To give you an idea of some of the spectacular places you can visit in this region, we will feature each month a photo of one of its many great locations. Since we rely on recommendations, please send us your special photo taken, for example, on a memorable day out at a water park or from a remarkable viewpoint in the area.
Montreux, Switzerland
Located at one extremity of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), Montreux is known for its Jazz festival that takes place in May. Charlie Chaplin and Freddie Mercury (both have statues erected by the lakefront) as well as other famous people have lived and continue to live on the Vaud Riviera covering Vevey, Montreux, and surrounding areas. We thought it would be a good idea to present Montreux for the month of December, 2010, for their Christmas market is extremely well-known and loved.
There are many things you can enjoy in a day, even if you already live there! If you live further away you may drive, use the train, or take a cruise on the lake to your destination. Here are just a few ideas to get you going.
To give you an idea of some of the spectacular places you can visit in this region, we will feature each month a photo of one of its many great locations. Since we rely on recommendations, please send us your special photo taken, for example, on a memorable day out at a water park or from a remarkable viewpoint in the area.
A day trip to the flower of Lake Geneva
Submitted by Maria Murphy, www.lulaloo.ch
Whenever we feel like going on day trip and can’t decide where to go or what to do, we always do the same thing: we look at the map of Lake Geneva and choose a town we’ve never visited before and just go. Last weekend we chose Morges – the flower of Lake Geneva!
I am a big fan of tulips and flowers in general (they are a great inspiration for my designs), and this is a place I had always wanted to visit. We arrived a bit late for the tulips (there is a festival in June lasting six weeks with over 100,000 tulips), but as you can see from the pictures I took, not for the dahlias. I did not know so many different varieties of dahlias existed. I counted over fifty! The flowers are arranged all along the lakeside, so you have the lake on one side and the dahlias on the other. Not a bad walk!
The kids really enjoyed the flowers as well; they were busy picking the petals on the ground and trading them as if they were paninis... It is a good idea to bring scooters or bikes: there are bike lanes all along the lakeside. There are also a good number of parks and playgrounds.
If flowers are not your thing, the town offers other attractions, both for adults and kids. The main street is very nice and jovial, with more of an “old Europe” flavour than you might find in Geneva or Nyon. You can also take a train ride from Morges to Bière (about 18 km, 11 miles from Morges) and visit the small country villages in the Jura. If you’re looking for something fun to do around Christmas, Morges’ is said to have the biggest (covered) Christmas market in French-speaking Switzerland (8th – 12th December). Be sure to check out the Morges Tourism website for more information about these and other activities: www.morges-tourisme.ch/en/
Take a look at some of the other photos which Maria took In Morges...
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To give you an idea of some of the spectacular places you can visit in this region, we will feature each month a photo of one of its many great locations. Since we rely on recommendations, please send us your special photo taken, for example, on a memorable day out at a water park or from a remarkable viewpoint in the area.
Aix les Bains
www.aixlesbains.com
If you’re looking for an interesting day out with the family this month, you might like to venture a little further afield and try visiting Aix-les-Bains. It is situated just beyond Annecy in the direction of Chambéry.
This small French town has a little bit of everything to offer its visitors, including shopping, eating and relaxing. If you go on a Saturday morning, you must visit the farmer’s market – and remember to take your camera with you – it’s an impressive sight!
If the weather’s good and you have plenty of time, treat yourself to a cruise along the lake and the Canal de Savières – The Compagnie des Bateaux du Lac du Bourget et du Haut-Rhône offers a wide choice of outings ranging from one hour to all day. Take a look at their website (www.gwel.com) for more details.
To give you an idea of some of the spectacular places you can visit in this region, we will feature each month a photo of one of its many great locations. Since we rely on recommendations, please send us your special photo taken, for example, on a memorable day out at a water park or from a remarkable viewpoint in the area.
Tourist Office
1663 Gruyères
0848 424 424
www.gruyeres.ch
www.la-gruyere.ch
www.moleson.ch
www.fribourgregion.ch
Directions: A1 autoroute past Lausanne, follow signs towards Grand St-Bernard onto the A12. Exit Bulle. Follow signs to Château d’Oex and Gruyère. 1½ hours from Geneva.
