Rochers-de-Naye, Chillon castle or anything else?

We'll be arriving in Montreux from Lauterbrunnen mid-afternoon on a Tuesday in late August and we leave on Thursday morning. My initial plan for the Tuesday was to visit Chateau Chillon, take a Boat Cruise, and perhaps walk the promenade along the waterfront. On Wednesday we would use our Swiss Travel Passes to visit the Cheese Factory and other sites in Gruyeres, and then continue on to Broc Fabrique for the Chocolate tour.

But now that I'm considering whether we should visit Rochers-de-Naye, butI know that there just isn't enough time to do it all. Any suggestions on what we should definitely do?

So much to do, so much to see, I know what you mean! If it's a sunny day I would definitely prefer a trip up in the mountains (Rochers-de-Naye) over anything indoors. Boat trips are still very enjoyable when it's cloudy too, but not in pouring rain. I would let the weather decide. Apart from that it's a matter of personal preferences.

Thank you Arno, I am still uncertain. We will have already visited St Moritz, Zermatt, and the Berner Oberland region. So we will have seen quite a few mountainous areas. The Montreux area offers different types of sites: the lake, the castle, and the cheese & chocolate tours for example.

Is Rochers-de-Naye unique enough (from the other places we will have been) that we should still make the time to go there if the weather is good?

Hi Canadarocks,

I see your point. I guess you'd better decide once you're there. Only then you'd know which peaks you've been able to visit in the other regions, whether you'd like another one, and what the weather is.

Chillon caste is a remarkable place if you're interested in history, and can be combined with a pleasant and easy walk along Lake Geneva. The castle will take you at least an hour for a very brief visit, but one can also spend half a day there.

https://www.myswissalps.com/chilloncastle

The cheese and chocolate factories are very interesting as well, especially if you've never seen such facilities before. And the train ride from Montreux via Montbovon to the Gruyères area is very scenic. It's via a section of the Golden Pass line; I'm not sure if that's how you'll travel to Montreux as well.

I happened to visit Rochers-de-Naye this morning and I can tell you both the ride and the view up there is wonderful. I attached a few images. There won't be snow in August by the way. The current amount of snow is quite exceptional for late April.

I did not even mention the scenic walks across the vineyards in the nearby Lavaux region. You may have to come back to Switzerland some other time :-)

Wow, those are spectacular pictures! Arno your advice is very smart. We will wait until we get to Montreux to decide. It is our last stop in Switzerland and if the weather does not cooperate at our other cities, we might be in need of some beautiful mountain views for sure!

I have no doubt that I will want to return to Switzerland. We have traveled quite extensively and my favourite places so far have been Alaska and Norway. So it is obvious where my heart belongs!

Hi Arno

those photos are beautiful. As you know we visit Switzerland in the summer so our photos from Rochers-de-Naye are nothing like those you took!

Maggie

Maggie, is there any way you could post your summer photos so that I could see them to compare?

Thank you!!

Hi Arno-

Number 3 has a really nice contrast from the snow. Makes a striking picture. The others are great for showing the character of the region.

I was about to mention the vineyards...you saved me the work.

;-)

Slowpoke

Hi all,

Each season has it's advantages and disadvantages. In summer, one can see the marmots on Rochers-de-Naye, visit the Alpine garden and choose from several hikes. In spring, it's obviously much colder and the options depends on when you're going and the weather of the season. This spring it is all wintry up there, which results in magnificent contrasts, crisp clear skies and not much liveliness: only one of the two restaurants was open in the morning and we had the place for ourselves.

Arno. I think I have figured out a way to make it all work. We are going to use the Express Baggage service from Lauterbrunnen to Montreux. Instead of going directly to Montreux, we'll stop over at Broc-Fabrique and visit the Chocolate Factory. And then we'll continue on to Gruyeres and have a nice visit there with the Cheese Factory, the castle, etc. We can have a relaxing day, as we won't have suitcases to worry about.

Our luggage will be at the Montreux station to pick up any time after 18:00. We'll plan it that we arrive then, take our luggage, and walk to our hotel.

The next day (if the weather is clear), we will head to Rochers-de-Naye in the morning and then have the late afternoon and evening to visit Chateau Chillon, and do a lake cruise.

Does this sound like a good plan?

Hi Canadarocks,

As requested, some photos from our visit which was in July 2012. It was a bit hazy so the pictures are not as clear as I would like! Number 6 shows the train on its way up and number 7 one of the marmots Arno mentioned. While I was being entertained by marmots and taking their photos my husband and daughter explored the alpine Garden.

Maggie

Thank you so much Maggie! Your pictures are lovely. Here's hoping we get a chance to visit as well.

Sounds perfect, great plan! One more tip to save you some time: on the way down from Rochers-de-Naye, you can get off the train in Glion instead of going all the way back to Montreux. There is a funicular from Glion down to Territet on the lake. It departs every 15 minutes or so. From Territet, you can walk along the lake to Chillon Castle. It's an easy stroll; should be no more than 20 minutes. You can see it on the map here. The green lines are hiking/walking trails. The straight black/white line from Glion to Territet is the funicular.

The boats stop at the castle as well, so you might be able to catch a boat from there if their timetable fits your schedule. If not, there are buses and trains from the castle back to Montreux.

Thanks again Arno for your great advice!!