m_l

Hi,<BR><BR>I'm planning my summer holiday and intend to fly from London to Geneva and take the train back via Paris.<BR><BR>Other than visiting Paris this is our first trip to this area. Heres what I'm planning :<BR>4 days in Geneva and surrouding areas (anyone know if some really good places to go hiking, inexpensive hotels around 100euros and good restaurants ? )<BR>2 Days in Paris<BR>8 Days between Swizterland and Paris...heres where I really need the help!!!<BR>I don't know which part of the journey I should stop off. Reading past posting Lyon sounds good (good food, beautifully scenery) but I'd like to pick a place which is located centerally to other towns and hire a bike so that I can cycle around the countryside.<BR>Any suggests, recommendations please post!!<BR><BR>thx,

swandav2000

Hello m_l,<BR><BR>I hope I’m not being too pushy when I suggest you get out of Geneva! I just don’t like visiting large cities when Switzerland has so much great countryside to offer. I’d suggest you consider staying in Montreux or Vevey on Lake Geneva instead of the city of Geneva. Or if you like really small villages, consider staying in Rivaz, Lutry, or St. Saphorin.<BR><BR>Here’s why. These activities are based from Montreux:<BR><BR>Spend a morning walking along the 11km flowered lakeside promenade from Clarens to Villeneuve, passing the Chateau Chillon between Territet and Villeneuve; there are plenty of cafes to stop and have a coffee &amp; snack along the way. Top off your long walk with a wonderful pizza &amp; beer lunch at a lakeside caf&eacute; in Villeneuve, then take the ferry back to Montreux (I think the ferry stops in late Sep/Oct). <BR><BR>Spend the morning in Vevey hunting down the antiques shops in the old town. Then have lunch at the Hostellerie de Geneve on the Pl. Marche. <BR><BR>Take the train (the “wine train”) from Vevey to Chexbres, then spend a morning walking the vineyards down to the lake, hitting Rivaz &amp; St. Saphorin. For lunch, find the Auberge du Rivaz with a terrace lake view or see if any of the cellars are having a cheese/wine tasting. <BR><BR>Cully (esp. the Auberge du Raisin) and Lutry's well-posted tour of medieval buildings are worth a trip as well. <BR><BR>Spend a morning walking up to Montreux's old city &amp; the museum &amp; the old church. Fantastic views from the old church. Have lunch at the restaurant at the museum or at the Hotel/Restaurant du Pont.<BR><BR>Here are the websites: <BR>www.montreux.ch (find their picture gallery) <BR>www.vevey.ch <BR>www.lake-geneva-region.ch <BR>www.gruyeres.ch <BR>www.nyon.ch <BR>www. lutry.ch <BR>www.lavaux.ch/sentier2.htm<BR>www.hospvd.ch/public/eccmid/lavaux.html <BR><BR>My personal travel journal (w/photos) of Montreux<BR>www.igougo.com/planning/journal.asp?JournalID=7825<BR><BR>Would you like some hotel recommendations in Montreux/Vevey/Rivaz?<BR><BR>Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience in the area of France between Geneva &amp; Paris. But if it were me, I’d try to get a riverside city/village -- either on the Rhone, Seine, or the Loire. So, looking at a map, I spy Beaune, Dijon, Troyes, Culmont, Blois, or Orleans that might be worth considering.<BR><BR>Good luck!<BR><BR>s<BR>

Michael

From Geneva to Paris you could stop in Lyon, Beaune and Dijon. Best would be to get a guidebook to read up on what might interest you along that itinerary.

jmw

Hi. If I had 8 days, I'd enjoy the Lavaux vineyards on Lac Leman, and then follow an inefficient path down to Annecy, Lyon, up via Beaune to the Alsace villages, and then straight west to Paris. J.

m_l

Thanks for the information everyone. I've got a much better idea of where to go and what to do. Annecy, Lyon, Dijon will be the &quot;main&quot; destinations.<BR><BR>Swanday - Please post your hotel recommendations for Montreux and Vevey, also if you can, do you know how much the ferry ride from Geneva to either of the two destinations costs ?<BR><BR>cheers,<BR>m

hike

Try the following web site for the boat info on Lake L&eacute;man.<BR><BR>www.cgn.ch<BR><BR>GVA-Vevey : CHF 40.00/2nd cls &amp; 54.40/1st<BR><BR>GVA-Montreux is CHF 40.80/2nd &amp; 55.60/1st<BR><BR>

swandav2000

Hello m,<BR><BR>I’m very happy to suggest a few hotels in the 100E range in Montreux &amp; Vevey for you. I usually pay more for my hotels, so I don’t have any personal experience at any of them. However, I’ve seen most of them, eaten in the restaurants of some of them, and heard some of them recommended on this and other forums. My pricing information is from a 2002 hotel guide from the Montreux tourist office. Here they are:<BR><BR>Hostellerie du Lac, a two-star right on the lakeside in Montreux. I’ve seen its location, and it’s just across the street from the four-star Eden au Lac -- same views! Prices in summer for a single are 110-130 chf with bath (70-80 without).<BR><BR>Hotel Masson, a three-star in the Veytaux neighborhood above the lake; website at www.hotelmasson.ch. I’ve walked by it in the winter, and it looks very charming; one poster here recommends it, and it gets a star from the Fodors guide. Rates for a single in summer are 100-170 chf.<BR><BR>La Rouvenaz, a two-star across the street from the lake. I’ve eaten there a number of times (great Italian food), and I’ve seen pictures of the rooms (they look clean and sweet). Rates are 80-100 chf for a single in the summer.<BR><BR>De Chatonneyre, a three-star in Corseaux, a suburb of Vevey. Ok, I’ve never seen it, never eaten there, never heard it recommended. But its website &amp; photos look so charming it almost took me away from my favorite place in Montreux. Website at www.chatonneye.ch; rates for a single in summer are 85-110 chf. It will be pretty inconvenient if you have a lot of luggage and no car!<BR><BR>Auberge de Rivaz, a small inn on the main road skirting the lake, bordering the vineyards, in the village of Rivaz. I’ve eaten there twice and really enjoyed their fine Swiss food. Singles in summer run 60-80 chf. You can easily get to Rivaz with a regional train from Vevey or Lausanne (or the ferry from Geneva).<BR><BR>You can see these places and get links for the hotels with websites at www.montreux.ch. I hope some of this helps! <BR><BR>Best of luck!<BR><BR>s<BR>

suze

If you are in Vevey on a Saturday morning be sure to go to the open air farmers market that is held in the town square (well it's a parking lot during the week actually!). Can't get more &quot;local color&quot; than this. It starts early and wraps up by about noon. Bonus if you are there in July/August there are six Saturdays that a wine festival is also part of the market. You buy a glass in the morning and can get it refilled as many times as you like from tastings from various local wineries (called Marche de Folklorique).