Lausanne

Geneva

Montreux

Montreux - Rochers-de-Naye

Leysin - La Berneuse

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LAUSANNE

www.lausanne.ch

LAUSANNE tends to inspire hyperbole. In a country of spectacular natural beauty it is the most beautiful of cities, Switzerland’s San Francisco, a city of incredibly steep hills that has developed tiered above the lake on a succession of compact, south-facing terraces. Vistas of blue water, glittering sunlight and the purple and grey of the looming, white-capped Savoy Alps peep through between gaps in buildings or at the ends of steeply dropping alleys. Much of the city is still wooded; there are plenty of parks, and the tree-lined lakefront promenades spill over with lush, beds of vibrantly colourful flowers. Attractive, interesting, worldly, and well aware of how to have a good time, it’s simply Switzerland’s sexiest city.

Tour of Lausanne and vineyard

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GENEVA

www.geneve.ch

GENEVA is an anomaly, the nearest thing the world has to a truly international city, and yet with nothing of the pizzazz such a description might suggest. From its profile in world events, you’d imagine a megalopolis on the scale of London or New York, but Geneva is little more than town-sized. From its demographic diversity – 38 percent of the population are foreigners – you’d imagine its streets to be thronged with the nationalities of the world, but across most of the city centre you’d be hard pushed to spot a non-white face or eavesdrop on a conversation that wasn’t in either French or US-accented English. It’s in the most beautiful of locations, centred around the point where the River Rhône flows out of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman in French, Genfersee in German) flanked on one side by the Jura ridges and on the other by the first peaks of the Savoy Alps, but for all that, it’s a curiously unsatisfying place to spend more than a few days.

Tour of Geneva

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MONTREUX

www.montreux.ch

When in Montreux, take a deep breath and scan the horizon. To the south, there is Lake Geneva (Lac Leman) blessed by the gods and crowned by the majestic Alps. The Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn and dozens of other peaks soar skyward 4000 m and more. To the west and east, vineyards dot the lakeside terraces and reflect a gentle joie de vivre blessed by Bacchus, the god of wine. To the north, there are the Prealps where cheese making, skiing, hiking, paragliding, hot-air ballooning, rafting, canyoning, etc. reign supreme. In the middle, a charming city, pearl of the Swiss Riviera.

 Tour of Montreux and visit of the Castle of Chillon

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MONTREUX – ROCHERS-DE-NAYE

Trip to the “Rochers-de-Naye” (2045 meters) above Montreux

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LEYSIN – LA BERNEUSE

www.leysin.ch

The road from Aigle up into the mountains divides at Le Sépey – Les Diablerets is east, the Col des Mosses leading to Château d’Oex is north, while buses follow a tiny winding road west to the beautifully located little village of LEYSIN, once a high-altitude centre for the treatment of respiratory diseases, but now metamorphosed into a popular and well-maintained ski resort. Lifts and gondolas from the village serve a host of red and blue ski tracks, as well as a half-pipe for snowboarders below the peak of La Berneuse (2048 meters), where there’s a panoramic revolving restaurant. Summer hiking in this mountain hideaway is excellent.

Tour of Leysin and discovery of the panoramic restaurant of  “Kuklos”

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