Chillon Castle
A medieval castle on a rock in the lake — dungeons, a chapel and a lakeside walk that children adore.
Montreux & Lake Geneva
Riviera light, vineyards and lakeside châteaux
Best time
April – June & September – October
Gentle pace
3–5 slow days
Ideal for
Families · Couples · Wine and castle lovers
Montreux is the Swiss Riviera — a palm-lined promenade along Lake Geneva, backed by vineyard terraces and snow-capped peaks. It is the gentlest corner of the lake, with a microclimate warm enough for figs, a flowered lakeside walk, and Chillon Castle rising from the water at the eastern end.
With children, walk the promenade, take a paddle steamer to Chillon, ride the little train up through the Lavaux vineyards, and spend an afternoon in the Rochers-de-Naye above the town — marmots and a view to France.
Worth lingering over
The Lavaux vineyard train
A little train through the terraced vineyards above the lake — a slow, beautiful afternoon.
Rochers-de-Naye
A cogwheel railway up the mountain behind Montreux to a marmot park and a view across the lake to France.
Hidden gem
Saint-Gingolph and the Grammont
At the quiet eastern end of the lake, where Switzerland meets France, sits the forgotten village of Saint-Gingolph and, above it, the wild Grammont range — the only part of the lake shore with no road, reachable only by boat or on foot. Take the paddle steamer to the village, then hike up to the Pas de Morgins for a view down the entire lake that almost no visitor ever sees. It is the Lake Geneva of a century ago, and the finest day of walking on the whole shore.