Hi. would you recommend Montreaux, Lausanne, or Stresa for a 3 days in early Sept? M looks very developed and touristy, but access to Chillon and wine areas are appealing. Looks like it's not too difficult to day trip to Chillon form L, which is fine if L is a more picturesque place to stay. We like moderate hiking, biking, castles, good food, wine. We are coming from Barcelona and can fly into Milan or Geneva. No car. We have to be in Venice 6 days later. We could also do M or L for 3 days and Stresa for 2 days, as it's on the same trainline. We don't mind splitting up the trip. Pros/Cons of places?
Posted by
New York, NY
1582 posts
Hi Elaine,
I would pick Montreux for those 3 days . As you mentioned, it has access to Chillon. Furthermore, a trip to Gruyeres is easily accessible and well worth it. It is the home to La Maison du Gruyeres and the Cailler Chocolate Factory. Lausanne can be day trip from Montreux. Fly into Geneva then make your way to Montreux from there. Great idea on mentioning doing M for 3 days and Stresa for 2 days. That would work well.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11315 posts
We thought Stresa a bit too quiet.
We had a week in Lausanne and really liked the vibe plus it was easy to visit Chateau Chillon (interesting but not outstanding) by easy train ride. Look at Vevey, between Montreux and Lausanne for a smaller town, great waterfront, access to hiking at Rochers de Nayes and Les Pléiades. The vineyards are between Lausanne and Vevey. Lovely to hike through. Rick Steves has directions in his guide book.
Posted by
Charlotte, NC
176 posts
I stayed in Vevey last summer and easily visited all the areas that have been mentioned.
Posted by
OP
washington, dc
389 posts
thank you. also, is it worth the extra train ride to be able to hike, wine taste in the Lavaux valley area vs. just going to lakes around Milan? Is the ride scenic from Montreaux to Stresa?
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32202 posts
elaine,
Montreux is quite an "upscale" destination and wouldn't be my choice for a location to stay. I enjoyed Lausanne but found it a bit quiet. The day trip to Chateau de Chillon via paddlewheeler was a pleasant trip, but I found the castle a bit boring. My preference would be Stresa as there are some good day trips possible.
In Stresa you could visit the scenic Borromeo Islands or take a trip to Mt. Mottarone. All of those only take a few hours so very easy to do. For a full day trip, travel to Domodossola via "regular" train and then take the scenic Cento Valli Railway to Locarno, (CH), returning to Stresa in the early evening by boat. It's a really nice trip, assuming the weather is good. In Locarno you can visit the historic Madonna del Sasso Franciscan Monastery, take a trip up the mountain to Cardada / Cimetta, try your luck in the Casino or just wander about the town and enjoy the magnificent scenery.
From Stresa you could also take a day trip to Lake Orta, although the transportation is not always as easy as other locations.
Posted by
Michigan
414 posts
We stayed in Stresa for three nights this summer. It was beautiful, quiet, and the highlights for us were visiting the Borromean Islands, and a day trip to Lago d’Orta. The islands in Lago Maggiore were fun to explore, and we saw Chinese white peacocks as we wandered the gardens on Isola Bella! Our hotel room overlooked the islands and the lake surrounded by mountains, and it was really lovely.
We took a local bus to Orta San Giulio at 9:00 and caught the bus back at 3:00. That was enough time to visit Isola San Giulio (we did that early in the day and it was so serene and beautiful!), and explore the town of Orta San Giulio. We had a delicious lunch at La Motta, and fantastic gelato afterward as we strolled along.
We took an Alibus back to the airport, but you could also catch a train to Milano Centrale to go on to Venice. We took the train to Stresa, but since it was our final stop of our Italy trip, we were glad to go directly to the airport for our departure.
Laurie
Posted by
464 posts
We have been to Montreux, Lausanne, and Stresa. I would recommend Lausanne and Stresa, 3 days in Lausanne and 2 days in Stresa. Lausanne is an easy train ride from Geneva and has beautiful views of Lake Geneva. In Lausanne the Port D'Ouchy area is a great place to walk with a promenade along the waterfront. Lausanne also has a lovely Old Town area and Cathedral. From Lausanne you can take the train or boat to Castle Chillon. The Lavaux Vineyards are a Unesco World Heritage site and well worth seeing. The charming town of Vevey is also easily accessible on the train from Lausanne. You could take a chocolate making class at Laderach Chocolatier in Vevey. From Lausanne you can also take a boat ride across Lake Geneva to Evian Les Bains on the French side.
Stresa, Italy offers boat rides to Isola Bella with the Borromean Palace and gardens, as well as Isola Madre with another palace and botanical gardens. The peacocks on the islands are beautiful. We had clouds and rain when we were in Stresa. It is a peaceful quiet place. You can take the train from Stresa to Milan and then Venice.