Please Vote: Geneva, Montreux, or Interlaken
 

Which city do you prefer, Geneva, Montreux, or Interlaken? In June, we are taking the Glacier Express train ride from St. Moritz to Zermatt. We are staying 2 nights in Zermatt and 3 nights in Luzern and flying home from Zurich. On the way from Zermatt to Luzern, is when we are planning to stop by Geneva, Montreux, or Interlaken. Also, do you think we should reduce the time in Zermatt or Luzern so we can have more time in the other cities? I hope you can help because we are very torn.

I've been to all of the places mentioned and after Zermatt if I had to choose one area (and had never been there before) I would choose <b>the area around</b>Interlaken as opposed to the other two.

If you had time you could route yourself down from Zermatt to either Visp or Brig and take the train to Montreux, change there and make your way over the Golden Pass route to Interlaken (www.goldenpass.ch) for a more scenic rail route.

The three citis are different:

- Geneve is a rather large cities, with a splendid lakefront, grand hotels, the Palace of the League of Nations, museums, old town etc. Certainly lots to do and to see. (I forgot shopping)

- Montreux is nice, but rather small resort town. You go there to stay at one of the plushy hotels and relax (not for sightseeing).

- Interlaken has scenery, especially the train up to the Jungfrauhoch. It is the most spectacular easy access into the region of summits and glaciers.

It is a matter of taste which place you prefer. Montreux is probably no match to Geneve.

Since it will be on the way from Zermatt to Lucerne, Interlaken area (or maybe Monetreux) seems reasonable. Geneva is out of the way. What about staying somewhere in Lavaux region (between Lausanne and Vevey/Montreux) and do vineyard walk ? Splendid view of the Lake L&eacute;man and Savoie Alpes!

www.lavaux.ch

I agree with the Lavaux idea - I live in Lausanne and do that walk frequently. Here is an excellent restaurant. It's a hotel too but I don't really know what it's like since I live here.

www.barontavernier.ch

&gt; Hotel le Baron Tavernier

A friend told me it's a newly renovated hotel (perhaps bought by some greek) that was formerly called Hotel Beau Soleil or another common name for a hotel. They have a groumet restaurant, a pinte vaudoise (a local, less expensive restaurant) and le Deck, a terrace caf&eacute; that looks over the lake. I just had the glass of beer 2 weeks ago there, on the terrace just outside the groumet restaurant, that was just CHF4 and came with a great view.

These are the photos I took while walking up on the Corniche Route from Cully toward Chexbres and from the terrace of the hotel. The man statue is the Baron. I read at the hotel reception that he had brought back the Blue Diamond from (South?) Africa to Louis 14th and this diamond is now at Smithonian's Society in US. The hotel was displaying a copy of the diamond.
http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...0April%202007/

I've been to Montreux, Vevey, and Geneva many times.

I'd choose Montreux over Geneva (but have never been to Interlaken myself). Vevey and Montreux are both small and beautiful towns right on Lac Leman. Will you be there only for one night? Or how long?

I disagree w/ traveler1959 about the lack of sightseeing opportunities in Montreux. You can go to the fabulous castle at Chateau de Chillon, the mountain tram called Roches de Naye, walk the Old Town, stroll the lakeside promonade, take a boat ride, etc.

Geneva is a big international feeling business doing modern kind of city. My friends who live in the area complain it has &quot;no soul&quot;. There is an Old Town there also with some interesting things to see and do, historic museum, etc.

All 3 are different, so the criteria for selection are different.

Montreux is a lovely lake city. Geneve is is on the lake, but it is a major metropolitan area. In terms of attractions like the UN and the old League of Nations buildings and some other features it has something the others do not.

Interlaken is a city I have been in many times but always as a place to change trains, pick up a rental car, visit a minor exhibit or two, or shop for something I could not find in a mountain village.

I would pick Interlaken for one simple reason: It leads elsewhere, like the high peaks of the Berner Oberland.

I would not pick Interlaken just to go there and revel in the luxury of one of its 5-star hotels unless the hotel itself was my travel destination.

If you are reducing time in the other two, I am not sure I would be too concerned about stopping in the other 3.

The views of the mountains from the Gornergrat and the Klein Matterhorn (both near Zermatt) are fabulous. Two of my favorite destinations in all of Switzerland are the two places I just named.

On a clear day, the view from the Klein Matterhorn is for me without peer. It tops the Jungfraujoch.

I think your choice really boils down to why it is you elected to visit Switzerland.

One factor that would influence my choice is where I was going after Montreux, Geneva or Interlaken.
If I were leaving the country, and could do so through Geneva, then I would go there and enjoy the city lights.

The Interlaken area, the highpoint of Switzerland always for me - never fails to awe me getting off the train in Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen.

Montreux is a neat small town for relaxing and lots of nice day trips as well.

