Scenic Trains
Glacier
Express
Bernina
Express
Golden
Pass Line
Wilhelm
Tell Express
Mont
Blanc - St Bernard
Palm
Express
Excursion Trains
Jungfraujoch
Chocolate
Train
Gornergrat
Matterhorn
Mt
Pilatus Railway
Mt
Rigi Railway
Roches
De Naye
Lake Geneva Attractions
Lake
Geneva Cruises
Castle
Chillon
Castle
Aigle
Alimentarium
Vevey
Theme
Hiking Trails
SWITZERLAND BY RAIL - LAKE GENEVA REGION
WHAT'S ON - WINTER 2013-2014
Holiday Markets Montreux-Lausanne
November 22 to December
24 2013
Switzerland's most famous Christmas Market on Lake Geneva, Montreux
Noel extends from the lakeside quays and up into the mountains above.
More than 150 crafts vendors set up stands in colorfully decorated mini-chalets
in Montreux up to Santa’s Village shop in Rochers de Naye, high
above the lake
A 20 minute train ride away the Lausanne Christmas Market offers the traditional holiday fare while the second annual Festival Lausanne Lumières lights up the streets of the lakeside city of Lausanne and artist created illumination installations light the city center, adorning bridges, streets and building facades.
Château d'Oex Hot-Air Balloon Festival
January 25 to February
2, 2014
The mountain village of Château-d'Oex along the Golden Pass Route
hosts the 36th annual International Festival de Ballons. Château-d'Oex
has become the world capital of hot air ballooning due to its extraordinary
micro-climate. It was from this little village that Bertrand Piccard
and Brian Jones lifted off in their around the world Breitling Orbiter
balloon in 1999. Now, once a year over 80 balloons from 20 countries
rise into the skies over the alps at the Chateau
D'Oex Balloon Festival.
Openings and Re-Openings
Vevey Watchmaking Workshop
In Vevey, swiss watchmakers Lionel Meylan and his son, Julien, open
their precision workshop to the public. Visitors can sit at a workbench
and learn the fine art of assembling a Swiss watch.
No previous experience is necessary, just patience and steady hands.
The workshops by appointment only last for 3 hours and cost $325.
Morges and Lausanne Hotels
In Morges, which hosts the annual Tulip Festival every spring, the four
star Hostellerie Le Petit Manoir hotel opens its 14
new rooms, built in the French-style this elegant 18th century manor
house. The hotel
boasts a wellness area and Le Restaurant du Petit Manoir, supervised
by Chef Julien Retler, who won the Gault & Millau discovery award
in 2012 and was awarded a star by the Michelin Guide in 2013.
The legendary lakeside 5-star Beau Rivage Palace hotel
in the Ouchy district of Lausanne, reopens after a major renovation
by Interior
designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, transforming 37 of the guestrooms. Rochon
is noted for his redesigns of London's Savoy and the Four Seasons Georges
V in Paris. By the time work concludes in May of 2014, 61 more rooms
will have been completed. Visit the hotel where Byron wrote the Prisoner
of Chillon. Origin of
Author Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Olympic Museum
The Olympic Museum in Lausanne which has been closed for 2 years for major renovation is expected to reopen this winter. The museum features an extensive interactive collection documenting the history of the Olympic Games. A 14 foot tall Omega countdown clock is located in the nearby Place de la Navigation, ticking down the time left until the Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia in February and the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics in 2016.