Transportation to Montreux on Lac Léman in Switzerland is easy by car, train, boat or plane via Geneva or Zurich airport.
Getting to Montreux in Switzerland is easy by car, or using public transportation including trains or pleasure boats. Montreux is on the far northeastern shore of Lake Geneva with good rail and road connections to other parts of Switzerland, France, and Italy. The closest airport to Montreux is Geneva Airport (GVA) but flying via Zurich Airport (ZRH) is also easy, as rail connections are both fast and frequent. Klook gives easy online quotations without requiring flight details and private information.
Driving to Montreux on Lake Geneva, Switzerland
Traveling by car to Montreux is easy from most parts of Switzerland. Montreux can be reached from the Autoroute A12 exit Montreux or from the southeast exit Villeneuve, which is also convenient for traveling to Chateau de Chillon Castle.
From Geneva, follow the Autoroute A1 to Lausanne, and then the A12 to Montreux. Travelers from Basel, Zurich, and Germany should take the Autobahn A12 from Bern and drive this beautifully located highway via Fribourg to Montreux, Lavaux, and the eastern Lac Léman region.
Driving distances and times to Montreux are from:
- Genève – 90 km / 1h
- Lausanne – 30 km / 30 min
- Bern – 90 km / 1h
- Zurich – 210 km / 2h15
- Basel – 180 km / 2h
- Munich – 520 km / 5h
- Frankfurt – 500 km / 5h
- Paris – 560 km / 6h
- Lyon – 230 km / 2h30
- Evian-les-Bains – 40 km / 50 min
- Calais – 800 km / 8h
- Brussels – 750 / 7h30
- Milano – 300 km / 3h40
- Venice – 560 / 6h30
The lakeside road near and through Montreux is often dog slow – not only during daily rush hours but also on sunny Sunday afternoons.
Parking in Montreux can be problematic – it is often best to head straight for one of the underground parking garages. During major events such as the Montreux Marché de Noël and the Montreux Jazz Festival, it is often necessary to park in one of the nearby small towns (clearly signposted) and use the shuttle buses to Montreux. Using the train to major festivals and events in Montreux is usually the better option.
Flying to Montreux on Lac Léman, Switzerland
Geneva Airport (GVA) is the closest airport to Montreux and the most logical choice for travelers arriving by air. From Geneva Airport to Montreux is around an hour by either car or very frequent trains. Klook gives online quotations without requiring flight details and private information.
However, Zurich Airport (ZRH) is also a good choice for travelers heading to Montreux, especially for intercontinental arrivals. From ZRH to Montreux is around two hours by car or three hours by train. Either way is often faster and cheaper than having to use a further connecting flight via Geneva.
- See Flying to Montreux on Lac Léman for more details on transportation options from Geneva or Zurich Airport to Montreux
Public Transportation to Montreux in Switzerland
Montreux has good railway connections to the rest of Switzerland and also surprisingly short traveling times to several European cities including Paris and Milan. Direct trains are available to Montreux from Geneva, Lausanne, towns in the Rhone Valley, and Milano. For travelers from other cities, it is usually necessary to change trains in Lausanne.
See Swiss Railways for online timetables and tickets – buy tickets before boarding trains. Omio is also a very good source for international and long-distance train tickets with good special deals when committing to a specific train.
Swiss Trains to Montreux on Lake Geneva
Montreux is on the mainline train service from Geneva Airport via Genève-Cornavin station and Lausanne to the Rhone Valley towns including Sion, Brig, and Visp. Generally, around four trains per hour are available from Geneva – two direct – taking around an hour from Geneva-Cornavin to Montreux. Trains from Lausanne take around 20 minutes for regular mainline trains or 30 minutes (S-Bahn S1 or S3) – around 4 trains are available per hour.
From other major cities in Switzerland, two train connections per hour are usually available for travel to Montreux. Train changes are always required – usually in Lausanne, but occasionally in Morges.
Train traveling times to Montreux are from:
- Bern – 1h30
- Zurich – 2h30
- Basel – 2h30 / 3h
Useful local trains for travel in the Montreux region include:
- S-Bahn S3 (main stops include Villeneuve – Veytaux-Chillon – Territet – Montreux – Clarens – Burier – La Tour-de-Peilz – Vevey – Lausanne – Renens VD – Morges – Allaman)
- S-Bahn S2 (main stops include Vallorbe – Morges – Lausanne – Vevey – Montreux – Villeneuve)
- Trains from Montreux to Zweisimmern via Gstaad (sometimes on the Golden Pass panorama trains).
- Rack railway to Rochers de Naye to enjoy the views or visit Santa Clause’s mountain top workshop.
International Euro-City, ICE and TGV Lyria Trains to Montreux
Montreux can also easily be reached by train from many European cities. For train passengers arriving from France, Belgium, and London, the fast TGV Lyria trains from Paris to either Genève or Lausanne, both with excellent onward connections to Montreux, are particularly useful. Travelers from Italy should travel via Milan. Trains may be reserved through various outlets including Omio (very easy to use), or French Railways English sites: RailEurope (USA / World) and Voyages SNCF (UK).
Milano, Italy
Direct Euro-City train (EC) services connect Montreux with Milano up to four times per day in just less than three hours. One train per day continues past Milano all the way to Venice in six hours, while many further connections are available from Milan to the rest of Italy. See timetables at Omio.
Paris, France – TGV Lyria
Around 14 connections per day to Montreux are available from Paris-Gare de Lyon with TGV Lyria trains via Genève-Cornavin taking around 4h30 and via Lausanne 4h06.
London-St Pancras, UK – Eurostar & TGV Lyria via Paris
Around ten daily connections are available from London-St Pancras with the Eurostar and transfer in Paris to the TGV Lyria trains for Switzerland. Total train traveling times from London to Montreux is around 8 hours, although faster than 7 hours is possible for travelers knowing their way around Paris train stations and metros. See timetables at Omio.
Brussels, Belgium – TGV Thalys & TGV Lyria via Paris
Around 12 connections per day are possible from Brussels to Montreux. Once again, most passengers have to transit from Paris-Gare du Nord to Paris-Gare de Lyon to reach Switzerland on the TGV Lyria service. The total train traveling times from Brussels to Montreux is just less than 7 hours.
Germany, ICE via Basel
Trains from Frankfurt am Main to Montreux take around six hours. Changes are usually required in Basel. Book through German Railways.
Travel by Boat to Montreux on Lake Geneva
Boats, especially the Grand Epoch steamships operated by CGN, provide the most romantic transportation to Montreux. Lake Geneva pleasure boats frequently call at Montreux and the nearby Chateaux de Chillon.
Cruising in this part of the lake offers particularly beautiful scenery with the Alps in the background and the beautiful vineyards of the Lavaux especially when heading towards Lausanne in the late afternoon.
Even in winter, boats stop at Montreux although mostly on weekends only.