Montreux

Exploring the Best of Montreux, Switzerland in Autumn

Nestled between the shores of Lake Geneva and the mountains of the Swiss Alps, Montreux, Switzerland is a quaint resort town known for its summer jazz festival, grand Belle Époque buildings, and of course, it’s strong attachment to Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the band Queen.

*This post contains affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on my site at no additional cost to you.

Montreux was our first stop on our adventure through Switzerland in the fall. Because there is a little bit of everything in Montreux, it set the stage for our long week of exploration. I guess you could call it an executive summary of Switzerland.

Above photo: Montreux, Switzerland

If you are considering a visit to Montreux, this article will walk you through the highlights of things to see, do, and eat — or at least what we considered to be highlights! With such a variety of year-round attractions, there is literally something for everyone.

A quick outline of this post is below. Feel free to click on these links to jump ahead to any specific section.

• Transportation
• Where to stay in Montreux
• Things to do in Montreux
• Where to eat in Montreux
• Additional notes and information

Transportation

We arrived in Montreux via train from Geneva Airport. The train ride duration was under an hour and followed the shoreline of the lake. We were able to see some really pretty lake views to the right of the train and steep-sloped vineyards out the windows to the left.

We found it very advantageous to have the Swiss Travel Pass for the length of our entire time in Switzerland. When we priced out the cost of the individual tickets (and also took the level of hassle into consideration), we came out slightly ahead with the Swiss Travel Pass. There was never a need to arrive at the station early to purchase tickets or figure out how to use a ticket kiosk. We just kept our passes and passports with us at all times. Easy peasy!

There isn’t a big difference between 1st and 2nd Class on most of the trains, with the exception of some of the scenic panoramic trains. Even then, the 2nd Class carriages are perfectly fine. Some of the local trains don’t even offer 1st Class seating. So, if you are debating which one to buy, my suggestion would be to go for the 2nd Class option and upgrade on the scenic trains if you’d like.

Another really nice benefit of the Swiss Travel Pass is that it can also be used on buses, boats, funiculars, and cable cars. In most cases, the pass will cover the entire fare. But, in a few cases, the pass will only provide a discount. A general rule of thumb to remember: If you are going to a place where people live (e.g., city to city) the fare will be completely included. If you are going to an uninhabited place (e.g., a remote mountain peak), you may still have to pay a few dollars.

My husband and I had a fun time trying to count all of the modes of transportation that we took while in Switzerland. I think we came up with 12: plane, train, cogwheel, bus, car, funicular, tram, gondola, cable car, paraglide, boat, and foot.

Where to stay in Montreux

This is where you can really have some leeway. Montreux is very well connected via public transportation so there is no need to confine yourself to any specific area, except maybe proximity to the train station if you will be taking day trips. You could even stay in neighboring Vevey or Villeneuve and take the bus or ferry to Montreux. Because the entire area is a lakeside resort, there are many great accommodations along the entire lakeshore from which to choose.

Montreaux also happens to be a global training center for the spa and hospitality industry. You may notice several hospitality schools and special vocational training conferences here that cater to students and business managers.

We selected the Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic, a Marriott Autograph Collection property located directly across the street from the train station with rooms overlooking Lake Geneva. The hotel is a converted historic Belle Époque building dating back to 1870. When I saw photos of the lobby, rooms, and LE 45 breakfast patio, I didn’t need to look any further.

Above photos: Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic

Things to do in Montreux

Like I said earlier, this is a resort-area so there is a myriad of things to see and do in Montreux that will vary according to the season. For example, there is an International Jazz Festival held annually in July, the Montreux Comedy Festival in November, and the Christmas Market in December.

We were in Montreux during early October. The weather was gorgeous! The temperatures had cooled, but it was still warm enough to walk around without a heavy jacket. Our stay didn’t coincide with any special events, so we just focused on Montreux’s star attractions and iconic landmarks.

Cog train to Rochers-de-Naye

Almost immediately after arriving in Montreux and dropping our luggage off at our hotel, we headed back to the train station to catch the cog train to Rochers-de-Naye. A cog train is a rack railway that follows a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail. It looks like a giant gear. The train ride itself was a really interesting experience. There are outstanding views the entire way up and back.

Above photos: Cog train to Rochers-de-Naye

Above photos: Dent de Jaman (left) and the Rochers-de-Naye cogwheel train (right)

Once at the top (at about 2,000 meters), we followed a short dirt walking path up to the peak where we were treated to unbelievable panoramic views of the Swiss and French Alps from the Eiger to Mont-Blanc and down to Lake Geneva. This was the best view, but there are several additional hiking trails with views leading to the Alpine Garden, a cliff restaurant, or a panorama walk that leads back down to the to the Haut-de-Caux train stop.

