Lake Geneva – Lac Léman in French – is located at the border of Switzerland and France. Especially the northern side of the lake is incredibly beautiful, with endless vineyards and stylish lakeside towns such as Montreux and Vevey. The area is also known as the ‘Swiss Riviera‘ and is not only popular by tourists, but also by artists and musicians. Over the years, many celebrities took up residence at the Swiss Riviera.
Vevey
Together with Montreux, Vevey is considered to be ‘the pearl of the Swiss Riviera’. Vevey has a beautiful lake-shore promenade, offering unique views of Lake Geneva. It’s lovely to stroll around here, together with your family. The promenade is buggyproof. There are also some interesting museums located in Vevey. Just think of the Alimentarium, a food museum founded by the Nestlé company, which has its headquarters in Vevey. Be sure to also visit the Nestlé shop, within walking distance of the lake-side promenade. The Nestlé shop offers a wide range of Nestlé products, as well as a Nespresso and Starbucks corner!
Just a few kilometers outside the city center, there’s a museum fully dedicated to Charlie Chaplin – Chaplin’s world. Chaplin was an English comic actor and filmmaker, who became famous for his character ‘The Tramp’ – the little man with bowler hat. He spent the last part of his life in Vevey.
Le Mont Pèlerin
A fun thing to do in this region is to catch a ride with the Vevey funi. This funicular railway connects the lake-side town of Vevey with the Mont Pèlerin, by passing through the Lavaux vineyards. Unfortunaly, the Vevey funi wasn’t operating during our trip at the Swiss Riviera, due to a technical error. So we decided to go up by car, as we really wanted to see the spectacular views of Lake Geneva.
The best view is from the television tower on the top of the Mont Pèlerin (1080 meters). The tower is called ‘Plein Ciel’ and is open to visitors. For a small price, you can take an elevator to an observation platform, from where you have a 360 degree view over the Swiss Riviera. If you drive all the way up to the highest parking lot, it is an half hour walk to reach the Plein Ciel tower. From the funicular station, however, the walk will be longer (1 hour and 30 minutes). Click here for more information about the television tower.
Lavaux vineyards
High above Lake Geneva, you can find some of the most beautiful areas of Switzerland: the terraced vineyards of Lavaux. This wine-growing area stretches from Lausanne to Vevey and is listed as UNESCO World Heritage. The wine produced in this region is primarily made from Chasselas grapes. You can taste the Lavaux wines in various places, like in the village of Chardonne. If you go to the Mont Pélerin by car, you will come across an information point of the Lavaux vineyards. I think it’s the perfect place for a lunch break… What a view! Click here to view the exact location in Google Maps.
Montreux
The vivid town of Montreux is located at the northern shore of Lake Geneva, at a short distance from Vevey. Montreux has a rich music history and is therefore well known by musicians and music lovers of all genres. Every year in July, the Montreux Jazz Festival takes place here, hosting famous jazz artists.
But also for rock fans, Montreux is high on the bucket list. Freddie Mercury, often reffered to as the greatest rock legend of all time, loved spending time in the Swiss Riviera and settled down in Montreux. You can visit the former music studio of Queen, which is now established as an interactive exhibition, called The Studio Experience. At the lake-side boulevard, a large statue of Freddie Mercury remembers his presence in this vibrant city. The boulevard is one of the most beautiful promenades I have ever seen, with tropical vegetation and various works of art.
GoldenPass Line
We travelled to Montreux with the Golden Pass Panoramic, a premium panorama train running between Lucerne and Lake Geneva multiple times a day. We got on the train in the Pays d’Enhaut region, however, because we stayed there during our Switzerland vacation. You can read more about the Pays d’Enhaut in my previous blog post. During the Golden Pass train ride, you will enjoy the most beautiful alpine panoramas and you will catch the first glimpses of the Swiss Riviera. It is recommended to order your tickets in advance and to make a seat reservation, especially in the summer season. Click here to go directly to the website of the railway company MOB, responsible for the Golden Pass line.
