Montreux, Switzerland
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 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?}
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Ahh I’m sighing with jealousy over all your trip pictures. It all looks so romantic and beautiful!
Oh my goodness – those pictures look too amazing to be real. I’m officially adding this to my vacay list!
Is that cheese shown above? Those are the tallest chunks of cheese I’ve ever seen!!
Haha, no, it’s nougat! It was a big ‘ol hunk though! :)
This looks like a dream! I’m feeling the wanderlust even more than usual this morning after getting back from a weekend in Asheville. And the NC mountains seem puny compared to these haha.
Also can I get a prize for being the first to answer your trivia? Queeeen!
From what I’ve seen in pictures, Asheville is pretty darn beautiful. Especially this time of year with all of the trees turning. I want to see your pictures!! haha
And I’m impressed that you knew it was Queen! I didn’t even know that. :)
It was beautiful! We were there before the peak color time for the trees, but the scenery was still so nice in that part of the state. Fun fact: Asheville is the 4th best foodie city in the country, according to the source our food tour guide was using… And I think you’d agree!
My Queen knowledge actually goes back to when I discovered and loved one of their CDs I found in mom’s collection many years ago haha :)
Your pictures are just stunning! I think I would live off of cheese and wine if I vacationed there… ;)
Yep, that pretty much sums up our diet the entire time we were there. ;)
Is it bad that I’m totally jealous of your trip???? haha :) It looks just so beautiful – although bummer on how expensive the breakfast stuff was! That’s crazy!! And I can’t wait to hear about the chocolate tour and thermal baths! Sounds so fun!
Just beautiful. My sister is moving to France (right next to Geneva) so we’ll be visiting France and Switzerland in 2015.
How exciting! It is such a beautiful part of the world. I’m sure you will love it!
40 Francs per person?! Gulp. Yep, that area of Switzerland is very expensive. When I was looking for a job I was surprised by the high salaries you can earn there… but since everything costs a lot, it makes sense. Believe me, while reading your post I felt for a while like if I was there, I felt happy and calm.
Yes, Geneva is supposed to be one of the most expensive cities in the world. I didn’t realize that Montreux would be that way but I guess we learned the hard way!
Your vacation looks like a dream, Sarah! I’ve never been to that part of the world before but I would love to go someday! That is crazy how expensive everything was though! When we went to Maui my husband made us cook all our own meals because he didn’t want to pay to eat out, so I can only imagine what he would have us eating if we went to Geneva! Your photos are gorgeous!
Oh my goodness, more gorgeous photos… you’re making me long for Europe!! Can’t wait to hear about Gruyere, because that day sounds FABULOUS too!
OK I can’t wait for the Gruyere post! :) But in the meantime that palace and the scenery is absolutely stunning. I just love the way the mountains rise right out of the lakes. I’ve never been to Montreux or the Swiss alps, but I’ve been to Ticino on the Italian border and it was similarly breathtaking. And I do remember the food in Switzerland being outrageously expensive! I think I paid 7 francs for a tiny carton of Tropicana orange juice, ugh. Now for a croissant, that might have been worth it :)
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