Refining our Intinerary for Switzerland - your thoughts

I'd suggest you stay around Montreux or Vevey rather than taking the time to visi Geneva. There are vineyards at the east end of the lake, at Aigle. You can visit a castle turned into wine museum there. www.museeduvin.ch There are also vineyards covering the slopes above the lake, around Vevey. You can take a train up to Chexbres and walk down through the vineyards. Here is a link to a discussion on Tripadvisor about Aigle, Vevey, and the vineyards: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g188108-i1375-k3306832-Aigle_area-Montreux_Vaud.html Scroll down to # 6 and #8 by Hambagahle, who lives there. I would vote for the Montreux/Vevey/Aigle area (without Geneva) over Zermatt. You already have quite a bit of "mountain time" in your itinerary, with some of the most gorgeous scenery in Switzerland. The Matterhorn is also a beautiful mountain, but a very shy one. You can't count on seeing it on any particular day. (We spent 4 days/3 nights in Zermatt, with an apartment with a direct view to the mountain, and lots of hiking to great viewpoints, and we only saw the whole mountain on the afternoon of the third day. The rest of the time the mountain was partially obsscured by clouds.) I forget the dates of your trip but be aware of a jazz festival that takes place in Montreux each July. If that coincides with your trip, you'll want to either include or avoid Montreux, depending on your interests.

I agree with Lola about Vevey/Montreux over Geneva. The train to Chexbres is a short ride from Vevey. Once you get to Chexbres you can walk back to Vevey or to a town like Chardonne. Either walk will take you through the vineyards. I did the Chexbrex-Vevey walk this past summer and it took me about 2 hours...I'm an older guy, had a sandwich, sat and enjoyed the views. . If you walked back to Chardonne, from Chexbres you could take the funi up to the top, eat lunch, then go up Mt. Pelerin for some stunning panoramic views, then ride the funi back down to Vevey. I highly recommend finishing the day with a refreshment along the lake...coffee or ice cream are my preference, relax on a bench in Vevey and enjoy the scenery and people. Lausanne can be reached by the lake boats or a train. To me the highlights there are the Olympic museum and the Cathedral high atop the city.....but if you are pressed for time, I would skip Lausanne.

Sally, IF you have the time to do both Montreux and Zermatt, great, BUT if you are pressed for time and will have already been in the Jungfrau region (the most spectacular Alpine region in Swizterland), than you could PROB skip Zermatt. I did go to Zermatt (my trip included Zurich, Lucerne, Jungfaru region; stayed in Griendelwald; Zermatt and Montreux), but only b/c I had the time and, as a skier, it's def 1 of the ski "mecca" destinations in the world! So I did get in 2 days of skiing, taking in the Matterhorn views from the slopes, etc. After your Alpine experience in the Jungfrau region, Montreux is a pleasent contrast. Has a mediterranean feel, beautiful waterfront area, Castle of Chillon is memorable, etc. IF you do end up in Zermatt, a very good, reasonable hotel option is Hotel Romantica Zermatt (link: http://www.reconline.ch/romantica/)- not "luxurious," but very clean and comfortable, rustic atmosphere, etc., as opposed to some of the true luxury hotels in Zermatt which would run you MANY hundreds of $$ per night. Note that Zermatt is car-free, so you leave your car in the town of...(Tosh, if I recall the name) and then take train into Zermatt. Just prepare for sticker shock; Zermatt IS expensive. It has an upscale reputation and that is DEF reflected in the prices of food, drinks, chocolate and the like, etc. Enjoy your trip. Switzerland truly is one of the great destinations in Europe and you are sure to love it.

http://www.zermatt.ch/en/page.cfm/zermatt_matterhorn/arrival/car I remember this site was helpful for info on planning my time in Zermatt. And, in case you go, the place where you leave your car is "Tasch" (my spelling was off!). The "arriving" tab on the site explains it all. I do recall that it was an easy process and, once in Zermatt, it was a pleasure not to have a car. Other than some horse-drawn carriages and golf-cart-like vehicles taking passengers from the train to their hotels, the village is full of strolling pedestrians. Makes for a fun, friendly atmosphere, albeit, an upscale/luxurious one, too.

We had 4 nights in Geneve last year and spent most of that time further around the lake and in Lausanne. That's a cool place but we weren't impressed in Geneve except that the airport had a good train station and a good supermarket. Montreux is ok, better is the train ride straight up the cliff after you leave. We were underwhelmed both by Zermatt (too ostentatious by half) and the Matterhorn - never saw it and not through lack of trying. Saw the clouds and fog around it though.