← Geneva Marathon·2 nights

Montreux and Vevey: Two Lakeside Towns

Two nights on the eastern end of Lake Geneva, with Chillon Castle, Chaplin's World and a flat shoreline path linking Vevey to Montreux, all reached by train.

Duration2 nights
TransitSBB train along the lake, around one hour from Geneva
DepartsGeneva Cornavin

After the Geneva Marathon: Montreux and Vevey

The Route: Geneva → Vevey → Montreux → Geneva Airport Logistics: SBB trains along the north shore of the lake, around an hour from Geneva to Vevey and a few minutes more to Montreux. Marathon Month: May Duration: 2 nights

Geneva Cornavin ──(~1 hour train)──> Vevey ──(~8 mins train)──> Montreux
                                                                    │
Geneva Airport (GVA) ◄──(~1h15 via Lausanne, SBB)───────────────────┘

The Geneva Marathon finishes on Pont du Mont-Blanc, and the eastern end of the lake is a straight line of rail away. Vevey and Montreux face the Savoy Alps across the water and are close together, which means two nights can be spent in one stretch of coast without repacking much. Trains from Geneva Cornavin run through Lausanne and on to Vevey and Montreux several times an hour. Check journey times and fares at sbb.ch, and ask about the Swiss Half Fare Card if you plan to ride more than a couple of times.

May in Montreux and Vevey: the lakeside promenades are in flower from April onwards, and the Alps across the water usually still hold snow on the higher summits. The Montreux Jazz Festival is a summer event in July, so the town in May is quiet. Weather swings between bright and showery within a day. The microclimate is milder than the rest of the lake's shore, but a rain layer still earns its space in the bag.

Night One: Vevey

Vevey is a working lake town built around its market square, Place du Marché, and a long waterfront that Nestlé's founder made his home. The recovery asset is the shoreline itself: a paved, level promenade runs along Quai Perdonnet and on in both directions with benches at regular intervals. A giant steel fork stands in the lake just offshore, planted in 1995 outside the Alimentarium food museum. It makes an odd and useful landmark for turning back.

Charlie Chaplin lived above Vevey at the Manoir de Ban from 1953 until his death in 1977, and Chaplin's World occupies the estate in the village of Corsier-sur-Vevey. Allow a half-day. The grounds are partly sloped, so check the current layout, hours and ticket prices at chaplinsworld.com before you go, and book if you want a particular slot. A bus links the museum with Vevey station; confirm the route and timetable with the local operator.

The Grand Hôtel du Lac stands on the waterfront and Hôtel des Trois Couronnes is a short walk along the quay. Confirm current rates, breakfast hours and cancellation terms directly. For dinner, the lakefront cafés and the streets behind Place du Marché serve perch fillets (filets de perche), the lake's signature fish, usually with fries and a dressed salad.

Night Two: Montreux

Take the train the short hop to Montreux. The lakefront here is longer and more formal than Vevey's, with a flat promenade lined by flower beds and plane trees. A bronze statue of Freddie Mercury, unveiled in 1996, stands on the quay; the band recorded at Mountain Studios in the town. A flat walk of around 3 kilometres follows the shore from Montreux to Chillon Castle.

Chillon sits on a rock a few metres from the shore, a medieval fortress of the Counts and later Dukes of Savoy and then a Bernese bailiff's seat. Lord Byron visited in 1816 and wrote The Prisoner of Chillon about François Bonivard, who had been held in its dungeons. Some interior spaces involve stairs and uneven stone floors, so go slowly. Opening hours and ticket prices change by season, so check chillon.ch before you set off. The castle can also be reached by local bus or by lake boat from Montreux if the walk feels too long.

Fairmont Le Montreux Palace is a long-established grand hotel on the front, and the smaller Eden Palace au Lac sits close by, both worth comparing on current rates. A table at one of the lakeside restaurants for a cheese fondue or a plate of perch is a reasonable end to the evening.

Getting to Geneva Airport (GVA)

Trains run from Montreux to Geneva Airport, usually with a change at Lausanne, in about an hour and ten minutes. Check the timetable at sbb.ch the day before and buy a through ticket to Genève-Aéroport. The airport station sits beneath the terminal, so the connection from train to check-in is short.