Montreaux, Switzerland essential city guide

A grand, aristocratic 19th-century resort town with a balmy microclimate and extraordinary lake and mountain scenery, but it also has its raffish side. Brian Johnston reveals all in our Montreaux city guide.

Known for

Its jazz festival, Chillon Castle, and lakeside living

Eat streets

Head onto the main street to find the warm trattoria-style eatery La Rouvenaz, a favourite with locals. It specialises in wood-fired pizzas and pastas, as well as seafood dishes, and has both a wine and gelato bar.

Of course, you could always sacrifice an arm and a leg for a two-Michelin-star meal at Le Pont de Brent, where Swiss and French specialties are dished up in a charming country house in the hills above town.

Out & about

The rack railway (sbb.ch) that hauls passengers from Montreux to the 2042-metre Rochers-de-Naye peak isn’t for the fainthearted as it winds ever higher above the lake, with increasingly glorious views over the surrounding Alps.

July’s three-week annual Montreux Jazz Festival sees the world’s top guitarists, jazz singers and blues and rock artists take to various stages located around the city for one of the world’s foremost music festivals.

Insider’s secret

Though a statue of one-time Montreux resident Freddie Mercury stands prominently on the lakefront, it’s surprising how many people miss the terrific Queen Studio Experience, perhaps because it’s tucked obscurely into the casino.

Queen recorded seven albums here, and this shrine of memorabilia is illuminating; you can even mix your own track. mercuryphoenixtrust.com

Retail reconnaissance

Montreux is a relatively small city, but its main drag of Grand’Rue has no end of upmarket fashions, watches and chocolates.

There’s also a covered food market on the waterfront that runs on Fridays, with the adjacent small Forum mall featuring lots of fashion and gift stores worth browsing.

The essential experience

One of the best ways to see the real beauty of Montreux’s surroundings is on foot. Take a stunningly beautiful 40-minute walk along flower-lined lakeshore promenades to the Château of Chillon and take in the snow-covered panorama of the mountains that dwarf it.

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Caffeine hit

Zurcher has been tempting well-heeled customers for more than 130 years. linger over lemon tarts, chocolate cakes and layered pastries oozing indecent quantities of cream.

Stay & play

Affordable

Montreux Youth Hotel is perhaps Switzerland’s best budget retreat, with a great near-lakeshore setting, convivial dining room, colourful décor and room choices including doubles and dorms.

Moderate

What Eurotel Montreux’s rooms lack in personality, it more than makes up for with its friendly service and magnificent lake views. Its Safran Restaurant terrace combines fabulous outlooks with great local fish dishes.

Luxe

Fairmont Le Montreux Palace is a yellow-and-white Belle-Époque pile that has been setting the tone since 1906. Three restaurants, one lakeshore wellness centre and perhaps a million geraniums all combine beautifully.

Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

1. Easy access to good food

meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 — Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

2. Better sleep options

Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room — Sleep deeply with Novotel.

There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

3. More ways to move

woman hiking around queenstown new zealand — Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

4. Better connections

Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

5. Location is everything

Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld — Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.

Montreux, Switzerland; Essential city guide