Last updated on December 25th, 2021 at 03:52 am
Switzerland is a paradise for nature-lovers. And in case you love history and music as well, then that’s the answer to why Montreux should be in your Switzerland itinerary. There are several interesting things to do in Montreux and w
Located at the foot of the Alps and on the shoreline of Lake Geneva, Montreux is insanely picturesque and has so much to offer. The added advantage is that the weather here is mild throughout the year.
We visited Montreux in April for 3 days and here is my take on the Top 10 Things you should venture out if in Montreux.
A) BEST THINGS TO DO IN MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND
1) Take a walk along the shoreline of Lake Geneva and visit Montreux Promenade
Montreux is right on the shores of Lake Geneva and the lake here is outlined by a long stretch of flower bed. With the Swiss Alps in the background, this vividly colorful stretch accentuates the beautiful lake. There are benches in between throughout the stretch. You can sit there amongst the tulips and spend a good time.
As you walk down the walkway, you will arrive at Montreux Promenade. It is the hub of Montreux and has several restaurants, boutique shops, ice cream parlors, immaculate gardens studded with artsy murals as well as Montreux Information Center.
It also has the statue of Freddie Mercury in that iconic pose!! Taking a selfie with him is a must-do 😊 There’s a fountain just behind Freddie’s statue – you can walk into it, get drenched, and dance as if no one’s watching 😊.
There are impromptu performances by street artists that you can appreciate while enjoying gelato at one of the gelato shops.
The Promenade is a bustling place – Grab a glass of beer in one of the lake sidebars and admire the beauty of the lake. It is stunning!
2) Visit Queen Studio – one of the key things to do in Montreux!
And who doesn’t love Queen!! Queen Studio Experience is an amazing experience that should not be missed if in Montreux and if you love music. This is the studio where Queen recorded seven of their albums including their last song. It holds artifacts of the band including songs in Freddie’s handwriting.
There’s also a recording studio that allows you to experiment with two of their songs and play around on the mixing part. According to my musically-inclined son, this is a holy place for music lovers 😊 We were staying in an Airbnb just next to Montreux Casino. Queen Studio is located inside the casino. So apparently, we ended up visiting the studio both the days of our stay in Montreux.
3) Visit Montreux Casino
We all came out to Montreux
On the Lake Geneva shoreline
To make records with a mobile
We didn’t have much time
— Deep Purple
Legendary English rock band “Deep Purple”’s “Smoke on the Water” song was composed with Montreux Casino in mind! Isn’t that exciting? The place caught fire on the eve of a concert that destroyed the complex as well as all recording studio equipments. The Casino was re-built in the 70s.
Montreux is famous for Montreux Jazz Festival and it was first held in Montreux Casino. Interested in Montreux Jazz Festival? Head on to their website for further details.
4) Visit Chaplin’s World, Vevey
Chaplin’s World is in Vevey, another picturesque district next to Montreux. Very few people know that Charlie Chaplin spent the last 25 years of his life in this Swiss village. The residence of the cine genius has now been converted to a museum and provides an enriching insight into his professional and personal life.
The tour starts with a film about Chaplin (screening every 15 minutes) and continues with a spectacular exhibition of Chaplin’s life. You can also spend some time in Chaplin’s beloved park, a ten-acre estate filled with 100-year-old trees.
As you explore the mansion, the life and work of Chaplin are well explained through memorabilia, themed halls with life-size statues. It ends with a series of halls where scenes from his most notable films have been replicated. It is amazing!
Visit their website for tickets and further information. Bus Line 212 will take you to the Chaplin World stop from Montreux
5) Board the panoramic Golden Pass Line and soak in the beauty of Switzerland
Somebody aptly mentioned – “Get down at any place in Switzerland and take a picture. It will be as perfect as a picture postcard”. True to this statement, the ride on Golden Pass Line offers a stunning visual experience.
The train ride is divided into three parts:
Montreux – Zweisimmen
Zweisimmen – Interlaken Ost
Interlaken Ost – Lucerne
The entire ride on GoldenPass MOB Panoramic train complemented by big panoramic windows is visually scenic with lush green meadows, cows with bells, pretty wooden houses, and Alpine peaks. You get to experience Switzerland’s rustic beauty!
6) Take the Chocolate train for a “chocolatey” journey
Have a sweet tooth? Then The Chocolate Train is right for you. The Chocolate train runs between Montreux and the Cailler-Nestlé chocolate factory at Broc. A ride on Chocolate train is a day trip itself, the first stop of the train being the medieval town of Gruyères, famous for its strong-smelling cheese of the same name.
Go for a guided tour at La Maison du Gruyère for the cheese-making process. After that (post a small break for a mini-exploration of Gruyère ),get back to the Chocolate Train for heading over to Cailler-Nestlé chocolate factory. Smell and taste chocolate as part of the guided tour here and also make your own chocolate. Ensure to taste your creation as you return to Montreux.
Chocolate Train is covered in Swiss Travel Pass. You will need to pay the fees for reserving a seat.
Also read : Experience Matterhorn from Gornergrat
7) Take the Boat Tour on Lake Geneva
A one-hour boat ride will take you to the French side of Lake Geneva from the Swiss side of the lake. Yes! That’s an interesting thing to note – The boat ride starts from the station next to Montreux Promenade. It stops at multiple points including Chillon Castle. The tickets for the boat tour are available at the Boat house in Montreux Promenade area.
