Getting to historic, romantic St Prex near Morges on the northern shores of Lake Geneva is easy by car or public transportation (boat, boat, bus, and train). The small town is also a popular destination for hikers and cyclists.
St Prex is a lovely small town with a historic town center and romantic cobble-stone pavements. Its original medieval town gate tower and an even older church survived to the present but visiting St Prex is mostly to enjoy its romantic atmosphere and enjoy the lovely lakeside promenades and beaches. Easy transportation makes St Prex a popular day-trip destination from Geneva and Lausanne with Route Suisse passing through the town. Trains and bus services are also available while CGN Lake Geneva pleasure cruise boats also call a few times per day during the tourism season.
Driving to St Prex near Morges in Switzerland
St Prex is easiest reached by car. Parking is generally free but blue zone and can be problematic, especially on sunny days. Follow signs to parking lots at the outskirts of the old town center – the short walks are pleasant enough.
St Prex is on the main road on the northern shores of Lake Geneva. This national road – here usually referred to as Route Suisse – is the N1 in Switzerland and should not be confused with the parallel Autoroute A1 that passes slightly further inland. The closest Autobahn exits to St Prex are Aubonne (follow signs to Etoy industrial zone to reach Route Suisse) or Morges Ouest (turn right onto the lake road at the traffic circle rather than following the main traffic to the town center).
Driving distances to St Prex are 6 km from Morges, 18 km from Lausanne, and 46 km (30 minutes) from Geneva Airport (GVA).
By Swiss Railways Train to St Prex on Lake Geneva
St Prex is a stop on the S-Bahn train S3 that connects Allaman and Villeneuve generally once per hour. To the west, traveling times are 4 minutes to Allaman and 2 minutes to Etoy; to the east, traveling times are 2 minutes to Tolochenaz, 4 minutes to Morges, with further stops at amongst others Lausanne (17 min) and Montreux (46 minutes). See Swiss Railways for timetables for all forms of public transportation in Switzerland.
To reach St Prex from Geneva Airport, Geneva-Cornavin, and Nyon, transfers are always required. The best option is often to travel to Morges and backtrack, or change trains in Allaman. Traveling time from Geneva Airport to St Prex by train with transfers is just less than an hour.
It is a short walk to the old town and Lac Léman from St Prex SBB / CFF train station – at the traffic circle, cross Route Suisse and head for the church. Enjoy the views and then use the exit to the left for the shorter, downhill route to the old town.
By Mobilis Bus to St Prex from Morges and Etoy
St Prex can also be reached on the bus that connects Morges and Etoy train stations. The bus and trains are part of the Mobilis network and separate tickets are not required when combining bus and train travel.
The bus service operates generally hourly but not on Sundays or public holidays. The stop closest to the old town in St Prex is St Prex-Place d’Armes. Bus traveling times from Morges or Etoy train stations to St Prex are around 10 minutes.
As the bus departs from Morges and Etoy train stations, it offers a good alternative to waiting for the next train when traveling to St Prex.
By CGN Lake Geneva Pleasure Boat to St Prex
St Prex can also be reached romantically by CGN Lake Geneva pleasure boat. It is usually a stop on the Lausanne-Ouchy, St Sulpice, Morges, St Prex, Rolle route.
During the summer season mid-June to mid-September, up to three boats stop at St Prex per day in each direction, with two boats going all the way to Geneva. During the shoulder season, usually two boats stop at St Prex on weekends (from Nyon rather than Geneva). During the winter timetable (mid-December to mid-April), no Lac Léman pleasure boats call at St Prex.
- See Pleasure Boats on Lake Geneva for more details
Hiking in the St Prex Region of Lake Geneva
St-Prex is a popular hiking destination or seen en route by walkers in the La Côte region. To the western side of the old town, the Sentier du Lac is around a kilometer-long walkway along the shores of the lake. Although mostly paved, it is off-limits to bicycles, inline skaters, and rollers.
The St Prex tourism office developed a Sentier du Patrimoine rouge et blanc, which is a walking route through the town and region with 12 plaques explaining the history, development, fauna, and flora of St Prex. Plaques are present at the Clock Tower, the CGN landing, and the train station making any of these places a good point to start the walk from. Further walks include the Sentier de la Truite, which follows streams and is more inland from the lake.
Hiking times from St Prex are around 1h30 to Allaman, 2h45 to Rolle, and to Morges 1h30 on the most direct route or 2h20 via the more scenic Sentier de la Truite.
Cycling to St Prex near Morges in Switzerland
Route Suisse, or the lakeside national road between Geneva and Lausanne, is very popular with cyclists, especially over weekends. Long stretches of the road have special cycling lanes but it is often necessary to cycle directly on the road as well. This is mostly necessary on stretches where the road is narrow making it unsuitable for families with children.
The St Prex tourist office has three cycling suggestions in the region. These include an easy 5 km ride, a longer but easy 11 km cycle, and a more challenging mountain bike trail of just over 11 km.
It is also possible to cycle all the way around Lake Geneva on marked bicycle routes.
For More on St Prex See Also
- Visit Romantic St Prex – a guide to the history, sights, promenades, and beaches of this small romantic old town
- Photos of St Prex