Introduction

This small town on Lake Geneva is the pearl of the Swiss Riviera. Welcoming visitors from throughout the whole world has become a way of life for this charming place, which is home to just over 20,000 inhabitants. In summer the town’s pulse quickens as a diverse and vibrant public from all over the world gets into the spirit of the famous jazz festival. In Montreux every season is wonderful. In the background the Alps form a magnificent panorama as well as being an all-year-round sports paradise. The colourful, palm-lined lake promenade offers up countless treasures as you make your way along it: small coves suitable for bathing that are ideal for celebrations of every kind and where crowds of students and families gather on warm summer evenings, panoramic terraces and international restaurants, a conference centre whose cultural agenda could not be more international, and for history lovers an imposing 13th-century castle accessible by foot from the lakeside promenade. Major cities are also within easy reach – Lausanne and Geneva are just 20 minutes and an hour away respectively from Montreux.

Information

The two resorts of Vevey and Montreux work closely together. Vevey has a cosy historical downtown feel, a shopping mall and many nice cafés, which offer the traveller a warm feeling. Montreux, 5 km from Vevey, is more touristically oriented and prices tend to be higher. You can easily move between Vevey and Montreux either by bus (15 min.) or by train (5 min.). Both train stations have lockers, rest rooms, bike rentals, a bank and small shops.

The post offices are both near the train stations. The Tourist Information offices have all the major information you’ll need:
in Vevey, Grande-Place 29 (0848 86 84 84), and in Montreux, Place du Débarcadère (0848 86 84 84).

Internet café:
in Montreux Cyberworld at rue de Torrent 4-6;
in Vevey internet station open to everybody at Riviera Lodge, Place du marché 5.

Getting Around

Geneva Int’l Airport is 90km/56mls and 80 minutes from Montreux by train. This large and busy train station is set on a terrace above and slightly west of the town centre. CFF mainline trains run west along the lake and south into the Valais plus two trains an hour operate round the lake Dozens of train’s stop here everyday heading in both directions. One of the most famous is the Twin Panoranique, a train with large windowed cars and transparent roofs. Linking Montreux with Interlaken it offers excellent connections to Luzurn. Only regular rail cars operate on this route however the scenery is just as spectacular. Inside Montreux station, stairs and elevators will take you up the slopes to the Old Town above. Or you can walk past the ticket office and outside onto the Ave des Alpes where stairs and an elevator will take you down to the main boulevard Grand Rue and the lakefront promenade. The MOB, Montreux-Oberland-Bernois operate two narrow gauge rail lines up into the hills offering spectacular viewpoints, excellent hill walking, and panoramic rides through the countryside towards the high Alps of the Bernese Oberland. Montreux also lies on the famous Orient-Express line linking Paris with Milan, and is also connected in the link with Geneva and the Simplon Tunnel Montreux lies in the middle of a network of super highways linking Germany, France and Italy with Switzerland.

Eating and Drinking

There are plenty of places to eat out in Montreux, restaurants, cafes who offer local cuisine as well as other international dishes. But if you want to eat where the locals eat, between Noon and 2pm you can find the work force buying lunch and snacks in the local supermarkets. Most supermarkets these days have excellent self-service restaurants offering a wide choice of hot meals, drinks and snacks that you can either eat-in or carry out. Migros is a supermarket chain, these shops are located around town and are open Monday to Wednesday until 6:30pm, Thursday and Friday until 7:45pm and Saturday until 5pm. This way you can grab a filling lunch at a very reasonable price.

Durring the Jazz Festival, every day, from 12 p.m. till 4-5 a.m. there is something going on here. You have many free concerts during the day and night. Not only jazz, but all kinds of music. When the outside concerts are over, you can go to Jazz Caffe (free admission), and everything continues (live music, D.J.s).

Otherwise check out MayFair: Lively Pub a nice place for a chat, to listen live music or to taste some beers... or Black Pearl, Cosy and spacious place to have a drink or a dance. Various music styles as Club House, groove, R'n'B or Latino music. Also The White horse is a nice pub (Grand Rue 28) or Live music and DJs at NED (rue du Marché 19) or Opus café (rue du Marché 23), a cafe and restaurant.

Don't Miss

The Chocolate Train, which takes you to the Broc chocolate factory for a multilingual video presentation and chocolate tasting. There is an opportunity to buy chocolate bars at factory prices so don’t forget to visit the chocolate store to stock up on what tasted best. If you are there in July don’t miss the Montreux Jazz Festival, It's become an awesome 16-day event held at the foot of the Alps, on the banks of Lake Geneva. The Festival is spread across many parts of town and the quays are lined with local crafts, food and drinks stalls. The Congress Centre is the heart of the event and all music and food venues are within easy reach from either here or the train station. Also check out the Chillon castle surrounded by the white tops of the mountains and the soft waves of Lake Geneva, Chillon castle is a real beauty spot. It is built on a rocky island along the antique road to Italy.