Montreux

The Parisian-esque lakeside city of Montreux (pronounced Mon-trew) offers a wonderful gateway to numerous Swiss ski resorts, or alternatively a refreshing break from the rigours of skiing. The city is cheap & cheerful in winter. Enjoy a stay in a Grand Hotel overlooking Lake Geneva & the Alps, taking long walks along the foreshore & listening to live music at night.

As well as being home to Switzerland's most visited castle, the Chateau de Chillon, & of course Freddie Mercury, Montreux is the stepping off point for a range of fabulous ski resorts accessible by train including Gstaad, Portes du Soleil (Champery) plus a host of others.

Pros & Cons for Montreux

Pros

• Convenient transport hub for numerous Swiss ski resorts.
• Beautiful location with a relatively mild climate compared to the surrounding mountains.
• Cheap high-end accommodation in winter.
• Loads of sightseeing & non-ski activities.
• Extensive range of shops, restaurants, services & markets.

Cons

• Travel times to & from ski resorts are generally too long for day trips (except if one has a car), but perfect for one-way travel.
• Montreux is so nice you could forget that you came to Switzerland to SKI (or snowboard)!

Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)

• Low elevation so may, or may not, have snow in the city.

Skiing & Snowboarding from Montreux

Travelling from Montreux to nearby ski resorts by public transport is relatively swift depending on connections & time of day. To the north, the Golden Pass train travels to Gstaad ski resort & its many villages in around 1 - 1½hr (depending on where one gets off). To the east in the Valais & Vaud, the closest resorts all require a change at the town of Aigle.

The Portes du Soleil ski resort of Torgon is only 55min away with a change to a bus required in Aigle. (Note that only 5 buses a day head to Torgon, so timing is everything!) Also in Les Portes du Soleil, the village of Champéry is 1½hr by train, again with a change at Aigle, but this time onto the local mountain railway train. Morgins & smaller ski resort village of Champoussin can be visited by taking the train to Champéry & changing to bus at Troistorrents & Val d'Illiez respectively.

Aigle also provides the jumping off point to Leysin, Villars & Les Diablerets by mountain railway & bus, marking it as an important Swiss ski transport hub. The volumes of people heading to Leysin & Villars is instructive when compared to the handful of people that will be on the bus with you to Torgon!

Fast trains from Montreux travel to Sierre (Crans Montana, Grimentz Zinal et al), Visp (Zermatt & Saas Fee), Brig & beyond, allowing for connections to all manner of Valais ski resorts & even to Chamonix or Verbier via Martigny (we did it after we skied Torgon!)

Of course, with a car, travel times are quicker but note that some mountain roads can be quite the adventure after heavy snow & with oncoming buses!

Things To Do in Montreux

Aside from the local ski resorts & the amazing rail journeys into the mountains, the obvious activities in Montreux involve the Lake Geneva foreshore. In winter it is relatively deserted, but has wonderful sights, sculptures, the Chateau du Chillon & Freddie Mercury to name a few. Lakeside restaurants are open at various stages of the day & ice skating is available in the foreshore pavilion until well after dark.

See the Montreux city map here.

After dark there is always some delectable dining & live entertainment to be enjoyed in the city centre. Montreux is synonymous with music. Strolling that lovely lakeshore after dark is also incredibly pleasant.

Lovers of trains & classic mountain train journeys can sit back & enjoy some ultimate Swiss Rail dirty-pleasures on the Golden Pass train to Gstaad & Zweisimmen, plus the alpine railways to Leysin, Champery, Villars & Les Diablerets that depart from Aigle, a 10min train ride from Montreux.

Where is Montreux Switzerland?

The city of Montreux is in the canton of Vaud in the SW of Switzerland. Beautifully located on the northern bank of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva), Montreux is close to the mouth of the Rhone River which drains an enormous valley containing some of the world’s greatest ski resorts. The city has excellent rail & road connections to Geneva International Airport (GVA). The airport is only 92km by road to the west, about one hour in the car. By train the journey is a paltry 1½hr. The train is the recommended mode of travel to Montreux. Ski Resorts are within 1hr by public transport (depending on connections, refer above)

Search & book train tickets to Montreux here.

If taking public transport offends one’s sensibilities, we recommend looking at a private transfer or rental car hire, particularly if in a group of 3 or more people.

Search & book all airport transfers to Montreux here.

Montreux Accommodation

Montreux is a medium sized cosmopolitan city with a full range of hotel, apartment and guesthouse accommodation options. Several iconic traditional Grand Hotels grace the Lake Geneva foreshore & hillside. Most are within an easy walk from the centrally located train station.

Budget room options that still provide quality lodgings are available at several hotels located in the city centre. Innumerable great hotels are positioned out of town near the ski resorts.

Search & book all Montreux accommodation here.

Review

The Powderhounds visited Montreux in early 2019 & found it both fascinating & relaxing in equal measure. We also recognised it to be a fantastic base from which to make forays into the mountains & return to milder climes by the lake. See our review via the links on this page.

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