Now that I have the Lauterbrunnen to Montreux route pinned down I was hoping someone had taken this next route and could tell me if it is a good idea/pleasant drive? We have plenty of time and Michelin says it should be less than 2 hours. We like staying off the motorways when we can afford the time. We are actually heading for the airport to drop off our rental car there and then to the Hotel Ibis for an overnight before our flight out next day.We will probably take the advice of several on this board and take the train into Geneva for a few hours. Does it leave on right at the waterfront; near restaurants, etc.?

Sorry, meant to say "does it leave US at the waterfront"!

On the Swiss side of the lake most of the road is not next to the water, those spaces have been turned into parks for people, not cars thank God. The only section where you are driving right next to the water is between Vevey and Cully, then the road moves back away from the lake. Once you get to Lausanne after Bellerive Plage there is a big roundabout that puts you on the autoroute to Geneva / Airport but you can take the road before the autoroute exit on the roundabout and that will bring you back down to the lake at some point. It is less than two hours if there is no traffic. Except don't do it during rush hour.

Actually if I were you I would go all the way around to the French side of the lake after checking out of the Montreux hotel. On that side you drive on smaller roads next to the lake for most of the time. And there are nice restaurants along the way. I can highly recommend the lakeside Relais Franco-Suisse in Saint-Gingolph if you like filets de perches, it's across the street from the hotel with the same name and the waitresses run across the street with the food!

You would also drive through Evian, but keep going, overbuilt, overdeveloped, paved over waterfront. But stop in Thonon-les-Bains for a drink or lunch in the waterfront plaza under giant cooling plane trees. Or go further on to Yvoire, an adorable medieval town but usually quite crowded.

The drive on the French side of the lake is more relaxing, less built-up and quainter.

Do you need to drop off the car on the French side of Geneva airport?

Don't know where the Ibis is but the train station is a hike from the Quai, about 500 meters. There are two decent restaurants on the "back side" of the main train station, Cornavin. Look up and you'll see the TGV if it is in the station. The airport is almost in town and there are convenient buses. When I lived there I would take #10 to the airport.

Geneva has good selection and prices for Swiss Army knives and watches.

I agree with beaupeep about Thonon-les-Bains but Evian-les-Bains isn't that bad, IMO. On a sunny day the air over Lac Leman is really quite amazing. I can't describe it.

Take a swim at the jetty in Geneva. Very refreshing water, just in from Mont Blanc, 50 miles away. From the Quai you can see the mountain on a clear day. Otherwise you should be able to get a bird's eye view as you fly out. What a huge chunk of ice.

Beware of the signage for the french side of the airport--it is really confusing.

Montreux to Geneva airport is a pretty straight, short, shot right on the main autoroute. Why not do your exploring and back-roads first, then just zip on to the airport? Montreux and Geneva are not that far apart.

The train station in Geneva isn't at the waterfront.