Swiss Riviera Day

Trip: Lausanne, Montreux

& Chillon Castle

Your private guide meets you at your hotel in Geneva, Interlaken, Gstaad or Bern. From the outset, the experience feels relaxed, with no rigid group schedule or waiting – just a comfortable vehicle and a scenic route along the lake.

As you get further from Geneva, vineyards begin to appear on steep hillsides. Once you approach Lausanne, the lake opens wide beneath the Alps.

In Lausanne, your guide leads you through the cobbled streets of the Old Town to the 13th-century Gothic Cathedral, one of the finest in Switzerland. From the terrace, you’ll look out across the lake toward the French Alps.

A short drive brings you to the Olympic Museum park overlooking the water. Even without entering the museum, the lakeside sculptures and landscaped gardens provide context to Lausanne’s role as the Olympic capital.

The Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stretch for nearly 30 kilometres along the lake. Your guide navigates narrow vineyard roads to small villages such as Epesses or Cully, where stone houses and cellar doors line the streets.

Here, you’ll step into a centuries-old wine cellar for a curated tasting. The region is known for Chasselas – a crisp white wine shaped by lake-reflected sunlight and terraced slopes. This element transforms the day into a refined Switzerland wine tour, and for many guests, it becomes their favourite moment of the itinerary.

After your private tasting, your guide will bring you to a prebooked lakeside restaurant, either tucked within the Lavaux terraces or along the Montreux waterfront. Expect seasonal Swiss cuisine with a strong regional influence – fresh lake fish, local cheeses, and produce from nearby farms.

Set directly on the water’s edge, Chillon Castle appears almost to float on Lake Geneva. With your Chillon Castle private tour, you bypass entry queues and explore its towers, courtyards, and medieval halls with a dedicated guide.

Originally a Savoyard stronghold dating largely from the 12th and 13th centuries, the castle later inspired writers such as Lord Byron. Inside, vaulted ceilings and lakeside windows frame views back toward the Alps.

Montreux feels subtly different – palm trees, Belle Époque façades, and a gentle Riviera atmosphere. You’ll stroll along the flower-lined promenade to the Freddie Mercury statue, a tribute to the singer who recorded here with Queen.

Nearby, you can visit the “Queen: The Studio Experience” inside the former Mountain Studios. Then, a brief stop in Vevey allows you to see the Charlie Chaplin statue and the famous giant fork emerging from the lake. It’s light-hearted, photogenic, and a charming way to close the day before your private return transfer to your hotel.