Where to go after Chamonix w/ water?
 

Have a few days to spend after hiking the TMB, want to go somewhere pretty and relax by the water! Have thought about Annecy, but worried it might be too touristy. Open to lake or sea -- or even wine country, but prefer it not be too terribly far of a journey without a car (4-5 hours max). Any suggestions?

For the same sort of experience as Annecy with fewer tourists, go to Aix-les-Bains on the Lac du Bourget which is just as nice as the Lac d'Annecy and even a bit bigger.

Lake Geneva is gorgeous and big and just a few hours from Chamonix by car.

...a bit more than 1 hr.

Burgundy and its wine towns are rather close to Chamonix - drive to Beaune - commercial capital of Burgundy Wines in many ways and a sweet small city - lots of tiny wine villages with famous names from wine vintages they produce make neat stays. No water though.

I'd head to Lac Leman... towns like Vevey, Montreux, La Tour de Peilz, Villeneuve only 2 hours drive. Spectacular scenery, lakefront promonade with the mountains in the background. You could add on "wine country" Lavaux District (canton onf Vaud) for terraced vineyards.

(if this is the end of a trip you could use the Geneva airport from there)

Hi sarahrob130,

When are you going?

I also thought that Lake Geneva would be a good fit for you, and so easy to enjoy and get around with public transport. However if you are travelling in July or August, and you don't like crowds, it's not the place for you.

In late June and July, Montreux holds its internationally famous Jazz Festival, which draws performers and entourages and crowds from around the world.

In July, Vevey holds its wine festival (Fête des Vignerons); it only happens about once a generation (about once every 20 years), and it will be absolutely mobbed. The central square in Vevey is already being transformed with bleachers and a stage for the many activities. If you like crowds and wine, you may enjoy it, but as you want to avoid places that are too touristy, you'd probably want to avoid this.

Even if you wanted to attend one or the other event, you may not be able to get a hotel room at this late date -- folks plan to attend these events a year in advance..

Have fun as you plan!

s

Excellent point above! Sorry I hadn't given any thought to the dates and YES between the Fete and Montreux Jazz Festival things are going to be hopping there this summer.

There are plenty of other small towns around the Léman (we do not call the lake "lake Geneva" aside from when in Geneva itself!!) which will not be impacted by the Fête des Vignerons and so will be quieter. Actual dates of the Fête des Vignerons are 18 July/11 August. Montreux Jazz Festival is 28 June/13 July so from about 27 June to 12 August - avoid Vevey and Montreux! If you want to stay in Vevey during the Jazz Festival get a hotel or a BnB away from the main square- place du Marché. The arena for the Fête is far more than just "bleachers" - it is a huge arena that seats 20'000 people, with a stage constructed on pylons out over the lake. It has literally taken over the place du marché and the couple of hotels and restaurants that border the place are really disadvantaged - imagine looking out of a hotel room onto a wall about 10m away! not to mention the noise...

Suggest IF your dates coincide with either you look at Ouchy, which is a lovely lakeside suburb of Lausanne, or further along the lake - Morges, St Prex or Rolle. Between Vevey and Lausanne there are St Saphorin, Rivaz, Cully and Lutry. (the latter has a lovely medieval centre).

Chamonix to Montreux by train - via Martigny is just over 2 hours. Add another 20mns for Lausanne and another 15mns from there to Morges.

Sorry is this in 2019 or 2020?

The Fetes des Vignerons is not every year?

I'm looking for 4 nights in the 3rd to 4th week of July 2020, coming from Interlaken. *

Not sure if I will have a car. *I see that parking could be prohibitive, along the lake. *But places above the lake in these smaller villages seem to include parking.

I'm kind of split on which way to go. *Seems like along the lake, in a city like Vevey, you have more dining options, including fast and cheaper dining options.

There are some nice places overlooking the lake like in Jogny and Chexbres. *But you either dine at one of the hotels or you may have to drive down to the lakeside towns? *I haven't researched public transport options between the villages and smaller towns above and the lakeside cities.

But if Vevey and other larger towns are packed with these events, it may be better to stay along the lake so I wouldn't have to worry about driving down and dealing with parking for meals.

*

The OP hasn't been around since mid-April

Sorry didn't mean to resuscitate the thread but the posts mentioned things I had specific questions about.

maybe I will spawn to new thread.

Fête des Vignerons happens once every 20-25 years so not until 2039 at the earliest.

If you do not want to drive then take the train from Chamonix to Montreux via Martigny. 90mns to Martigny, less than an hour to Montreux from here. Trains Cham/Martigny run hourly with one change in Vallorcine. The journey is covered 100% by the Swiss Travel Pass - see www.sbb.ch/en for details.

Hi scrb11,

I'll try to help a bit, if I can, and maybe help you with a more specific post of your own.

Yes, as I said above at post #7 and as Hambagahle noted above, the Fête des Vignerons only happens once a generation. But the Montreux Jazz Fest happens every year, around June - August, so right when you'll be here.

There is excellent public transportation along the lake. Bus # 201 runs parallel to the lake and runs every 10 minutes, and it links Villeneuve (other side of Chillon castle) to Vevey. Transport to/from the villages above the lake can be spotty. There are frequent funiculars to Chardonne above Vevey, and to Glion above Montreux. But as far as I know, only a bus to Corsier above Vevey. Chexbres is linked to Vevey by train. You can check the exact transport option to your chosen town or village using the Swiss rail site that Hambagahle linked above.

Vevey won't be very packed for the Jazz Fest though Montreux will be. Vevey is more residential, and there are more restaurants there that I enjoy than in Montreux, which feels more resort-ey, more vacation-ey. You could also stay in Villeneuve to avoid the crowds.

Remember that roads will be dense with traffic, and if you try to drive into town for a meal, you'll have to find and pay for parking in town, as you said. Really, it's easier and stress-free to take public transport.

Have fun as you plan, and yes it'll probably be good to start your own thread.

s

New thread:

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur.../#post17041071