Contrary to my last destination in the small Franco-German town of Colmar, Montreux is glitz and glamor all around. Boulevards are lined with high end stores, fancy hotels, a huge casino, and tall buildings with pretty architecture.

Hotel Helvetie is a boutique hotel situated on the main strip, Avenue du Casino. It is within an easy walk to restaurants, shops, Old Montreux, and one street over from the riviera.

Yes, I know….Switzerland isn’t part of France. It’s not even part of the European Union. But since it is so close to where I was in France’s Alsace region, and the people there speak French, I thought it would be nice to swing by for a visit. I’ve always heard that Switzerland is a beautiful country. I agree!

The Swiss Riviera

The food experience reflects the people around Switzerland because the nationalities are so diverse. There’s German, French, and Italian as the main players, particularly since those are the three countries that border Switzerland. But even within the city of Montreux, I met quite a few people from Poland, Spain, Portugal as well as from South America. In fact, I met more international residents than native Swiss people. When I asked one of the immigrants what is it that brings people from so many different countries, considering Montreux isn’t known for being a university or college town, I learned that the economy had good stability, which meant job opportunities. Places like Spain, Italy and Poland are still struggling and so many relocate to countries like Switzerland to find work.

Tagliatelle, tomato and basil gazpacho and gelato…

Of course being in Switzerland, you have to try the fondue and Raclette, one of their well known cheeses!

Did you know that Switzerland just like its neighbors is one of Europe’s major wine producers? So why is it that when we’re at the wine shops we never see a “Swiss” section, you might ask? Well apparently while much of the landscape is covered in vineyards and they produce a lot of great wines, Switzerland exports only very little of the production. The main grapes include Chasselas for whites and Pinot Noir for red wines. You can find out more about wines of Switzerland by clicking on the link below.

Swiss Wine

The Lavaux Vineyards of the nearby town, Lavaux, about 20 minutes from Montreux’s city centre are a protected Unesco World heritage site. These terraced vineyards date as far back as the 11th century, and some claim perhaps even the Roman era.

Domaine Bovy located in Chexbres (within walking distance from Lavaux vineyards) offers wine tastings on the beautiful terrace…

One of my favorite moments was strolling through Vieux Montreux or the old town. The views from the top of the hill are stunning…

Last but certainly not least….the Castles

Château de Chillon

On the day I went to the town of Aigle to visit the castle called Château d’ Aigle (about 30 minutes from Montreux) by the time I arrived there it was already past visiting hours. One of the employees who was by the gates saw me taking pictures and asked if I would like to come and photograph inside? Yes, of course! He closed the gates behind me since technically he said it was closed. But he allowed me to walk throughout the entire castle at my leisure and he even offered a brief history about it. The site for this particular castle built in the 12th century was chosen because of the prestigious vineyard that it sits on. As a result, the castle was dedicated to wine production and today, now houses a wine museum. Besides the museum and of course there’s the usual gift shop, the castle opens its gates as a gallery to host different art exhibits. On this day, the Eros Baccus (Eros meaning love, Bacchus meaning god of wine) was on display.