I will be going from Zermatt to Lausanne on a Friday morning in August. I am staying in Lausanne, 3 nights. The hotel desk closes between Noon and 3PM. I'm thinking of getting off on the way in Vevey and take a (15 min) bus to Charlie Chaplin's house. I would arrive at Vevey around 11 AM or 11:20 depending on which train I catch out of Zermatt. Spend a couple of hours at Chaplin then try and make my way to Chateau de Chillon (which is open until 7PM). I'd want to get to Chillon between 5 and 5:30. I've looked at schedules and it seems I could even take a boat from Vevey to Chillon (preferred). Or, I suppose, a bus if short on time. So it all looks doable but the question is where to stow my (Rick Steves) bag? Chaplin's World says I could leave it at their gift shop. But what about Chillon? I've read at this forum where people skipped Chillon because they didn't know where to stow their bag. RIck says they have free lockers but I assume they are small. Does anyone know if there are bigger lockers at the Vevey Train station? That seems like a possibility.
The other option is to go direct to Lausanne, arriving before 12 (okay), check in and drop my bag. But then I'm afraid I won't have time to get to Chaplin and over to Chillon. It would be tight. I could see leaving Chaplin til Sunday (I'm in Lausanne the whole weekend) but they say it gets crowded and Friday afternoon would be best as far as that goes. I have a flex Swiss rail pass so bus and train costs are not an issue.
Posted by
Green Bay
20143 posts
Here is a plan of Vevey station.
https://www.sbb.ch/content/dam/infrastruktur/trafimage/bahnhofplaene/plan-vevey-a4.pdf
See the blue square on platform 1 with a suitcase in a box and a key on Platform 1? Those are luggage lockers.
Posted by
Montreux, Switzerland
262 posts
There are lockers in Vevey and Montreux. Because you mentioned you will come to Montreux during rush hour 5-5:30, I would opt for the train or boat rather than the bus. Even though the distance between Vevey and Montreux is short, there are many lights and the busses can be very full that time of day. There's no A/C so they can get warm. All three are easy to do, but boat most scenic, train quickest. If this is your only visit here, take the boat if you can, quite a beautiful ride, very easy to do. If weather is nice and you are up for it, exit at Montreux Marche and walk the 20 min along the waterfront path to Chateau Chillon.
Posted by
OP
San Francisco, California, USA
162 posts
Thanks so much! Didn't think of rush hour. Just what I needed to know.
Posted by
Austin, TX
92 posts
Use the SBB Express Luggage service to send your bag ahead to Lausanne.