I think your timing should work -- no guarantees, of course, but I certainly think what you are describing should be manageable. Taking advantage of lockers at Switzerland's train stations and the Swiss Rail luggage forwarding system (described on the sbb website) might simplify some of your transitions.

Does the boat stop at / near the Hostellerie Bon Rivage? I honestly don't know, but for your plan, I would want to be near a place where the boat to / from Chateau Chillon stops so that -- if the timing works -- I could take it in one direction. I'd probably opt to stay in either Vevey or the Ouchy area of Lausanne. JMO!

Hi again,

The ferry stop Vevey/La Tour is pretty close to Bon Rivage, which is actually in La Tour-de-Peilz. Maybe take 5 minutes to walk to it.

There is a bus stop right in front of the hotel, too.

s

Update on the Bon Rivage accommodations. I emailed them to request a rate for the one night stay and was very happy to receive their offer of CHF260 for the night, including breakfast. Kids under 12 stay free, and I think they are just adding a bed to their "executive" double room. Perfect for us and I am thrilled. I don't know why the quoted rate on their website (and booking.com) was so much higher.

Taking the boat to Chateau Chillon may be ambitious for the amount of time we have, but the bus will be a great back-up option.

Suze - as amazing as the markets sound, I don't think we will arrive in time on Saturday to experience it in Vevey. I guess we will just have to count on a future visit!

Excellent! I thought $450 sounds too high.

Have fun!

s

"sounded" not "sounds." Sorry.

Your timetable for Saturday June 18th:

Paris Gare de Lyon dp 7.57 - Lausanne (track 3) ar 11.37, dp (from track 6) 11.50 - Vevey ar 12.03, dp by bus 201 (in front of the railway station building) 12.14 - La Tour de Peilz Baumes bus stop ar 12.20. Cross the Hotel parking and enter the hotel (about 20 metres).

Reach Chillon castle by bus 201 (buses every 10 min, 20 min journey).
Go back by boat dp 14.55 via Villeneuve - Bouveret - St. Gingolph - Vevey to La Tour de Peilz ar 16.10 resp Montreux ar 16.25 (Upper Lake Geneva cruise)
or
go back by boat dp 16.58 via Villeneuve - Bouveret - St. Gingolph - Vevey to Montreux ar 18.25 (Upper Lake Geneva cruise)
or leave Chillon at 16.53 by Lausanne bound historic steamboat (see below).

You may change at Montreux (dp 17.00 resp 20.00) to a historic paddle steamboat (with board restaurant) and go on along the Lavaux vineyards (Unesco World heritage site) up to Lausanne Ouchy (ar 18.32 resp. 21.00). Connecting metro, train and bus to your hotel ar 19.30 resp. 22.18.

If you do have a Swiss Pass it is also valid on buses - just show to driver.

In Montreux, you don't show anything to the driver; drivers are not concerned with ticketing.

There are separate controllers who board the bus periodically to check that everyone has a ticket.

I always use the Riviera Card when I'm in Montreux/Vevey, and I just board the bus (usually at the middle or end of the bus) and sit down. And that's what everyone else does, unless the person has to cancel some kind of ticket, which s/he can do at the machines at the middle or the end of the bus.

s

thanks for the clarification with passes and buses - just hop aboard and only need to show pass if spot check controllers come on. Easy.

Of with a flexipass to have the bus covered you'd have to be riding on a day you are using one of the flexible travel days -OK in your case but to clarify for others - days the pass is not being used the pass gives you nothing unless you buy with it the half-off Half-Fare Card that you can do when buying a pass - that is good every day whether you use the pass or not.

That bus ride costs probably a franc or two but if entitled to ride free go for it.

A OW ticket from Vevey or La Tour up to Chillon or Villeneuve costs 5.40 CHF. The ticket is valid within 2 hrs on all trains and buses within the fare zone.
A day pass for the same fare zone costs 10.80 CHF.

Things get easier with the Montreux Riviera Card, however:

Montreux Riviera Card (copy from http://www.montreuxriviera.com/en/pa...x_Riviera_Card )

Discover our region in all its diversity !

Montreux-Vevey Tourisme wishes you a pleasant stay on the Swiss Riviera and is pleased to offer you the Montreux Riviera Card free of charge. It will be given to you on your arrival in your hotel *, holiday apartment or private clinic.

It offers many advantages :
Free travel on the whole "Mobilis" Montreux Riviera network (zones 70, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77 and 78). By booking online via the reservation system of Montreux-Vevey Tourisme you can profit from this advantage even before your check-in. Simply use your confirmation letter as a ticket on the day of your arrival.

50% reduction for train tickets on the following lines:
- Montreux - Rochers-de-Naye
(free travel until "Haut-de-Caux", then 50% reduction)
- Vevey - Les Pléiades
(free travel until "Chevalleyres", then 50% reduction)
- Funicular railway Les Avants - Sonloup

50% reduction on CGN cruises departing and arriving from: Vevey, Clarens, Montreux, Territet, Chillon Castle, Villeneuve, Le Bouveret, St Gingolph

50% reduction on the following museum tikets:
- Jenisch Museum
- Swiss Camera Museum
- Food Museum (Alimentarium)
- Swiss Museum of Games
- Blonay-Chamby Railway Museum
- Montreux Museum
- Chillon Castle
- Historical Museum of Vevey

50% reduction on the following theme park tickets:
- Aquaparc, Le Bouveret
- Swiss Vapeur Parc, Le Bouveret
- Bex Salt Mines

20% reduction on a roundtrip ticket:
- Glacier 3000, Les Diablerets

By purchasing a Playcard Fun Planet of CHF 20.-, you receive a Funbonus of CHF 20.- (total value CHF 40.-), limited to 1x per person / day.

50% reduction on the City walking tour in Montreux and Vevey

Free welcome drink at the Montreux-Vevey Tourisme information desks !

Montreux-Vevey Tourisme
Rue du Théâtre 5
1820 Montreux
Phone +41 (0)84 886 84 84
Fax +41 (0)21 962 84 86
» [email protected]
» http://www.montreuxriviera.com

Does a Swiss Pass give free entry to Chateau Chillon as I suspect it must - anyone do this? Thanks.

Copy from https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/ShowTo...ys-Geneva.html

"hello, we visited the castle last week and there was no discount on the castle entry fee with our 15 day Swiss pass. Just a 50% discount with our Montreux Riviera card which was given to us free from our hotel as most hotels do in Montreux. Audio guide costs extra and the entire visit can take 1-2 hours depending on how much you want to linger at each stop."

Thanks for all of the tips on transportation and castle tickets! Now that we are almost done booking accommodations (just the hotel in Lucerne left to nail down), we will soon be moving on to trains and sites! I value your expertise very much.

We are planning to get the Swiss Pass, but we will have to see which days it will be valid. Since we are staying at the Hostellerie Bon Rivage, we will also have the Riviera Card, but it won't be issued until we check in on the 18th. I think I will contact them to see if we can drop off luggage a few hours before check-in time and pick up the Riviera Card.

Thanks neckervd as usual for your great help in answering questions like I posed. Merci/Danke/Thanxs!