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Lausanne by train itinerary doable?

Hi! I'm planning a trip for my husband and myself for late spring, seeing some of Austria, Bavaria, and parts of Switzerland. We are considering the train. My question is whether the following is provides enough time to see Lausanne staying just 2 nights in Lausanne:

Day 1: Take early train from Bern to Zweisimmen (1:20), and then take Golden Rail to Montreux (1:45), leave bags at station then take bus to Chateau de Chillon castle (allow 1.5 hrs), then return and take train to Lausaunne. After check in, see as much as possible of Lausanne that afternoon/evening.
Day 2: take Chocolate Train from Montreux to see Gruyere cheesemakers, Cailler chocolate factory in Broc. Leaves at 8:30am, takes all day.

Day 3: See rest of Lausanne, go to Geneva and fly back to US.

Thank you!

Posted by
33820 posts

I saw as much of Lausanne as I wanted to in half a day. Others probably have different levels of interest in various things.

What time is your flight home?

Why don't you take the train from Montreux which goes to the door of the Cillon Castle instead of the bus?

Posted by
21144 posts

A good part of what you want to see is in the Montreux/Vevey area, why not stay there and visit Lausanne as a day trip or as a stopover on the way to Geneva?

Posted by
262 posts

What you mentioned is doable, and if you want a city, then Lausanne would be the place to stay in this area.
Since you mentioned that you want to see both Chateau Chillon, take the chocolate tour and see Gruyere, you might find staying in Montreux a good option. The trains run to Lausanne throughout the day and it's an easy 20 min ride from Montreux. You could take the train to Montreux, check into the hotel, walk along the beautiful waterfront for 20 min to Chateau Chillon or take the bus for 5 min, which would be free if you are staying in a local hotel. In the morning, you will have a short walk to the train to take the Chocolate Train and Gruyere tour.
If the weather is nice, you may also want to consider a walk in the beautiful Unesco Vineyards or a train to Roches-de-Naye.
If you want a more charming area to stay, I would recommend Vevey, which is just 10 min from Montreux.
Here's the local tourist info, which gives you more detailed information on this area.

https://www.montreuxriviera.com/de/Z4830/info-tourist-center