Tip: If your visit is in late-May, be sure to add the Narcissus Flower Trail, Les Pléiades, to your list of considerations. Montreux is known for its incredible narcissus fields that cover its rolling hills in the spring.

Above photos: Views at Rochers-de-Naye

After we were done with our hiking, we headed back to the train station restaurant and viewpoint to sip on drinks while we awaited our return trip back down to Montreux. Adjacent to the restaurant there is a marmot enclosure. We didn’t see any, but we had our eyes out all afternoon for one of these furry guys that are active throughout the area during the summer months.

Above photos: Restaurant and patio at Rochers-de-Naye

Old Town Montreux

The oldest part of Montreux, known as “Old Town”, is comparatively small to other European old town areas so it is easy to see in a short amount of time once you make it up the hill from the lakeshore. The neighborhood is very quiet with narrow cobblestone streets lined with historic houses, a handful of cafes, and many fountains fed by spring water.

Above photos: Old Town Montreux

Queen Studio Experience at Barriere

Montreux was the location of Queen’s recording studio from 1978 to 1995 where the band recorded seven of their albums. For diehard fans, the Queen Studio Experience is a dream-come-true. This permanent exhibition is open to the public (and free!) and features some of the coolest memorabilia from the band, such as hand-written lyrics, fan tributes, costumes, and some of the band members’ instruments.

Queen’s Mountain Studios closed in 2013, but it was completely preserved and converted into a museum-like exhibition which is now contained within the Casino Barrière de Montreux, steps off the promenade.

Above photos: Queen Studio Experience

Montreux Promenade

We came back to the promenade multiple times during our visit. Montreux’s lakeshore promenade is a beautiful 13-km walking path lined with trees, flowers, and art sculptures.

Above photos: Montreux promenade

Above photos: A hummingbird moth visits the flowers along the promenade (left)

A must-see landmark along the promenade is the Freddie Mercury Statue. As mentioned above, it is obvious the area remains close to their beloved recording artist-in-residence. It is a popular attraction, so be prepared to take your turn capturing selfies and photographs.

Above photos: Freddie Mercury Statue

The old covered market, Marché Couvert, along the promenade is one of the main landmark buildings of Montreux, built between 1891 and 1892. Fun fact: The metal for the covered market came from the same supplier that was used to build the Eiffel Towre in Paris.

Above photo: Marché Couvert

If you happen to be in Montreux on a Friday, you will also get to experience the Marché where market stalls set-up in front of the old market building and along the promenade. The stalls include produce stands, arts & crafts, and various souvenirs.

Above photos: Weekly Friday market

Once of the best things we did while in Montreux was pop inside the Laiterie de Gruyère cheese shop located on Grand’ Rue to pick up provisions for our promenade picnic. We hung out on the rocks with our local wine, cheese, and macarons until we needed to leave to catch the Goldenpass Express train to Interlaken (more on that in a separate post soon!).

Above photos: Promenade picnic

Finally, if you can, definitely attempt to make it down to the promenade for epic sunset views over Lake Geneva. Stunning!!!

Above photo: Montreux sunset over Lake Geneva

Belle Époque boat ride on Lake Geneva

Boat rides are always one of my favorite activities when visiting a new place. Whether by river, canal, lake, or ocean, I love the views back to the shoreline. There are some great Lake Geneva boat tours available if you have time. We were a little crunched, but still wanted to get on the water. So, we decided to use the ferry as our transportation from Montreux to Chateaux Chillon.

The ferries in Montreux are so much more than a water taxi though. They have the most amazing fleet of Belle Époque vessels in the world. We were super lucky to catch the Montreux paddle steamboat. It is the oldest boat in the fleet, originally commissioned in 1904. Tickets were included with our Swiss Travel Pass and it was just an entirely lovely experience!

Above photos: Montreux Belle Époque ferries

Chateaux Chillon

Chateaux Chillon, or Chillon Castle, is the most visited historic landmark in Switzerland. It is located to the south of Montreux on its own little rocky island, connected to the land by the former drawbridge, which is now just a regular pedestrian bridge for visitors. We loved our approach via the steamboat because it afforded us views of the lake-facing facade.

