When I was preparing my first trip to Geneva, I looked for a boat trip on Lake Geneva. Naive, I thought that I could find one that goes from Geneva to the Château de Chillon. But the lake is so much bigger than what I thought and the castle is way too far. I already wanted to go to Lausanne, so I organized a second short trip including it and Montreux. You see, when I searched for “château de Chillon”, I found the flower-line promenade that goes to the castle and it looked just so beautiful that I had to do it.
Montreux And Its Flower-Lined Quays
How Far Is The Promenade From Montreux Train Station?
The flower-lined promenade is really not that far from the train station: about 4 minutes by foot. And there are several signs guiding you, so you shouldn’t get lost. The tourist office is in front of the quays.
If you start the walk in Montreux, it’s about 45 minutes to reach the castle. But you can also walk from Vevey to Villeneuve and then, it’s 10 km. I think the path from Montreux is enough, especially if you do the return as well. It’s very accessible and flat until the castle, where it’s sometimes a bit more uphill and bumpy. It’s fairly easy for the whole time, and there are several benches.
Depending on the season and the time you go, you could return to Montreux using a boat.
Why Is There A Statue Of Freddie Mercury In Montreux?
When Freddie Mercury came to Montreux for the jazz festival in 1978, he fell in love with the city and settled there. And he recorded his last album at the Montreux studio.
In his memory, a bronze statue was erected in 1996 and fans keep bringing flowers to honor him.
What Type Of Flowers Will You See?
There are all kinds of flowers, even exotic ones and palm trees. As I came during Spring, the flowers were amazing with incredible colors that contrasted with the lake behind. There are a lot of sculptures along the walk and, when I was there, some temporary animals made of plants were installed.
They each represented a real animal whose name is composed of two animal names. For example, in French, Guinea Pig is “Cochon d’inde”, literally India Pig, but “d’inde” also sounds like “dinde” which is a turkey. I know, it’s complicated to translate this pun… So there was a pig next to a cooked turkey. There was also a “moustique tigre” or tiger mosquito, and there was a tiger and a mosquito. Anyway, I thought it was fun.
Along the walk, there are restaurants and bars. Be prepared, some of them want only cash.
There are some animals as well, I saw a swan nesting. Less pleasant are the numerous spider webs on the second section of the promenade.
What About The Château De Chillon?
The Château de Chillon or Chillon Castle is a charming medieval castle partly on the lake. It was built on a rocky island, and the view of the castle, the mountains in the background and the crystal clear waters of the lake is stunning.
I didn’t enter the castle, that was not my goal. But it’s open all day to the public if you pay 15 CHF (for an adult).
To see more pictures of Switzerland, you can visit the gallery Switzerland.