Geneva is very different - cosmoplitan, basically modern but with a gem of an old town and smashing lakeside setting. Too bad that the several times i've been on Lake Geneva there has been a haze, smog or clouds obscuring the fab view of Mont Blanc across the waters.

Can't go wrong with any - but Berner Oberland just up from Interlaken is my favorite place ins suisse.

PalQ sums it succinctly.\
We will be back in Lauterbrunnen in August. Cannot wait!!

We bought a Eurail Pass in June 2003 and Interlaken was one of our stop.We took a one day train and mountain lift excurtion there. We did not ride the train all the way up to Jungfraujoch. We get off at a pretty little town call Wengen and bought our lunch at a grocery store there for our picnic on the mountain. We rode the mountain lift from Wengen to Mannlichen and hike from Mannlichen around the mountain to Kleine Scheidegg. The hike is easy and the senery is magnificent. There is benches along the trail and we had our pinic lunch there facing the snow cap mountains. There was still some unmelted snow along the trail and alot of wild flowers all over the mountain. At Kleine Scheidegg we ride the train back to Interlaken. We book the excursion on the day when we arrived at Interlaken train station's visitor information center.

Wow, thanks for your votes! We really appreciate your advice. We are trying to do a day trip on our way from Zermatt to Luzern. I have the following questions before we make our final decision.
1. In Montreux, is Chateau de Chillon a must see if you visit Switzerland?
2. We will be in Zermatt. Is the area in Interlaken similar to Zermatt? Therefore, a day trip to Geneva will give us a better variety of Switzerland? (Even though Geneva is further away from Zermat, taking the train to Geneva is as long as the other 2 cities.)
3. Is the golden pass route similiar to the glacier express route? Do we need to get off the train to really get a good feel of the places in Interlaken?

Look forward to hearing back from all of you.

&gt; a day trip to Geneva will give us a better variety of Switzerland? (Even though Geneva is further away from Zermat, taking the train to Geneva is as long as the other 2 cities.)

Not exactly. You forget you are on your way to Lucerne. Geneva - Lucerne is almost 4 hrs vs. Interlaken - Lucerne is 2hrs. As I already said (I think), Geneva is simply NOT on the way. Timewise, your time will be better spent in the other 2 candidates.

&gt; Zermatt ... Geneva will give us a better variety of Switzerland ..

Lake Geneva (Lac L&eacute;man) area will give you enough variety. IF you are afraid of having too much Alps mountains (!) then, perhaps you better choose Lake Geneva area (between Montreux and Lausanne - as I said I don't see much point going all the way to Geneva city) over Interlaken, it's up to you. Chateau de Chillon is a must if you are in the area.

I don't know the rest of your itinerary, but you will have been in the beautiful mountain region of St Mortiz (hopefully for a few days, great train ride there from Zurich), then the gorgeous Zermatt area, so IMO much as I think the Interlaken area is beautiful, to get a different view of Switzerland, I would go to the French side and to Lake Geneva, in particular to the Lavaux area mentioned above like Vevey, Montreux, Morges, really any of the towns (other than Geneva really wihch is a bit too far down the lake). You can get to Chillon quite easily for the day, to the lovely Gruyere area, take ferry rides on the lake, have really excellent food (sorry can't be said the the Interlaken area, good but not the outstanding French restaurants of the Swiss side).

I used to live in Zurich and while I truly love the Jungfrau and the Engadine area, I still dream of Lake Geneva and of the view of the lake and Alps from the vineyards.

You can get to Zurich quite easily from this area. I would skip Lucerne enitrely and focus on St Mortiz, Zermatt and the Lake Geneva area; this will give you a nice mix of Engadine, Valais and Swiss French culture.

An interesting decision to have to make.

Assuming you will go up above Zermatt while there to view the Matterhorn peak and look out over the Monte Rosa Massif you will have then seen some of the very highest (the highest if you count the Dufourspitz) peaks in Switzerland and in Italy.

The area around Interlaken, at least some parts of it will offer somewhat similar scenery. Some perople actually prefer being in the Bernese Oberland region to being in Zermatt.

If you are looking for &quot;variety&quot; then the shore along Lac LeMan will offer an interesting contrast, especially if you are in the Montreux/Lausanne/Vevey etc. area.

Chillon...avery interesting place to visit but try to do some research before committing to it..worth it IMO but only if that SORT of thing appeals to you.

Same thing with the vineyard walk or taking the rack railway up to Rochers de Naye from Montreux...spectacular scenery and views but if you are &quot;peaked out&quot; at that point there are other things to do.

Bottom line..you are obviously going to have to give up something. I like Luzern a lot but I think I would bypass it in favor of the lakeside on this trip.

well Chillon is a fairly spectacular castle. Whether a &quot;must do&quot; I guess depends on your interests. I also like the castle at Gruyeres in this area, for example.

that said, if you are short on time, Geneva is most definitely NOT a &quot;must do&quot; imo ;-)