Montreux tourist guide and hotel info

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About the city

Montreux is a municipality in the district of Vevey in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located on Lake Geneva and has a population of 22,897.
It is mostly known for its world-famous month-long Jazz Festival, which is a bit of a misnomer, as you’re just as likely to catch David Bowie or Beck as, say Steve Coleman. Montreux is well worth a wander through, if only to get to the scenic Château de Chillon or to Hauts de Montreux, as well as seeing the monument dedicated to Freddie Mercury.   

City areas

 Famous for its two biggest landmarks, the Freddie Mercury monument and the Château de Chillon, Montreux is also known for being mentioned in the lyrics of bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Queen.

Attractions

While in town you can explore Montreux’s old houses and crooked streets, or stroll along the quayside promenade by the lake. But the only way to discover Montreux’s charms is by investing a lot of foot power.

Events

Although not famous for the quantity of events, Montreux is host to some of Europe’s most important ones. Among these is the Montreux Jazz Festival which isn’t really just a jazz fest anymore since today’s program extends to blues, rock and pop.

Restaurants and nightlife

Dining out in Montreux is a unique experience as the wonderful cuisine here varies from Austrian, German, Swiss, French and Chinese. The nightlife is also different from that of a normal small town. 

History and civilization

The ancient city of Montreux was situated at the fork in the Roman road from Italy over the Simplon Pass, where the roads to the Roman capital of Aventicum and the road into Gaul through Besançon separated. This made it an important settlement in Roman times.

European capital of music

Every year in July Montreux is host to the famous month-long Montreux Jazz Festival. This musical phenomenon has featured so far jazz and blues legends like Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Charlie Mingus and Dexter Gordon, as well as rock-pop icons such as Beck, David Bowie and Kid Rock.