Montreux, a small town in Switzerland, barely an hour from Geneva, is usually excluded from Swiss touristy spots. A brief visit to this town would certainly make tourists crave for more. Nestled in between the hills and the banks of Lake Geneva this town has lots to offer. The flower covered promenade where one can go on walking and admiring beautiful sunset, is enthralling.
I had a pleasant experience staying at the Eurotel Riviera, barely 150m from the station, This hotel lies in the heart of Montreux city. The rooms were very comfortable and all had a private balcony with stunning views of the Lake and the Alps. The Wifi was free and they served a great breakfast by the lake. The Hotels in Montreux offer free tourist cards so it’s worthwhile to take them and use the public transportation. We used the bus to head to the beautiful town of Vevey, the head quarters of ‘Nestle’.
Montreux has lots to offer. There is something for all. If you are a family, a backpacker, solo traveler or just on the look out for a relaxed easy going vacation. This place has it all.
Even a simple walk along the promenade would not cease to amaze you. The lovely flower beds on one side and a long line of cafes and bars on other but what will impress you the most is the fair amount of recycling, as in the pictures ,which Montreux does. From old bicycles, cars and tyres, they have recycled it all. This makes one feel that beauty doesn’t have to come at a cost always.
A little walk further down the promenade would lead you to a historical castle and a most visited landmark of Montreux, The Chillion castle, which was once upon a time a prison. However this castle became more famous now after its mention in the Lord Bryon’s famous poem “ The Prisoner of Chillon “, based on the true story of François Bonivard, a political prisoner from Geneva.
In the evenings one can look forward to go to the famous Montreux casino Barrière de Montreux, on the shoreline of Lake Geneva. The famous song by Deep Purple-Smoke on the water, refers to the incident here where the casino got caught in a fire in 1971.
Montreux has something to offer in every season. In winters Montreux hosts Christmas market for several weeks over the holiday period. The main road through the town and the lakeside path are lined with wooden chalets where you can find anything from local wine(known as gluvine) to chocolates and local handicrafts. Kids too can have their share of fun in the Ice skating rink and ferris wheel. The atmosphere is magical.
If one plans on visiting Montreux during summers its best not to miss their annual international Jazz festival held in July each year and has been running since last 40 years. The festival has encouraged fresh talent and drawn hordes of crowd each year.
There is plenty to see around Montreux .The Panaromic express which goes from Montreux provides an excellent connectivity to see the picturesque towns of Gstaad and Sannen .
Montreux’s amazing beauty ,the culture will always keep us hungry for more and no visit to Switzerland will be complete without a sneak peak of Montreux.
