jellybellymelly

Hi, there are two of us in our late 20s and we will be ending our trip to Paris, Lyon, Annecy, Chamonix, at Geneva in June. We will be staying a night at Lake Geneva Hotel at Versoix. On the day we depart (Tuesday), our flight is at 8.30pm. We intend to ride the hotel shuttle to the airport at around 6.15pm. That leaves us a good whole 10 hours on that day, assuming we leave at 8am.

Not sure if the transport card given by the hotel will cover transport beyond Geneva. We intend to do a day trip to Lausanne first - take the train to Coppet, and then change line to Lausanne (?). Sightsee for a bit and take the train to Montreux.

At Montreux, we will probably give Rochers de Naye a miss - would suppose it's similar to Chamonix but please let us know if not, and it seems time-consuming. We intend to visit the Queen Studio, walk the old town for a bit, and end with the Chateau de Chillon.

On the way back, in order not to take the train all the way from Montreux to Geneva, should we take the train to Vevey (and sightsee for a bit if there's time), and take to Coppet, and then to Versoix?

Is the above feasible in 10 hours? We could drop Lausanne and Vevey if not feasible. We decided on Montreux given the sights that we will already have seen on our trip, but if there are any other better day trip options, please feel free to suggest as well.

Please also let us know if there are cheaper transport options - not sure how much the train tickets would cost.

Many thanks.

neckervd

Everything is feasible.
Boats to Lausanne - Montreux leave Versoix at 10.47 and arrive back at 17.10 and 21.25.
Trains leave 7.15, 745 and then every 30 min. Change at Coppet and Lausanne.

Rochers de Naye are not similar to Chamonix (Brévent, etc.). From the top, you will see almost the whole lake, Dents du Midi, some other peaks, the Jura and Montreux, just around 1500 metres below.

According to your interests, you could also include Le Bouveret (Swiss Vapeur Park and Acqua Park), the Lavaux vineyards or ce city of Lausanne into your intinerary. There are tons of other possibilities for sure......

PalenQ

Lausanne's a nice modern city with few things to do for a tourist IMO - unless you like the Olympics then can visit the IOC HQ and museum.

I'd take train to Lausanne - see the upper town then take funicular down to Ouchy on the lake and take boat to Vevey - more interesting IMO than Montreux and go to Montreux by train. For lots on trains check www.sbb.ch - www.seat61.com and BETS-European Rail Experts.

swandav2000

Hi jellybellymelly,

Yes, most of Switzerland works very well without a car. To add to the schedule notes neckervd gave you, you can get the exact train (and boat) schedule using the Swiss rail site PalenQ gave you -- www.sbb.ch. You'll be able to see how easily you can get around, and you'll be able to see the fares.

How familiar are you with Montreux? Most people enjoy walking its lakeside promenade
(I do!), and few make it up to the old town. Montreux's old town sits above the lake, a bit of a hike uphill. There's not a lot there -- some shops, a few restaurants, the Montreux Museum, lovely old buildings. There is a lovely old church there with a terrace giving amazing views over the lake and town below. But Vevey's old town is, imo, far more inviting, with tangled streets and alleys sitting right at the lake's edge. However, a visit to Vevey's old town is complicated this summer because of a festival, see below --

I'd also like to remind you that your visit may be impacted by 2 huge festivals taking place in the area of Montreux-Vevey. The first is the Jazz Fest in Montreux, which starts on 28 June. But unless your visit is at that time, it likely won't have a huge impact on your visit. The second is the Fête des Vignerons in Vevey, which is held about every 20 years. Though it doesn't start until mid-July, they are building a huge stage surrounded by bleachers right in the central square -- that area may well be less pleasant to visit this summer. You can see all that they have planned here:

https://www.fetedesvignerons.ch/en/

Have fun as you plan!

s

jellybellymelly

Many thanks all, for the comments.

Seems like it will be quite packed if I were to include all of Lausanne, Montreux and Vevey. The website provided for train timings is very helpful; we will have to ditch the idea of going around by boat because the train saves lots of time.

Currently the plan goes:
- reach Lausanne at 9.30am, stroll around old town, Cathedral, and down to Le Port d'Ouchy. Budget 2 hours.
- Lausanne to Montreux by train, reach Montreux at around 11.40am. Will probably have to forgo the Rochers-de-Naye Railway as it takes up at least 3 hours. Visit the Queen Studio Experience, have lunch, and visit Chateau de Chillon. Budget 3.5 hours
- Montreux to Vevey by train, reach Vevey around 3.30pm. To depart latest at 5pm by train to reach Versoix at 6pm.

Will we have enough time at Vevey, and is an hour odd stop worth it? We will not be affected by the festival, so all's fine.

There seems to be lots of trains and funiculars between Lausanne and Vevey that bring you through the vineyards, but can't seem to figure those out and how they could fit in.

jellybellymelly

Sorry, forgot to add that we are not familiar with these places at all, in response to one of the queries - it is our first time in Switzerland.

swandav2000

Hi again,

Well, I love Vevey, and I would enjoy even as little as an hour running around the tangled streets of its old town.

To enjoy the vineyards of the Lavaux, you just take a train to one of the villages and walk out to the vineyards. Many of the walks take several hours, though, so you may not have time to do that. If you just want to see a vineyard town that is super pretty and see some of the vineyards, you could just take the train to Lutry and stroll around. However, just doing that will take about 2h. You could also take the train to Chexbres and then walk down to Rivaz, and that is a short walk of about 40 minutes -- take a look at Google maps. But again, that will take aboit 2h unless you race through it.

I would suggest that you prioritize your planned stops and let something go. I personally prefer to be in nature and smaller towns, so I would focus on Montreux, Vevey, and the Lavaux.

Have fun!

s

jellybellymelly

Hi swandav, yes, nature and small towns for us as well. I am rather persuaded and will drop Lausanne, and focus on Vevey and Montreux.

If I may, what is the difference between the Lauvaux Express - Cully loop (Cully is the only one that runs on a Tuesday), and the train des vignes? Understand that the former is a tourist loop that takes 1h15mins, and the latter is a local train that goes from Vevey to Chebrex/Puidoux and takes less than 15 minutes. In terms of scenery / to take in the famed Lavaux region and you had to pick one for a first-timer, which one would you recommend?

If the recommendation is Cully, the Cully train departs at 1.30 and 3pm. Suppose it would make sense to do Versoix --> Montreux --> Vevey --> Cully --> Versoix? All by train. We would then do approximately 4 hours at Montreux and 3 hours at Vevey/Cully (catch the 3pm train).

Many thanks!

neckervd

The trains Lausanne - Puidoux and Puidoux - Vevey give you the best view over the Lavaux vineyards and the lake.

swandav2000

Hi again,

So sorry I missed your latest question --

But I think you have answered your own question! The so-called Wine Train only delivers you to the vineyards (Chexbres), so you are on the edge. From Chexbres, you can walk down to Rivaz through the vineyards, as I mentioned above.

The Lavaux Express will take you through the vineyards on the tiny paths.

I haven't yet done either the Lavaux Express or the Lavaux Panoramic, as I tend to want to walk or bike through the vineyards.

Have fun as you plan!

s