Montreux Jazz Festival 2007

[stephiefab]

This will be my very first trip to the Montreux Jazz Festival. I plan one going to one week of the jazz festival and then seeing other sights for the next week. Does anyone who has been before have any travel tips for me? I am still looking for airfare, I want to tour Neushwanstenstein Castle (spelled wrong sorry), tour at least one chocolate factory and visit neighboring countries without too many problems.



Any suggestions? Travel tips? Special places you found when you were in Switzerland?Thanks.

[daldoc]

Have never been to the jazz festival but have been to nearby town of Lausanne and Geneva is not too far either. Both are great towns with lots to see, you can take a boat trip from Montreux to either locations. Lausanne is the home of the Olympic museum. Another place not too far by train is Interlacken and from there you can go to the Jungfrau, a great train trip up to the highest spot by train in the Alps. You are pretty far from the place you want to see. If I am thinking you want to see Castle Neuschwanstien which is in Southern Germany closer to Munich. The best place to fly into would either be Zurich and take a train to Montreux or to Zurich and than Geneva and than a train. Have a great time.

[Flowers_Family]

Hi There,



I have lived in Montreux for several years and the festival is wonderful.



For the chocolate factory book as early as possible for the chocolate train - a great day out from Montreux with scenic train, chocolate factory visit, Gruyere castle and cheese factory. www.mob.ch



For checking out Switzerland plan using myswitzerland.com and the train is on www.rail.ch. Make sure you investigate the different types of rail passes.



Schloss Neuwenstein is a huge way to go - at least a day either way. Its a wierd castle - it was never actually lived in and only 3 rooms were made - it looks like the jigsaw puzzles but hasn't got an old castle feel.



Interlaken is excellent. You can get by beautiful train ride from Geneva. Take the day trip to Shilthorn / Piz Gloria (Bolfeld's lair in On Her Majesty's Secret Service).Similarly Zermatt (Matterhorn) is great - good summer hiking.Wouldn't plan much time for Geneva / Lausanne.



Alternatively its 3 hours by train to Milan Italy or a couple of hours to Chamonix/Mont BlancFrance.

[gumdr714]

We did the Jazz Festival a few years ago. Fly into Geneva but you can do a day at the most. Took the train to Montreaux that was quick and easy. From there we rented a car and drove to Zermatt for hiking and then to Bellagio. The Jazz Fest was fun, there are a lot of free activities. If you are in to music/jazz, go to the North Sea Jazz Festival which just moved to Rotterdam.

[lhbrown]

Hi,
Do you mean by any chance the Castle Neuschwanstein, King Ludwig II of Bavaria's Castle near Fuessen in Southern Germany. This is the castle that the Walt Disney Castle was patterned on. If you do mean Castle Neuschwanstein, it is quite a ways away from Montreux, Switzerland, but well worth the trip. Nearby there is also King Ludwig II's Hunting castle of "Schloss Linderhof" and "Schloss Herren Chiemsee" his copy of Versailles. All three castles can be seen in a day if you drive, but I would recommend a night in Oberammergau where the Passion Plays take place every ten year. This whole area of Southern Bavaria is just wonderful and well worth a trip.

[stephiefab]

Thanks for your assistance. When you say that the castle is quite far away from Montreux - exactly how far would you say by train? Thanks.

[daldoc]

i would think the train would be at least 6 + hours you would have to get to Zurich and than into germany from there.

[pauljohnson]

I've never been to the festival but I visited Lausanne last year. We stayed at the Lausanne Palace which I can thoroghly recommend. We had a suite with fabulous views of Lake Geneva and beyond to France.



Paul