I'm planning a trip at the end of March/early April and would appreciate any suggestions about restaurants, day trips, activities:

Part 1: Zurich
3 days for my wife and I and our college-aged daughter, home base Zurich. Planning on staying in Marriot Zurich because have 1 room big enough for all of us. Open to other hotel recommendations
Day 1: explore Zurich
Day 2: day trip to Lecerne and Mt Pilatus
Day 3: day trip to Rhine Falls and Stein Am Rheim
So far have booked dinners at Kronenhalle and Bindella

Part 2: Montreux
Our daughter goes back to school and my wife and I go to Montreux, staying at Fairmont for 3 nights
Day 1: explore Montreux
Day 2: Lavaux Vineyards and Vevey
Day 3: Lausanne or just relax in Montreux
HAve booked one dinner at LA Museum. Maybe will do one dinner at the Fairmont, Montreux Jazz Cafe

End of trip: flying home from Geneva but hotels are all booked up due to convention, so planning on staying in Nyon, staying at Base Nyon Hotel
Plan is to take train from Montreux, explore a little in Nyon and then take a boat to Loivre FR for the afternoon and then return to Nyon for dinner.

Would appreciate feedback on the plans, anything I should swap, restaurants, hotel advice, specific tours or fun activities. THANKS!!

Hi famtrav12,

Do you plan to walk through the Lavaux vineyards? Highly recommended. There is a slow local train that runs through all those villages by the lake, so it's easy to start and stop wherever you want. My favorite village is Lutry, with a beautiful waterfront and a lovely little town.

My favorite restaurants in Montreux are La Brasserie in the Hotel J5 and Bis, but it looks like Bis will be closed until Sep. In Vevey, I always try to hit Mazot in the old town and Ze Fork along the lake.

Yvoire is lovely, but March/April may be too soon for its best feature -- flowersflowersflowers everywhere. I found the town itself to have little else to offer, just lots of small souvenir shops. You may want to check out Morges, closer to Lausanne. It holds its tulip festival from 28 March in the huge and beautiful park next to the lake. It's a charming place with a pedestrian central street.

Have fun as you plan!

s

As we told you in your other thread, you could pass the last night at Montreux as well.
IMO Yvoire isn't particularly interesting.
But you could have a early dinner there and turn back with the boat Yvoire dp 19.50.
May be you are interested in the castle of Nyon or in the Swiss National Museum at Prangins nearby.

You might consider a daytrip to Gruyeres (beautiful hill town and cheese factory) and Broc (for the Callier chocolate factory tour) in lieu of Lausanne (or you might combine Lausanne with your Lavaux vineyard day).

Thanks for the advice. My wife likes to be early before international flights so I want to minimize travel before a 9a flight. On the day prior to our flight, I think we'll relax in Montreux, then go to Lausanne for few hours and then to Nyon for dinner. Gruyeres/Broc sounds like a great option, so going to swap that for a different day in our itinerary:Day 1: Arrive in Zurich

Day 2: Lucerne/Mt Pilatus

Day 3: Rhine Falls/Stein am Rhein

Day 4: Train to Montreux

Day 5: Lavaux Vineyards/Vevey

Day 6: Gruyere/Broc

Day 7: Lausanne (and/or Morges)/Nyon

Day 8: Depart Geneva

Nyon is much better than Lausanne or Morges and the hotel you mentioned in your other thread is just a few steps from the railway station.

Concerned that Lavaux might not be the best daytrip option at the end of March, as many vineyards may not yet be open to public and the Lavaux Express doesn't run until April. Is is still worth going to or would you recommend a different day trip?

Current Itinerary:Day 1: Arrive in Zurich

Day 2: Lucerne/Mt Pilatus

Day 3: Rhine Falls/Stein am Rhein

Day 4: Train to Montreux

Day 5: Lavaux Vineyards/Vevey

Day 6: Gruyere/Broc

Day 7: Lausanne/Nyon

Day 8: Depart Geneva
Dinners planned in Zurich: Kronenhalle, Razza, Bindella
Dinners planned in Montreaux: Montreaux Jazz Cafe, Bistro at Maison Decotard, Le Museum
Dinner planned in Nyon: Brasserie de Rive

Opinions on these restaurants, other suggestions?

"End of March, as many vineyards may not yet be open to public and the Lavaux Express doesn't run until April"

The 1-2 hrs tours with the little yellow train will take place on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays form April until September.
The 2 hrs visits of vine cellars begin on weekends in May.(at 18.30).
But that doesn't mean that you cannot go by train, bus or boat to a Lavaux village, walk through the vineyards(on signmarked hiking trails) and drink some local wine in a restaurant of a Lavaux village..
It's up to you!


Lavaux Express

FWIW, I walked the Lavaux vineyards in late May during an unusual cold spell -- there was actually frost on the ground! I enjoyed that walk -- the views were stunning and it was interesting to see the vineyards beginning to leaf. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much any earlier in the season. I certainly wouldn't have enjoyed it if I hadn't dressed for freezing temperatures!

IIUC, you'll be jet lagged upon arrival in Zurich? I think that city vastly underrated, and IMO, part of a jet-lagged day won't give you much time to enjoy its treasures. Maybe add a day there?