[Bless10s]

29 February 2020 at 12:52:43 #825373

I have done some research for my family of 4 or 5 and I love this website and forum. I will be traveling with my husband, 24 year old son and 21 year old daughter and possibly but probably unlikely my son’s fiancee.We will be in Switzerland late June/early July and will be spending 2 or 4 days between Lausanne, Vevey and Montreux. The number of days here will depend if we try and do a day trip to Zermatt from here or from our stay in Berner Oberland.

While in the Lake Geneva area we would like to spend part of a day or a day exploring the wine region, we would like to go to Chillon castle, lake tour (although depending on what we have done in Berner Oberland, Lucerne and Lugano maybe skip this one?), and maybe do something with chocolate. Possibly a day trip to Zermatt as I mentioned above.

So here are my current questions:

1.. Pros and cons for staying in Lausanne, Vevey and Montreux?

2. Are there any wine tours you recommend or wineries you would recommend?

3. What do you recommend for people that want to explore chocolate in Switzerland? is this the right area to do it from?

4. Is one town better for quality of food? Is one town better for price of food?

5. Which is a better base for Zermatt, Berner Oberland or Lake Geneva? Probably depends on where we stay in Berner Oberland. For the moment we are planning on staying at the The Cambrian in Adelboden because we can stay there for free. However, that may change as it seems quite remote for what we want to do

5. If we decide to pursue a new accommodation in Berner Oberland are there specific accommodation recommendations in Grindelwald or Wengen? We prefer hotels but we are open minded. During our stay in Berner Oberland we hope to do the following: Schilthorn, Jungfrau and possibly paragliding and maybe Zermatt. With a max stay of 4 nights maybe 3 if we do Zermatt from Lake Geneva area.

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[Anna]

Reply 1 of 8 • 29 February 2020 at 17:31:29 #930954

a trHi Bless10s,

1. Lausanne is the biggest of the three, so if you a like a city vibe you might prefer Lausanne. Montreux has a lovely promenade and I personally find it more touristy than Vevey, but the two are not that far apart. Only 7 minutes by train difference. Based on your interest in chocolates and wines, I think Montreux would be a good base. It is also possible to do a day trip to Zermatt from Montreux, a one-way train journey is a manageable 2 hours and 18 mins. More info below:

• Lausanne: http://www.myswissalps.com/lausanne
• Montreux: http://www.myswissalps.com/montreux
• Zermatt: http://www.myswissalps.com/zermatt

2. Have a look at this link for wine tour options: http://www.montreuxriviera.com/en/P762/lavaux-vinorama

3. One of the must-see and must-do things when you are in Montreux is a trip to the Chocolate Factory in Broc. You can either take the Chocolate Train or just take a regular train there. Most travellers also combine this with a trip to the lovely village of Gruyeres which is famous for its medieval castle and cheese factory. Have a look at this thread for some ideas: http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/autumn-in-montreux-september-2019

4. I’m sure you will have no problem finding quality food in Lausanne, Montreux or Vevey. In terms of price, I don’t think there is much difference between the three. But perhaps Lausanne, being the biggest, may offer more choices and variety.

5. Montreux to Zermatt by train will take you about 2 hours and 40 mins. Depending where you stay in Berner Oberland, it could take from 2 hours and 18 mins (if you stay in Interlaken) to about 3 hours (if you stay in Wengen or Grindelwald) to travel to Zermatt. You can use the SBB timetable to plan your journeys: http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable

If you plan to stay in the Jungfrau region, you can find a list of hotels and vacation homes here: http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrauregion/hotels and http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrauregion/rentals

Hope I’ve managed to address some of your concerns.

Regards,

Anna

[Bless10s]

Reply 2 of 8 • 29 February 2020 at 17:39:44 #930955

thank you so much!! Great tips for my research!!

I am doing all of this planning and my husband won’t let me buy airline tickets yet do to the Coronovirus. Ugh! But at least the hotel reservations and plan will be in place for when I get the okay.

Love this forum!!

thanks again,

[Anna]

Reply 3 of 8 • 29 February 2020 at 18:19:57 #930956

Hi again,

We appreciate that you find this website and forum helpful.

You can find the latest updates on the coronavirus situation in Switzerland specifically and Europe in general, here: http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/does-the-corona-virus-affect-trips-to-switzerland

We’re hoping everything will return to normal soon. In the meantime, it’s always good to plan ahead 🙂

Regards,

Anna

[EigerTyger]

Reply 4 of 8 • 1 March 2020 at 12:36:07 #930957

Last May we stayed in the lovely, quiet village of Cully just west of Vevey. We stayed in the Auberge du Raisin (Hotel/Restaurant). They only have a few rooms but what a room we had! It was huge and had two bathrooms! The price was reasonable for Switzerland. We really enjoyed the easy access to the vineyards above the village also.

[Bless10s]

Reply 5 of 8 • 1 March 2020 at 13:09:46 #930958

Thank you for the information. It looks great and the price is excellent for our time frame. How many nights did you stay and what did you do while you were there?

Did you have rental car? We plan on using the train system for most of our trip but I am wondering if we need a car for the vineyards?

Did you stay in other places in Switzerland that y0u would recommend?

I may be trying to find a new hotel in the Bernese Oberland area and in Lucerne.

[EigerTyger]

Reply 6 of 8 • 1 March 2020 at 18:14:14 #930959

We stayed 3 nights in Cully. We also traveled by train. The vineyards can be reached just by walking (uphill) from the village. There is probably bus service that would take you up to a nearby stop and you could walk down from there. We also took a round trip boat ride from Montreux to Saint – Gingolph. The boat goes ride by Chateau Chillon for some great views of the castle. We really enjoy the Montreux promenade. You can walk all the way to the castle if you wish and catch the bus back to Montreux. You can also catch a boat at Cully. Check out the beautiful webcam for Cully with great views of the lake.

We also took the train to Rolle and worked our way back to Cully with stops in Morges and Lausanne of Course. Rolle and Morges are pleasant villages with museums and castles along the water.

[EigerTyger]

Reply 7 of 8 • 1 March 2020 at 18:41:00 #930960

In the Bernese Oberland we always stay in Lauterbrunnen because we enjoy walking in the valley and there’s easy access to Murren, Wengen, etc. Wengen is also a lovely village to stay in if you don’t mind the extra (very scenic) train ride to reach it. We’ve stayed in several hotels in Lauterbrunnen but recently settled on the Staubbach Hotel (Near Staubbach Falls). The hotel has a bit of age and character but the staff is so helpful. Each morning at breakfast someone comes around and asks what your plans are and gives advice if needed.

[Peterli]

Reply 8 of 8 • 2 March 2020 at 7:06:53 #930961

Hi (again),

<< We plan on using the train system for most of our trip but I am wondering if we need a car for the vineyards? >> There is most definitely no need to rent a car to see the vinyards. If you are going to have a Swiss Travel Pass, you will find that the train and bus system will get you to pretty well anywhere you might want to get, and then you can walk in the vinyards.
http://www.myswissalps.com/carversustrain