The Promenade in Brief
Montreux sits on the north-eastern shore of Lake Geneva, sheltered by mountains that give it a mild climate for its latitude. Its lakeside promenade, part of a waterfront path running from Vevey through Clarens and Montreux to Territet, Chillon and Villeneuve, is lined with flower beds, ornamental trees and palms, with the Alps of Savoy across the water. You can walk any section of it, and it is flat and easy throughout.
The most popular stretch is from the centre of Montreux to Château de Chillon, about 3 km, or roughly 45 minutes at a steady pace. The full walk from Vevey to Chillon is roughly 10 km and makes a pleasant half day.
Vevey to Clarens
If you start in Vevey, the town's lakefront has the large fork sculpture standing in the water in front of the Alimentarium food museum, a well-known photo stop. Vevey is also where Charlie Chaplin spent his final decades, and a statue of him stands on the waterfront. From here the path follows the shore east towards La Tour-de-Peilz and Clarens.
Clarens was the setting for much of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's 18th-century novel Julie, or the New Heloise, which helped make this shore famous among European travellers. Today it is a quieter residential stretch with villas and gardens behind the path.
Montreux Centre
As you reach central Montreux, the promenade becomes busier, with the Belle Époque hotels that grew up here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries rising above the shore. The Montreux Palace hotel was home to the writer Vladimir Nabokov for the last years of his life.
At Place du Marché, the statue of Freddie Mercury stands facing the lake. Queen had strong links with Montreux: the band bought Mountain Studios in the town in 1978 and recorded several albums there, and Mercury spent long periods in Montreux. The Queen Studio Experience in the Casino Barrière, where the studio was located, is a small exhibition about the band's time in Montreux, and entry is free.
The casino itself has its own music history. It burned down in December 1971 during a concert, an event that inspired Deep Purple's song Smoke on the Water, and it was rebuilt and reopened in 1975.
Territet to Chillon
East of the centre the promenade becomes calmer, passing Territet and its old hotels before reaching Château de Chillon on its rock at Veytaux. The approach on foot gives the best views of the castle. Allow around two hours if you plan to visit inside. Tickets and opening hours vary by season, so check the castle's official site before you go.
From Chillon you can return on foot, take trolleybus line 201 back along the shore, catch a regional train from Veytaux-Chillon, or in the main season take a boat.
Festivals on the Waterfront
The promenade is the setting for two major annual events:
- Montreux Jazz Festival: founded in 1967 and held every July, with ticketed concerts in the main halls and many free stages, bars and food stalls along the quays. The waterfront is very busy during the festival.
- Montreux Noël: the Christmas market sets up along the quays from late November to late December, with stalls, decorations and seasonal events.
Check each event's official site for current dates and programme, since these change every year.
Getting Up into the Hills
For a view over the lake, the Montreux–Glion–Rochers-de-Naye cog railway climbs from Montreux station to Rochers-de-Naye, at more than 2,000 m above the lake. The upper sections are seasonal, so check the timetable. A shorter option is to ride the train or funicular up to Glion for a view over the bay and walk back down.
To the west, the Lavaux vineyard terraces between Lausanne and Vevey are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and can be combined with the promenade on a longer day, using regional trains to connect the sections.
Practical Tips
- Walk west to east in the afternoon if you want the sun behind you while looking at Chillon.
- Benches, public fountains and cafés line most of the route, so you need little more than water and a hat in summer.
- The promenade is level and paved, suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs along most of its length.
- Boats of the Lake Geneva company (CGN) call at Vevey, Montreux and Chillon in season, so you can walk one way and sail back.
- In winter the promenade is quieter, but Montreux Noël brings crowds on December weekends.
