From Wikitravel

Mostly known for its world-famous month-long Jazz Festival [1] (a bit of a misnomer: you're just as likely to catch David Bowie or Beck as, say Steve Coleman), Montreux [2] is well worth a wander through, if only to get to the scenic Château de Chillon or to get to Hauts de Montreux.

[edit] Get around

[edit] Hauts de Montreux

Less than 20 kilometers away from and 800 meters above the swanky Swiss Riviera, Hauts de Montreux is a hiker's dream. On a good day you can see to Geneva in the west and Bern in the east. If you look hard, you can even see the sparkle of all those flashy watches and dripping diamonds on the rich old people shuffling around the muggy lakefront.

• Montreux-Oberland-Bernois or MOB This is one of the longest established of the Swiss narrow gauge railways and runs from platforms 5 and 6 of the town's main line station to Zweissimmen via the resort town of Gstaad. Over recent years to company, which operates 1/3 of the Golden Pass route to Lucerne along with the BLS and the Zentralbahn brought under its sales banner the cog-wheel Montreux - Glion - Rochers-de-Naye Railway and its associated funicular from nearby Territet, the Les Avants - Sonloup funicular and the lines of the former CEV from Vevey into the hills.

Note that the trains on the Rochers-de-Naye line stop running to and from the top around 6pm but they'll shut down early if the weather's bad, so don't count on one to carry you out of a sudden early evening rainstorm.

The MOB operates not only local, stopping, trains but a regular service of panoramic trains with coaches having large picture windows and glass sections reaching into the roof, great for the views. Twice a day the line runs a classic service using either original coaches built before World War One or some built later to the same design, a throw back to the days of the Orient Express. First and Second class fares, single and return, are available on all trains with no extra charge for the panorama or clasic trains. Well worth the ride and a cup of tea or coffee in the buffet car. The best deal to date has to be the jazz train, which runs on various days throughout the jazz festival (see above). The train goes from Montreux to Gstaad, and you can buy tickets for three of the carriages, where jazz bands play live during the journey. Once in Gstaad there is an opportunity to sample some local products and pretend to be a millionaire (Gstaad is that kind of place) before a return trip with more live jazz. In 2008 this trip cost 50CHF, which is only 2 francs more than the regular journey. Pretty much anything heading North and/or East of Montreux will lead to some combination of charming Swiss villages, such as Château d'Oex and invigorating Swiss landscapes. Despite the heavy Golden Pass advertising scheme, most of the visitors are small groups of locals, not the hordes of tourists you'll find in near-by, but hard to get to Chamonix or Interlaken. Many of the mountain-top restaurants double as 'buvettes' - something between a refugee hut and a hotel - where you can stay the night, often for much less than you'd pay for a lakeside hostel.

[edit][add listing] See

• Château de Chillon +41 21 966 89 10. [3] Open every day until 6pm. A historic castle, the country's most visited say the Tourist Board, on a small island in Lake Geneva only a few meters from the shore. It was built originally to allow the occupants to extract a toll from people and goods passing between Italy and the rest of Europe on the road north from the St. Bernard pass. The roadway here is wedged between the lake and the cliffs, so there was no way to get around Chillon. The Castle is more famous in modern times for having inspired Lord Byron's poem, The Prisoner of Chillon [4], based on the true story of François Bonivard, a political prisoner from Geneva who was released in 1536. Byron is said to have carved his name in one of the columns in the dungeon where Bonivard was detained during a few years.

• Marmots' Paradise. The mountains around Hauts de Montreux are threaded with forest trails, suddenly isolated villages, caves, grottos, and wildlife. Rochers-De-Naye itself is home to an odd little compound called "Marmots' Paradise" where marmots from all over the world live in an observable system of underground burrows. Kind of a rodent UN or something. Any of the train stops will lead to several hiking options. For a real hiker's hike, tackle the four hour, 1000 metre climb from Caux to Rochers-De-Naye. Saner folks might want to get off at Dent-De-Jaman, just below the peak, where you can enjoy the views and fresh air with out the huffing and puffing.

• The Golden Award of Montreux, which takes place annually in April in Montreux, is traditionally, since 1989, the first international advertising and multimedia competition in Europe- starting the global season for awarding creative excellence. The object of this competition is to honor creative achievements within the cultural surroundings of television and music festivals, reflecting in this way the advertising is part of the global world of creativity.

[edit][add listing] Do

• Stroll along the Riviera

[edit] Learn

Montreux is located in the French speaking part of Switzerland. Therefore you can learn French in Montreux in some language schools including ESL [5]

[edit][add listing] Buy

Every Christmas Montreux hosts an excellent Christmas market for several weeks over the holiday period. The main road through the town (Grand' Rue) and the lakeside path are lined with wooden chalets where you can find anything to buy from local wine (free tasting sometimes on offer) to chocolates (of course) and local crafts. The atmosphere is magical, your kids can visit Pere Noel (Father Christmas)and in 2006 they also had a ferris wheel and an ice skating rink to add to the fun. With all the regular shops also open you could do all your Christmas shopping in one trip and get some unique presents into the bargain.

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit] Budget

• Coop Grocery store offering a range of sandwiches and salads.

[edit] Mid range

• The Museum rue de la Gare 40, +41 21 963 16 62, restaurant@museum-montreux.ch, [6].

[edit] Splurge

[edit][add listing] Drink

• The terrace at the Hôtel Suisse-Majestic, 45 avenue des Alpes (directly across from the train station). +41 21 966 33 33. The prices are not bad, and the view superb. There's a saxophonist who plays along to some kind of super drum machine during the early evening hours, and he's pretty good. Even if you're not normally into the sort of music he plays (smooth jazz) you'll have to admit that it works in this environment.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Budget

• Hôtel la Rouvenaz, Rue du Marché 1. +41 21 963 27 36. Fax: +41 21 963 43 94. rouvenaz@bluewin.ch

[edit] Mid range

• Golf-Hôtel René Capt, rue de Bon-Port 35, +41 21 966 25 25. A charming little four-star which receives glowing reviews. CHF119/153 per person singles/doubles.
• Hotel Masson Rue Bonivard 5. [7] Billing itself as the oldest hotel in Montreux the Masson receives rave reviews. The location is a bit of a hike from town though, near the Château de Chillon.
• Hôtel Bon-Port
• Villa Toscane

[edit] Splurge

• Montreux Palace, 100 Grand Rue +41 21 962 12 12, A Belle Epoque built in 1906, with an atmosphere that combines tradition and elegance. 235 rooms and suites that delicately combine a refined decor with modern comforts and high-technology. A 5-star hotel belonging to the Raffles International Group and a member of Leading Hotels of the World. Award winning hotel voted 3rd best hotel in Switzerland (Bilanz 2006). www.montreux-palace.com www.raffles.com
• Hôtel Suisse-Majestic, 45 avenue des Alpes (directly across from the train station). +41 21 966 33 33. In a town of very fancy hotels the Suisse-Majestic stands out at least for its fine location. Also it's a four-star and as such not nearly as expensive as the five-stars further down the list, so given that it receives rave reviews this makes the Majestic a great value. 200/280 Chf singles/doubles.
• Mirador Kempski, Ch du Mirador 5, Le Mont-Pèlerin. +41 21 925 11 11, Fax: +41 21 925 11 12
• Royal Plaza Grand Rue 97.

[edit] Get out

• Vevey
• Lavaux
• Lausanne
• Château d'Oex
• Yvorne - yet another wine growing region, this one on the slopes of the Vaudois Alps.

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