vevey, Glion, Caux, & up to Les Avants. You'll get half off the mountain trains and cable cars, for example, half off the cable car to Sonloup. Here's a link to that information:

http://www.montreux-vevey.com/en/Ben...iviera_Card_en

At the bottom of the page, click on the pdf to get "advantages of Montreux Riviera Card" next to the pointing hand -- you'll get a map with the zones.

Have fun!

s

Christina

Any restaurant will have a menu/carte that tells you what things cost and what you can order, wine or anything else. There are not things left off it that you have to guess what to order, in my experience. If you just want the cheapest wine of any label (which you don't care about), which I guess is what you mean by house wine, the carte will show you prices and in the section of the cheapest, it may not even list the type/label/region -- just be something like vin rouge, then the price per glass or whatever. I've never seen that called house wine on a carte myself, perhaps they do something, but just point to it and order it. It will be at the end usually. In some restaurants, that choice won't exist, any choice of wine by glass, etc., will be a specific kind from which you choose, some cheaper than others, of course.

annhig

try to be in Vevey on a Saturday morning when the market is there - a wonderful array of local produce, including dandelion leaves for salads, if you fancy a picnic!

Christina

oh, I really enjoyed the food museum in Vevey (the Alimentarium) which is funded by Nestle, I believe, in an older building of theirs.

http://www.alimentarium.ch/en/our-history

SKPKCP11

Thanks a ton to all of you. We are now set for our first Swiss adventure. Sincerely appreciate all the help and advice.
Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

Surfergirl

On sausages, we loved the simple Landjäger -- a small, rectangular sausage that needs no refrigeration. Made great snacks and train food! Easy to find anywhere.