Above photos: Views of Chateaux Chillon from lake approach

Above photos: View of Chateaux Chillon from the Ferry Terminal

The castle has taken various forms of development over the centuries as rooms and reinforcements were added by various owners, which included the Savoy family, the Bernese bailiffs and the Canton of Vaud. Once inside the main gate, the castle splits into three main courtyards that lead to various sections according to their purpose, what we might call a medieval planned community:)

Above photos: Inner courtyards of Chateaux Chillon

The rooms of the castle are very nicely marked for visitors with a numbered itinerary guide. The castle also contains a small collection of archaeological finds and furniture on display. The architecture is the star of the exhibits, as well as the remains of various painted frescos and drawings.

Above photos: Details at Chateaux Chillon

Above photos: Drawing of the Crucifixion by Michel Cotié in the prison at Chateaux Chillon (left); untouched stone from the island the castle was built on (right)

Above photos: Furniture exhibit at Chateaux Chillon

Above photos: Painted wall murals at Chateaux Chillon

While the chapel was probably my favorite place within the castle, the artwork here has been partially recreated based on remnants and clues found by archaeologists.

Above photos: Chateaux Chillon Chapel

Where to eat in Montreux

LE 45

For breakfast we ate at Restaurant LE 45 located at the Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic. There is seating in the resturant and on the terrace overlooking Lake Geneva. It was a little chilly that morning, so we stayed inside. Our buffet was dellicious and the views buttered our biscuits even more.

Above photos: Restaurant LE 45 at Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic

La Fontaine Pizza

Montreux has an inordinate number of pizzerias. Divergence of cultures, maybe? Anyway, we were here for it and found the very best gourmet pizza in the cutest, most romantic setting. La Fontaine is located on Rue du Ctre, which is roughly a 6 – 8 minute walk from the train station.

If the weather is fine, be sure to request the outdoor seating in this tiny little alley, complete with a spring-fed fountain where you can help yourself to water refills all night long. Oh, and the pizza is delicious, too!

Above photos: La Fontaine Pizzeria Gourmet

Mövenpick Ice Cream

Mövenpick Ice Cream is a Swiss brand initially created by Nestlé. They source their cream from local, small Swiss dairy farmers in the Alps. We couldn’t resist even on a chilly day.

Above photos: Mövenpick Ice Cream

Additional Notes

There were a few things that we had considering doing while in Montreux, but fell off our list due to time constraints. I want to pass the ideas along though, in case one of these might be of high interest for you or work out with the seasonal timing of your visit.

Charlie Chaplin Museum

Montreux has had a number of famous residents and visitors over the years, one of which is Charlie Chaplin. Known for his comedic acting and art, there was so much more to his life as a family man. The Charlie Chaplin Museum is dedicated to his life’s work, while also uncovering the wonderful man he was on a more personal level. The museum is located in Vevey, which is just a short distance from Montreux.

The town of Vevey also has a number of other great attractions, along with more shopping and Lake Geneva splendor. Sounds like a great day trip!

Lavaux Vinyards

Something else to draw me back to Montreux is a visit to the Lavaux Vineyards, located between Montreux and Lausanne. The extensive vineyards stretch along 30 km of Lake Geneva shoreline, offering magnificent views made even better with a glass on wine in-hand.

The Lavaux Vineyard landscape is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its long-standing history as a wine producing region and the role it has played in the development of Lausanne. There are various tour types that you can take to partake in wine tasting and cellar visits. Sign me up!

The Chocolate Train

I mean, they had me at “chocolate.” This epic train journey takes visitors from Montreux to the Cailler-Nestlé chocolate factory at Broc AND admission to the show dairy “La Maison du Gruyère”. Chocolate and cheese all day long sounds like a pretty good day.

Montreux-Berner Oberland railway has dedicated a gorgeous Belle Époque-Pullman vintage train that takes visitors on this round-trip during the summer months of May through September. Since we were there in October, we regrettably missed this.

Glacier 3000

Lastly, we also had to forgo a trip to Glacier 3000. This place sounds amazing though! Glacier 3000 is a year-round resort destination for skiing & hiking. There are other family-friendly activities there, too, like an alpine coaster, suspension bridge, dog sled rides, and more. Ideally, this is a place that one would stay for a longer visit, especially if you are an outdoor enthusiast.

Glacier 3000 is located about an hour away from Montreux in Les Diablerets. To get there, just hop on a train and get off at either the Les Diablerets or Gstaad station to transfer to the postcar that departs to Col du Pillon on a regular basis. We actually passed through Gstaad on our way to Interlaken on the Goldenpass Express. The town was so quaint and definitely had that alpine ski vibe! I would love to go back to visit Gastaad and combine it with a trip to Glacier 3000 someday.

Thank you for reading my post! Please feel free to add friendly comments or questions below!