Recommended day trips from Montreux
Laurel is planning a three-day trip to Montreux in July with her 10-year-old daughter. They want to visit the castle and explore nearby spots while considering day trips to Gruyeres and Roches-de-Naye, but are unsure if they should swap Roches-de-Naye for Evian, Bern, or Thun. They’re seeking tips on the best day trips.
- Visiting Gruyeres and its nearby vineyards is a great option for one day.
- A boat trip on Lake Geneva is a nice, relaxing experience, particularly if you stop at Yvoire or Evian.
- The Swiss Travel Pass can help cover transportation costs for some of the boat rides and train trips.
- Plan at least two hours to visit Chillon Castle, which is a must-see in the Montreux area.
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Get daily forum questions & answers by e-mailHello,
I will be in Montreux in July for three days with my 10 year old daughter. When we arrive we will visit the castle and spots around town. I am trying to figure out the best days trips to take for the remaining days there. One day we were planning to visit Gruyeres by train. Another day, Roches-de-Naye. Then we head to Zermatt. My question, are these the best day trips considering that we will be spending a lot of time at Zermatt, Wengen, and Lucerne (visiting the mountains). Instead of Roches-de-Naye, should we consider visiting Evian, Bern, or Thun instead?
Thank you!
Laurel
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Hello Laurelmere,
Bern is a beautiful city, and the bear park might be nice for your daughter. But it’s another train ride.
Thun has a castle and a small old town, apart from that it is the largest army base of Switzerland… and a train ride longer than to Bern.
So, yes, why don’t you go to Evian? Boat rides are very relaxing, and you could make a stop at Lausanne/Ouchy, maybe visit the Olympic Museum (not the most interesting museum of Switzerland, really…). Alternatively, visit Geneva.
Get daily forum questions & answers by e-mailHello Laurel,
As you see, all options are do-able and the choice yours. Find helpful links below to support your decision:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/mo ntreux/activities
– http://www.myswissalps.com/la kegeneva
– http://www.myswissalps.com/ge neva
– http://www.myswissalps.com/be rn
– http://www.myswissalps.com/th unAlso check the following links for the other destinations you mention:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt
– http://www.myswissalps.com/we ngen
– http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerneFor detailed travelling times use the timetable below, a fabulous tool for planning:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metableHappy journey.
Best,
Steph
Get daily forum questions & answers by e-mailHello Laurel,
If you are going to be in Montreux for three days, then you can do a trip to Gruyères (and also nearby Broc) on one day, you can go up to les Rochers-de-Naye and then visit some of the vinyards in the area on the second day, and then take a lake boat on the Léman over to the French shore on your third day ! Snowman has mentioned Évian, and I would also add Yvoire, a little to the west (about 20 kilometres) and also on the French shore. Viewing the Swiss shore (especially the part between Lausanne and Montreux) from a lake boat is a very lovely experience.
If the weather is not favourable I would not do the boat trip over to France or the ride up to le Rochers-de-Naye. In such case, I think Berne would still have interesting things to offer, as would Lausanne and Geneva. Here is the Roundshot camera on les Rochers-de-Naye. mob.roundshot.com/roch ersdenaye/
Hmmm, I may have mis-read “three days” if the three includes the day you arrive. I don’t know when you will arrive so I can’t know if you could fit in the Rochers-de-Naye on that first day. If you do have time and the weather is great, I would say go for it ! Here is some drone footage of the Rochers-de-Naye: youtu.be/N_hsG7OuCxk
Get daily forum questions & answers by e-mailThank you Snowman!
This is great input! On Day 1, I am going to be in Versoix and will head to Montreux. Does it make sense to make a stop on the way to Lausanne?
Thanks!
Laurel
Get daily forum questions & answers by e-mailThank you Peter!
Great suggestions!
Do people rent boats out for the day? We are headed to Maggiore after Zermatt. Better to get on the lake Léman or Maggiore in your opinion?
I am in Versoix for half a day and then head to Montreux by train. Perhaps I should stop somewhere on the way. Then I have 2 full days in Montreux before heading to Zermatt. One day we are definitely going to Gruyeres. Do you need a full day for Roches-de-Naye?
Thank you again!
Laurel
Get daily forum questions & answers by e-mailHello,
Regarding your query about Les Rochers-de-Naye, I recommend that you download the following 36 page brochure, which has schedules for all of the MOB operations, these valid until the end of 2019: http://www.goldenpass.ch/asse ts/media/cms/images/gl obal/Horaire/web_MOB_b roch_horaires_2019_cor r.pdf You will find the schedules for Montreux to les Rochers-de-Naye and the return trip on pages 19 to 21. As a rule, the train leaves Montreux once an hour at 17 minutes after the hour (so 8:17 AM, 9:17 AM, etc,) and arrives at the top 49 minutes later, so at 9:06 and 10:06 for the two departures I have mentioned. Trains leave from the top at 11 minutes after the hour, and the trip down takes about 55 minutes. You are undoubtedly going to spend at least an hour up there, so you can count on the entire trip taking you just under three hours. If you linger longer up there, then you are looking at four hours.
I have never rented a boat on Lac Léman or Lago Maggiore. To search for rentals on Lac Léman, I suggest you do a Google search using the words “Location bateaux Montreux”
Get daily forum questions & answers by e-mailHi Laurel
You could travel from Versoix to Lausanne by boat. By boat, I mean passenger steamers, they are beautiful (http://www.myswissalps.com/bo atlakegeneva). You could step out at Yvoire or Evian. There is also a service from Lausanne to Montreux.
In Lausanne you could visit the Olympic Museum or the old town with the Cathedral.
Get daily forum questions & answers by e-mailExcellent suggestions! Thank you so much!
I am going to take the steamer from Versoix to some points along the lake and make our way to Montreux. Love this idea! I am guessing at least part of the cost may be covered by the Swiss Rail Pass?
How much time would you allot to visit the Castle Chillon? Perhaps we could fit that in same day.
Many thanks!
Laurel
Get daily forum questions & answers by e-mailI’m glad that you seem to have discarded the idea of << renting a boat for the day >>. I believe that renting a small boat or a pedalo is an activity more suited to somebody who has the time to indulge in “slow travel”, for instance staying in the Montreux area for two or more weeks.
Get daily forum questions & answers by e-mailHi Laurel,
I think that two hours is a minimum to visit Chillon Castle.
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