Susan

We're taking our 16-yr-old son to Italy/Switzerland this summer, starting in Rome & returning from Zurich. Before Zurich we're in Luzern for 2 days. Before that we had planned to take him to Geneva because he's had a couple of years' of French in school & wants to use it. Is Geneva the "best" place to go, or does anyone have any other recommendations? We're planning on taking the train from Rome to Geneva, and either the train or car from Geneva to Luzern. I have a book on Switzerland, and Montreaux looks neat to me. I'd love to see Bern but that doesn't solve the French-speaking issue. What do ya'll think???

yabw

Check and see when the Montreux Jazz Festival is. We stumbled upon it when our children were small and had a great time: a giant street fair along the lake with great music, food, people-watching... with Chateau Chillon nearby. North of this area lie the tiny towns of Chateaux d'Oex and Rougemont, both French-speaking. There is a museum of folklore in Chateau-d'Oex definitely worth a stop. A little more off your path is Neuchatel which is also a delightful smaller city (very nice municipal pool and fine art museum...) It's been our experience that people in these small towns are much more inclined to speak their native language to visitors than in large cosmopolitan places like Geneva. But there are no bad choices really. Enjoy.

Susan

Festival in after we return home, wouldn't you know! <BR> <BR>Anyone else have suggestions?

s

Susan, <BR>Very happy to oblige! I've been to Montreux four or five times in the past few years and just can't get enough. Here's my list of things to do: <BR> <BR>Spend a morning walking along the 11km lakeside promenade from Clarins to Villeneuve, passing the Chateau Chillon along the way; there are plenty of cafes to stop and have a coffee & snack along the way to replenish your strength. Top it off with a wonderful pizza & beer lunch at a lakeside café 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 (reviewed -- sort of-- in NY Times Travel section. Go to www.nytimes.com, then to the archives of "What's Doing," then find "What's Doing in Vevey" from summer '99). <BR> <BR>Take the train (the "wine train")from Vevey to Chexbres, then spend a few hours walking the vineyards down to the lake, hitting Rivaz & St. Saphorin. For lunch, find the Auberge du Rivaz In 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 ancient sites are worth a trip as well. <BR> <BR>Spend a day in the mountains, taking the train to the resort of Gstaad. On the way back, stop at Chateaux d'Oex, where the only successful round-the-world-by-hot-air-balloon trip was launched. Or stop at Glion for lunch at the Hotel Victoria with its panoramic views of the lake; then walk the rest of the way down to Montreux on a stair-step path through the forest (or take the train or the funicular to Territet). <BR> <BR>Spend an afternoon in the medieval village of Gruyeres, making sure to sample the berries in creme-double. <BR> <BR>Spend an afteroon in Nyon at the Roman museum and the Caesar's columns nearby. <BR> <BR>Spend a morning walking up to Montreux's old city & the museum & the old church. Fantastic views from the old church (can't remember the name -- but it's prominent in the old city). Have lunch at the restaurant at the museum. <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.concierge.com (type in "Switzerland" as a <BR>destination, then go to "Lausanne & the Alps"). <BR>www.myswitzerland.com <BR> <BR>I hope you enjoy your time there. Feel free to e-mail me if you want/need more particulars. <BR> <BR>s <BR>

Andrea

Having moved to Geneva with the hopes of improving my French years ago (and because the French visa fell through), my advice for your son is to be persistant. Friendly, but persistant. It can be a bit daunting to try out your foreign language in real life, and particularly frustrating when the person to whom your speaking is fluent in English and thus responds to you in English. <BR> <BR>I came across this all the time, and I found that when I was hesitant or bumbling a bit, the Swiss were - in a very friendly way - likely to immediately switch over to English. I would reply in more bumbling French, smiling all the while. If he continues to speak in French, they will eventually get the idea that he is trying to practice his French and will be happy to help him bumble along. He may want to practice saying something like "I'm only here for a few days and really want to improve my French"

Judith

We just returned from Geneva. It is pretty cosmopolitan and almost everything there is written in at least three languages: French, German and English....more so than other places. A lot of people speak english. <BR> <BR>Do go to the medieval village of Gruyeres if you have a chance. They have a muesuem of the art from the creator of Alien. (Becareful not to let your son go into the room with a red light...it is very, adult material) But the town is really neat. Great food, gifts and a castle. <BR> <BR>Also, you can make a day trip from Geneva to Zurmat and see the Matterhorn. Great view and drive. Also, the little town has really neat shops. <BR> <BR>On the way back to Geneva you can drive through Gstadd, a neat little town. Has been compared to Vail. <BR> <BR>We had planned on going to Vevey and Montreux but they are large cities too and we opted at the last minute to skip them for the more quaint sites above. (These were suggested by our concierge and they really made our trip)

Susan

WOW - thanks everyone! I think I'll try to convince him that going to a neighboring town might be more fun & more "French!" <BR> <BR>Keep those suggestions coming!