This Swiss resort, which basks in a gentle climate, enjoys a fine reputation for its status and the cultural events it hosts. Between Lake Geneva and the mountains, it also offers all kinds of opportunity to get away from it all.

Could you imagine coming upon a tiny area of Switzerland with a southern climate? That miracle well and truly exists in Montreux, a seaside resort on the banks of Lake Geneva which is south facing and sheltered from the fresh winds by an amphitheatre of mountains. This must be what has long been behind the charm of Montreux, the favoured resort of many tourists and the town whose praises had already been sung by the French author, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in The New Héloïse.

To spend a few days in Montreux is like living a fairy tale. The tranquillity of the town, the beautifully laid-out buildings, its sumptuous palaces and its boat trips around Lake Geneva make of it a place which both relaxes and energises. However, twice a year, the town explodes into activity when, the week after Easter, the International Choral Festival is held and, in July, the world-renowned Jazz Festival.

In addition to these events, Montreux is a town with a rich heritage. For example, there is the Château de Chillon, a medieval fortress built on a rocky island and its museums like the Audiorama, the Swiss National Museum for Sound and Vision and the new and futuristic Ruzo Museum, dedicated to the painter of that name. And when visitors feel a burning desire to venture further afield, all they have to do is to go down to the station and take one of the metric gauge trains to enjoy a glorious day out in the nearby mountains.