Wow Swandav - thank you for all these suggestions. I will check them out.

swandav knows her stuff on the Montreux area!

Hi again,

I'm very happy to help!! I tried to post the url for each hotel, but was having so much trouble posting, I gave it up.

Hope the info helps!

s

If time allows be sure to take a boat ride on Lake Geneva - from Montreux you can even go to Evian-les-Bains, a famous spa town where Evian mineral water is bottled, in France - Swiss Pass valid on boats even to France.

I stayed at the Suisse Majestic. Had a large, lovely room with a small balcony overlooking the lake. I would highly recommend it!

Great cocktails on the terrace lounge with stunning sunsets!

Seems like when I've been to Lake Geneva it has oft been cloudy or fogging or hazy. Swandav - do you find this too? I mean I hoped to see Mt Blanc in all its glory but have never seen it in several sojourns on the lake.

Yes, Pal, especially in the summer months when the haze is trapped down at lake level. That, and the crowding, is why I never go there in the summertime any more. The fall and winter months give generally beautifully clear views across the lake.

I attribute it to emissions fumes, though I realize there are a bunch of other contributing factors. But that is why I am so dead-set against folks driving in Switzerland, particularly at the lake. The bus has begun to have posters trying to dissuade folks from driving and to take the bus . . . =D>

s

Is that a trolley bus - that runs on electricity and not petrol? Good reason for keeping the old trolley buses if they did since I was there - used or maybe does run along the shore Lausanne to beyond Montreux.

Hi Pal, yes, the "bus" in Montreux is a trolly that runs on electricity. But, no, the bus does not run between Vevey and Lausanne; you have to take the train for that. The Montreux bus actually links Villeneuve (town on the other side of Chillon castle), Veytaux, Territet, Montreux, Clarens, La Tour-de-Peilz, and Vevey; it gets quite a lot of use.

s

Thanks swan! And trolley buses are also much less noisy.

There are no buses between Vevey and Lausanne along the coast - that seems impossible - what about folks living or staying in between those cities?

I think I will try Hostellerie Bon Rivage. It would be nice to have us all in one room (I think). We were looking into a boat trip on Lake Geneva. Are we allowed to bring luggage on the boats? When we are done in the area, we would be taking a train through Geneva to Paris. I'm wondering if I can bring my luggage with me and end the train trip in Geneva? I greatly appreciate all of the advice.

Pal, there are trains, of course, to take folks between Vevey & Lausanne! I understand there are busses that link Lausanne and its neighbor communities like Lutry and Pully, but I've never been on one.

jkpark, do you mean that you want to take the ferry boat from Vevey to Geneva? Yes, you can take luggage on the ferries (as well as bicycles, but you have to pay for the bikes, at least). But the trip will be around 4 or 5 hours, when it's just around 60 or 70 minutes by train. A nice ferry ride is from Chillon to Lutry or from Montreux to Lutry or to Lausanne -- those are about an hour long.

Have fun!

s

Be aware that to get from Lac Leman to Paris you do not need to go through Geneva unless you want to; there is TGV service to Paris from Lausanne.

If you have a SwissPass that will also be good for use on the local transport services including those trolley buses Pal is so fascinated with.

Be aware that to get from Lac Leman to Paris you do not need to go through Geneva unless you want to; there is TGV service to Paris from Lausanne.>

Yes Lausanne is next door to Vevey/Montreux - search however www.voyages-sncf.com for the cheapest available ticket to Paris from Suisse as Dukey likes to call it - via Basel now may be cheaper at times because there are so many TGVs now using that route - take a train from Lac Leman (a k a Lake Geneva) to Basel to connect with if that route is much cheaper than what is available on Lausanne/Geneva to Paris. Booking very early can save lots of money.

Swiss Pass not valid on French trains of course outside of Switzerland.

hmmm... I've definitely taken a regular city bus between Montreux and Vevey.

regular city bus>

not a trolley bus that I once took but may be now regular buses?

curious