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Montreux Jazz Festival

We think we want to go the Montreux Jazz Festival July 3-18, 2015 in Montreux at the east end of Lake Geneva; stay for two or three days. Prior to attending we are considering staying in northern Italy, close to Montreux, for week before we go.

Questions:
1) is the festival really worth attending?
2) where should we stay: as Montreux is only 25,000 we thought about Lausanne, only 18 miles away? maybe Geneva about 60 miles
3) ideas for northern Italy: we assume in July and w/ the dollar at parity w/ the euro, Tuscany would be a zoo of school children and tourists. We think we want a smaller town.

Ideas? Many thanks, john

Posted by
16893 posts

We would definitely choose Lausanne over the big city of Geneva, which doesn't tend to make our visiting list for leisure travel. Trains to Lausanne take 20-30 minutes each way and trains to Geneva take an hour. On the faster, Interregional trains, Vevey and Aigle are the next stop in either direction from Montreux, but accommodation there probably still expensive.

Posted by
11294 posts

Given the international fame of the Montreux Jazz Festival, I think you should stay anywhere you can get a room you can afford, that will allow you to get to and from the shows. Start by looking in Montreux itself, but then look west (Vevey, Lausanne, etc). There is frequent service along the lake west from Montreux; larger towns have more frequent and faster trains than smaller ones. There is also train service in other directions from Montreux, but I'm not familiar with those towns. Check the train schedules on Swiss rail for any town you are considering http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html

Posted by
19654 posts

As far as hanging in northern Italy, take your pick. Stresa on Lake Maggiore would make a good jumping off place. There are direct EC trains to Montreux and Lausanne 3 times a day from Stresa, and lots more trains with connections. Expo 2015 is going on in Milan from May 1 to Oct 1. I think it is going to be the World's Fair of food, if that is of any interest. Venice would be another suggestion, or wind surfing on Lake Garda.