Montreux, Switzerland

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After an incredible week in the Jungfrau region, we said our goodbyes to the Swiss Alps and made our way towards Lake Geneva. Going from Beatenberg to Montreux literally felt like you were crossing the border from Germany to France. The language of the road signs changed almost instantly and then more and more graffiti started popping up on the highway. It was crazy to think it was all a part of one country, considering how drastically different it felt.

Nonetheless, Montreux turned out to be beautiful. We decided to stay at The Grand Suisse Majestic which was originally built in 1870 but had been completely remodeled in 2010. Everything was so nice and the rooms had a gorgeous view overlooking Lake Geneva and the surrounding mountains.

Montreux

Montreux

Montreux is famous for it’s annual jazz festival and is also where Freddie Mercury decided to settle down after recording an album there in 1978.

{Trivia question: what band was he the lead singer of?}

Freddie Mercury Montreux

We had a great time strolling along the beautiful lakeside promenade and taking in the scenery. There was a small market on the first day we were there so we perused for a little while and then walked to the castle at the end of the promenade. It was absolutely stunning; it almost looked like a mirage on the water from a distance.

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I didn’t take any pictures of the food we ate because I was in shock from how expensive it was. The breakfast buffet at the hotel was 26 Francs per person, which is equivalent to about $28 USD and let’s just say it wasn’t anything to shake a stick at. Instead of eating there, we tried walking around to find something better and ended up at The Fairmont Palace. Their buffet happened to everything you could possibly imagine; it was amazing! However, we made the mistake of not asking the price before we sat down to eat and it turned out to be 40 Francs per person!! Hands down, the most expensive breakfast either of us have ever eaten. I’m not sure it was worth the price but the “palace” was pretty spectacular inside so there’s always that.

On the bright side, the hotels in Montreux offer a free transportation pass that allows you to take the bus or train to the nearby cities so we took the train to the Lavaux vineyards which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunately we failed to navigate the train system properly so by the time we got there, the sun was already starting to set.

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We decided to walk to the medieval city of Lutry to try and find dinner and hopefully taste some of the local wine but the vegetarian food options turned out to be slim. Then just as we were about to give up, we came across a little wine bar tucked away on one of the cobblestone streets.

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Thankfully Brandon speaks enough French to get by so we were able to sample several of the local wines along with a fresh baguette and a healthy serving of Gruyere. While we were there we learned that the Lavaux region is especially known for their white wines and that the majority are made from Chasselas grapes. I’m not a wine connoisseur by any means but I was really impressed with the wine. It was crisp and delicious!

On the last morning, we woke up to the sound of an accordion playing outside of our window so we bought a couple of croissants for breakfast and walked down to the lake to listen to him play while watching the boats go by.

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It was so romantic! That was probably my favorite moment from our time there.

We also took a day trip to Gruyere to eat cheese (obviously), tour the chocolate factory and then swim in the thermal baths. But that’s a post in itself so I’m going to save that for another day. :)

 

Have you ever been to Montreux?