8) Visit Chillon Castle
Chateau de Chillon (or Chillon Castle) is a medieval castle located on the shores of Lake Geneva. It offers individual and group tours and is one of the major attractions of Montreux. This Castle was built to control the route between Burgundy and the Great Saint Bernard Pass. It also served as a holiday home to the Counts of Savoy in the 12th century. Chillon Castle is considered as one of the most nicely-preserved medieval castles in Europe.
It is recommended to book the online tickets in advance as it might get crowded. There’s a pretty souvenir shop outside the castle. We bought some of our Swiss souvenirs from there.
9) Visit the Fork of Vevey
Vevey is just a few minutes bus-ride from Montreux. Along with the picturesque landscape and is the proud host of Chaplin’s Museum, Vevey is also the Headquarters of Nestle.
The Fork Of Vevey is a mammoth 8-meter long stainless steel Fork protruding from Lake Geneva and is part of Nestle Foundation’s Alimentarium, a food museum.
The fork is a great photo opportunity while in Vevey.
Fun Fact: According to Wikipedia, since 2014 Fork of Vevey is a Guinness World Record holder as the world’s tallest fork.
10) Visit Glacier 3000
Glacier 3000 offers a panoramic cable car ride that takes you to a view point, dog sled ride, glacier tour with the Snow Bus, Alpine Coaster (the world’s highest bobsleigh track), hiking trails and fixed rope route in summer.
We boarded the Golden Pass Line from Montreux station and got down at Gstaad. From there, we took a bus to Glacier 3000.
Glacier 3000 is a must-visit if you have a love for adventure.
Pro-Tip: Before venturing out for Glacier 3000, you can check the weather there on the webcam. If the weather is not great, the activities might not operate that day.
B) HOW TO REACH MONTREUX
We visited Montreux from Geneva. It is a 30 minutes train ride from Geneva station. Montreux is well-connected to other parts of Switzerland and is easily accessible via train routes.
For traveling in and around Montreux and Switzerland in general, I am totally in support of getting Swiss Travel Pass. It makes transportation so much hassle-free. Apart from public transport, a number of mountain excursions, museum entries are also included in the Swiss Travel Pass.
You can explore the Swiss Travel Pass website for detailed information on the options offered.
C) WHERE TO STAY IN MONTREUX
There are many hotels (from budget to luxury) in Montreux and you can choose as per your requirement. Booking.com provides some great options.
We are big fans of AirBnB and preferred to stay at one in Montreux. This turned out to be one of our best accommodations. It is just a 5 min walk from Montreux Railway Station and is located at the 21st floor of a building. It is the tallest building in Montreux and is easily recognizable in photos if you Google Montreux.
The apartment offered some of the best views of Lake Geneva and the mountains behind.
D) WHERE TO EAT IN MONTREUX
One of the best things to do in Montreux is to experience the delectable Swiss food.
Montreux has some great eateries starting from budget to expensive ones. The Promenade area has a number of restaurants and bars offering Swiss specialties and global cuisine.
There are street vendors next to the Lake – we grabbed some delicious crepes while waiting for our boat ride to Chillon Castle.
Since we were staying in an AirBnB, we cooked at our accommodation twice. There are superstores present nearby with all the necessities.
E) FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – THINGS TO DO IN MONTREUX
Christmas in Montreux is quite a show! Explore the pretty Christmas Market along the shoreline of Lake Geneva and watch the famous flying Santa over the lake.
Montreux has a lot to experience including some day trips. A minimum of 2 days is required to explore this place to its full potential, if not more.
Yes. Montreux, Switzerland is absolutely safe.
Montreux is a posh Swiss town. It is not as expensive as compared to some of the Swiss resorts and there’s a blend of both budget-friendly activities, food and accommodation and expensive ones. It depends on how much you are OK to spend.
Montreux is picturesque to the core and there are several free things to do :
a) Walk down the Lake Geneva Shoreline and explore the Promenade
b) Visit Freddie Mercury’s Statue installed in Montreux Promenade
c) Explore ‘Queen Studio’ to get a glimpse of legendary band Queen’s work, memorabilia and also try out your hand in mixing music. And all these for free!
F) CLOSING THOUGHTS ON THINGS TO DO IN MONTREUX
Montreux has so many interesting things packed in together that we never thought it will be such a memorable experience. It is a must-include in your Swiss Itinerary.
Awesome places to visit!
I had no idea about Queen or Charlie Chaplin. Those are two awesome reasons to visit Montreux. Of course, the chocolate train is a really good reason too.
Switzerland has just been declared #1 country in the world. Mintreayx us fascinating with that Girl, glacier rude, and the scenic train ride!
Nice informative post. I have fond memories of visiting Montreux and Chillon castle, however I haven’t visited a lot of places you have mentioned.
omg- Chaplin’s world looks like so much fun! I’ve never heard of Montreux before so thank you for sharing
It’s a great itinerary! For sure, Switzerland is a paradise for nature-lovers. And as a nature lover, it’s on my bucket list. I was short only in Zurich, but now I am planning a more extended road trip. So, I add to my list Montreux, which is insanely picturesque. Furthermore, I am a huge fan of Freddie Mercury and Queen, so I want to visit Queen Studio.
Missed Switzerland on my only visit to Europe. Went to Italy, France, and London. Planning another trip, this time to Switzerland and Germany. Will include Montreux. The lakeside city looks awesome.
There’s soooo much music history there in Montreux! The jazz festival sounds fun. And that statue of Freddy Mercury is epic!