Montreux Transportation

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Rochers-de-Naye. You will reach Rochers-de-Naye (2045 m) after a pleasant journey in less than an hour aboard on a rack railway train. There you could enjoy a breathtaking panorama at the summit on the Alps and Lac Léman (Lake Geneva).

TIP: Take one of the 2 last trains going to the Rochers-de-Naye you will pay only :
Full fare: CHF 36.- instead of CHF 55.- (July-September)or CHF 49.- (low season)
Half fare card: CHF 18.- instead of CHF 36.-.
Valid until October 30 2005.
Recommended timetable (July-August) Montreux dep. 17h46, Rochers-de-Naye arr. 18h41. Rochers-de-Naye dep. 19h46 (last train), Montreux arr. 20h41

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Compagnie Generale de Navigation sur le lac Leman offers possibility to travel by boat from one to the other spot on the shore of Geneva Lake. But it is more than just a transportation – being on the boat and "discovering" shores of the lake (both Swiss and French) is marvelous experience, and even the shortest visit to any of the cities, towns or villages on the lake would not be complete without it.

CGN web page offers downloadable time-line but also the informations about the company history: "[…] Thanks to Edward Church, US consul in France and a boating enthusiast, Switzerland's first steam ship, the 'Guillaume Tell', made its appearance on Lake Geneva in 1823. CGN was formed in 1873 as a result of a merger between three navigation companies. […] This alliance highlighted the predominance that tourism was to have throughout the Lake Geneva area. Efforts continued to increase the size of the fleet, while maintaining the comfort and speed of transport. […]
Then came the Belle-Epoque, a real high point in tourism. Hotels, palaces and railways became the symbols of a period in which luxury was the order of the day. […]
After the war (WWI), the company enjoyed an increase in numbers again and new vessels were launched. In its weakened position, CGN still had to deal with the appearance and development of the automobile and the severe economic crisis that lasted through the 1930s. In 1940, CGN even suspended its services for three months.
Fortunately, there was a positive outcome. From 1943, the authorities intervened in the hope of seeing CGN's vessels plying the lake once again. The National Exhibition in 1964 provided new stimulus, and the acquisition of new and modern units followed […]".

We enjoyed late summer evening on the boat "Geneva", having a ride from Montreux to Lausanne. It was the perfect way to admire the beauty of the lake, Swiss Riviera, French Alps, Lavaux Vineyard Terraces…

If you’re about to shuttle in the area of Vevey, Montreux, Chateau de Chillon… the best way to do that is to use the electric city bus #1. It runs on a straight lakeside route from Vevey's funicular station, past Vevey train station, on through La Tour-de-Peilz and Clarens into Montreux town center, on through Territet, stopping by Chateau de Chillon, and terminating in Villeneuve. Buses run to and from every ten minutes, and journey time between Vevey and Montreux is twenty minutes. All the buses are equipped with the ticket machines, so – the tickets can be bought in them.

An easy way to get to Montreux is by train. The train station is located only a short walk from both the old town and the lake.

Train travel in Switzerland is easy. Trains are clean and run on time. Stations are well signposted and fellow travellers are considerate. The trains we travelled on all had luggage areas and toilets. It is a stress-free way to get around the country.

Being on the train is also a great way to do some sight seeing on route. Some of the rail lines travel through the most gorgeous mountain scenery. One day we travelled on the Glacier Express, on a 6 hour journey from Chur to Zermatt. The train travels through valleys, up mountains, past lakes and glaciers.

The only confusing thing connected to train travel in Switzerland is deciding what type of ticket or rail pass to buy. Sure you can buy tickets from place to place as you go, but there are various passes that may work our more economical depending on your itinerary and rail usage.

I spent some time before our trip calculating out the cost of buying various tickets versus rail passes, and in our case determined that a Swiss Pass offered the best value. The Swiss Pass is valid on almost all trains (supplement required on some speciality trains), on buses, ferries (that you can catch to/from Montreux on Lake Geneva), and we got 50% off the cost of cable cars and mountain transport in Zermatt.

You can investigate Rail Passes here

Train timetables and routing here

Montreux is well connected with Geneva and Lausanne by means of rail. There is also a panoramic Goldenpass train that originates in Montreux and continues on towards Lucerne. A change of trains on this line can also allow a scenic way to get to Interlaken from here. There is also a dock for the lake steamers. They stop at various places, one of which is the Chateau de Chillon. I believe this is the best approach to the castle.

One can simply walk around the town with ease. Of course, anything away from the lake will require some uphill walking. The path by the lake is nice and easily walkable.

Arrive from Lausanne by local or semi-fast train along the lakeshore to enjoy the stunning lake views.

But make sure you leave by the MOB (Montreux Oberland Bern) train, sometimes known as the Golden Pass. The two-hour run over the mountains to Zweisimmen is breathtaking.

At Zweisimmen connections will take you to Spiez for Interlaken, Luzern, and anywhere else you need to get to.

SWISSAIR: Click Here
Anyone not from the European regions should fly in.
But for those nearby, the SWISS RAIL IS BEST! Very punctual and convenient! I've nothing but exaltations for this mode of transport in Switzerland!

Definitely the SWISS RAIL! All other cable cars & rail services are equally good in Switzerland! What an engineering feat to build all those cable cars leading up to the top of the mountains. Great sceneries & sights (getting up there is a breeze & in real comfort!).