switzerland
 

going to montreux and need suggestions for day trips can be out of switzerland too for an overnight. traveling with mom (70). thanks

From Montreux you can hop the steamers over to Evian-les-Bains in France - about an hour or so and have a lovely ride on Lake Geneva with Mont Blanc rising above.

Evian is more than spring water - a swankish resort town with casino in case you or mum want to repleish dwindling trip funds.

also investigate the Chocolate Train that take you from Lausanne - five minutes by train from Montreux up first to Gruyeres - a neat walled town with castle and cheese factory and then by train to the Broc Factory for a Chocolate tour - cheese and wine served en route - train consists of vintage Beaux-Arts Pullman Cars.

Swiss Travel System
The train goes whenever you want, directly from the airport. There is a bus or another train, which takes you further. ...
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www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/ - this links you to the Chocolate Train site as well as Swiss Railways site and lake boats on Lake Geneva, scenic trains (you can also do a nice day trip on the famous Golden Pass scenic train from Montreux to Zweisimmen and back) - Even a little bit of train, boat travel in Switzerland may make a Swiss Pass viable - check out swisstravelsystem.ch as well as www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id3.html - the latter is a specialist for booking the Golden Pass and Chocolate Train that have mandatory booking i believe. Act early enough and you can get the vaunted VIP seats on the Golden Pass train - just a few on each train that have you perched right next to and above the drivier's cabin so you feel you are driving the train yourself.

There are a plethora of other neat mountain trains in the Montreux area as well. Zermatt and the Matterhorn could even be a good day trip (but be sure you have a pass in that case)

consider a trip up to Rochers de Naye from Montreux. If thev clouds cooperate you'll get absolutely stunning views across Lac Leman.

For an overnight trip by all means consider going to the Interlaken/Jungfrau 'Berner Oberland' area - you can take the Special Scenic Golden Pass train from Montreux to Interlaken, and then take a 20-minute train ride into the hills and a place like Wengen or Grindelwald and be intoxicated from the sweet views of the glacier-clad peaks a few miles away without leaving your hotel balcony is you chose - or take mountain railways or aerial gondolas even higher. This to me is the essence of Switzerland. And again if doing that type of travel as well as around Montreux investigate the Swiss Pass (or Half-Price Card).

Another great mountain trip either as a day trip or overnight would be to take the train to Chamonix, France.

From Montreux you go to Martigny then hop on one of Europe's most thrilling mountain climbing trains that takes you up a steep climb into the high mountains and into France - to Chamonix, the famous Alpine base where glaciers seem to practically tumble down to the tracks. About 3 hrs from Montreux - stay overnight and perhaps take trains up Mont Blanc or to the Mer de Glace or take what could be the world's most thrilling aerial gondolas - right over the Mer de Glace - a huge glacier to Italy and back - incredible thrill (or scary as Hell for Nervous Nellies. Swiss Pass good the whole way, even for the French portion.

When are you going, and how much does your mother like to walk?

For an easy day trip even for physically challenged folk simply hop on the Lake Leman boats and head for Geneva (or take the train there) - and once in Geneva you can take other lake boats that give you a tour from the water of many of Geneva's famous sights and villas and houses, etc. along the lake's shores - including a close up look at the famous Peace Fountain - many notable folk have lived in palatial houses along the lake and this few hour boat tour shows you them.

Geneva also has a neat old town on a hill i believe around the old cathedral. Train go there from Montreux lots of times and take but an hour or so - trains also at times go along the lake shore - and if ice-girdled Mont Blanc is out in all its majesty then the boats are even a more surrealistic experience.

The main lake boats have dining areas so a meal afloat can be neat. swisstravelsystem.com for boat links.

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