Lake Geneva Region

The French-speaking region of Switzerland centered on Lake Geneva, covering Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux and Gruyères, where lake views, terraced vineyards and castles coexist.

This region is defined by whole cantons and includes the cantons of Geneva, Vaud, Fribourg, Neuchâtel and Jura, which corresponds to the combination of the Swiss Tourism Board's Geneva, Lake Geneva Region, Fribourg Region and Jura & Three-Lakes regions. It is bounded to the southeast by the Vaud Alps and the canton of Valais (Valais is listed separately as a whole) and to the northeast by the canton of Bern; the north shore of Lake Biel and the Bernese Jura go with the Bern region.

Core highlights: Geneva's Jet d'Eau, old town and Palace of Nations; Lausanne's cathedral and Olympic Museum; the UNESCO World Heritage Lavaux vineyard terraces; the Montreux lakefront and the lakeside Chillon Castle; the old town of Fribourg, the medieval town of Gruyères with its cheese workshops, and the chocolate factory in Broc; Lake Neuchâtel and the old town of Murten; and, in the Jura mountains, the watchmaking towns of La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle (also World Heritage sites).

Classic plan: the lakeside route of Geneva–Lausanne–Lavaux–Montreux takes 3–4 days, and you can cruise the lake on a Belle Époque–style paddle steamer; add Gruyères and the GoldenPass Line (Montreux–Zweisimmen–Interlaken) to connect to the Bernese Oberland, for a total of 5–6 days.

Getting around: Geneva Airport has trains directly to the city center and to the towns along the lake, SBB trains run frequently, and the Swiss Travel Pass covers most trains and lake boats.

Notes: Geneva is extremely expensive, so ask your hotel for the free Geneva Transport Card; on summer weekends, accommodation around the lake is tight, so book in advance.

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