I am travelling on my Swiss holiday with my family including 2 young kids in July 2018. After covering Interlaken and Zermatt, I intended to stay 2 nights in Montreux as my last stop. I am having 2nd thoughts as my stay would be in the middle of the Montreux Jazz Festival and I am seeing very expensive hotels and invariably huge crowds. Is Montreux the best town to experience Lake Geneva or should I consider staying in Lausanne or Vevey. Would also love to hear of some recommendable accommodation that you may have stayed in. The idea is to relax, dine and enjoy the lake.
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
I enjoy Laussane alot. The area along lake geneva is beautiful, also the Olympic Museum is there. You can pick up a paddlewheel ferry to reach Chateau Chrillon for a lovely visit and boat ride. Re lodging i stayed at the family hostel in Laussane a 2min walk from train station . They have private rooms with views of the Lake. It was my first hostel stay , i was very pleased with my stay, view, very clean, and the rate was amazing for switzerland.
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3391 posts
Vevey is my favorite place along Lake Geneva! Much quieter than the other towns you mention but just as lovely. I like Lausanne but the hills are too much for me. We spent a day there and that was enough!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16190 posts
Anita, your are an accomplished athlete. What do you mean, the hills of Lausanne are too much for you?
Posted by
Washington State
22 posts
We loved Vevey too...much smaller. Your kids would enjoy the beach. We did not stay in Vevey, it was a day trip from Thun. The Olympic Museum in Lausanne was nice.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2710 posts
Vevey is a wonderful place to stay - very beautiful, relaxed and low key. I highly recommend it.
Posted by
Nice, France & San Francisco
675 posts
I would switch to Vevey or Lausanne, even without the Jazz Festival I would do it. (My favorite thing about Montreaux is that it's the departure point for Rochers de Naye).. Lausanne's hills are not a problem if you take their super clean and quiet tram from Ouchy (lakeside, where I used to live) and the center of the city (Flon or higher in the old town). Vevey is a smaller, more intimate experience. Ferries run between the two, and up and down the lake, and I highly recommend taking them.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32200 posts
Ashy,
Of all the places you mentioned, the best choice (IMO) is Lausanne. It's a good home base location with good transportation networks, so you'll be able to take easy day trips to Château de Chillon, Montreux or Vevey. If you decide to visit the Chateau, I'd suggest using the historic old steam paddlewheelers from Ouchy in one direction, and then return by train.
As others have mentioned, Lausanne is built on the side of a hill, which runs from Ouchy up to the main part of town. If you'd rather not walk, there's a Metro running from Ouchy that makes the trip much easier. As I recall, my hotel provided a free Metro pass with the cost of the room (but my memory is a bit foggy on that point).
As with anywhere else in Switzerland, it's expensive so budget accordingly.
Posted by
Montreux, Switzerland
262 posts
I normally recommend Vevey when visiting the area, but during the Jazz, you are right that it is very expensive and very crowded during those two weeks. If you are wanting a quieter stay during this time but still want to be able to take a short train to see the sights, consider Morges or even closer to Geneva. I just checked two different dates during this time and Morges is 1/3 the cost of Montreux and Geneva almost 1/2.
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3391 posts
Lola those hills are steep! I like a good workout but not all day when I'm on vaca! :) I'll get up early to row but when I'm done, I'm done!
Posted by
Boston, MA
137 posts
I just returned from that area. I stayed in Lausanne- hotel des Voyages - a very convenient location, 10 minutes to the train station despite the need to take 1 metro stop to get there. Lausanne was nice, however if you are looking for a relaxing lake promenade and a smaller town, stay in Vevey. I actually wished I stayed there- it makes you feel like you are on vacation. Montreaux is nice but Vevey is just as good. They are all on the same train line with easy connections to Geneve and the airport.
Posted by
shingle springs, CA, USA
782 posts
We stayed in Lausanne up in the heart of Town at the Ibis Lausanne Center because they had parking.We took the paddlewheeller to Montreux on a day trip, great way to see the towns along the lakeside and we returned by train.We Took the Tram down the the Hill to Ochey which is the waterfront where all of the great archiecture is.We thought Lausanne was a good location for transportation,boat or train.
Mike
Posted by
Mountain View, California
6 posts
Hi Ashy! I agree with others that Lausanne is a beautiful place to stay. That said, I would definitely go to Montreux during the Jazz festival if you have the opportunity! My wife and I were there last July, and we had a wonderful time listening to music and eating on the grass in Parc Vernex, which offers free concerts during the festival right along the lake.