PRESS KIT 2021 Lavaux | © Maude Rion CONTENTS This PDF is dynamic 2 MONTREUX RIVIERA IN 10 WORDS & 10 PHOTOS 15 TOP 10 LEISURE ACTIVITIES 3 MONTREUX RIVIERA PURE INSPIRATION 17 TOP 10 CULTURAL ACTIVITIES 5 A DESTINATION WITH A GLORIOUS PAST 19 LIFESTYLE 19 The art of winemaking 6 A MULTIFACETED DESTINATION 21 The art of fine dining 6 Montreux, town of music 22 Shopping & markets 7 Vevey, town of images 8 Lavaux UNESCO, cultural landscape 23 EVENTS 9 Villeneuve, the waterfront market town 25 HEALTH & WELL-BEING 10 WHAT’S ON IN MONTREUX RIVIERA? 25 Clinics: State of the art care 10 Culture & Leisure 26 Wellness & Spa Centres: pamper yourself 11 Gastronomy 27 EDUCATION 12 CHAPLIN’S WORLD 28 MONTREUX RIVIERA, BUSINESS DESTINATION 13 CHILLON CASTLE 29 CONTACTS 14 LAVAUX, UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE 29 Medialibrary MONTREUX RIVIERA in 10 words & 10 photos Rochers-de-Naye | Sébastien Closuit Hôtel du Léman | © emo-photos Hôtel EPICURE INSPIRATION Les Grangettes | Fly-Xperience Les Grangettes Chillon Castle SHMS Caux | © Sébastien Staub MJF | © Marc Ducrest INSPIRATION HISTORY FUN EVENTS STUDY MOUNTAINS Jaman Jaman LAKES CULTURE Vevey RELAXATION Clinique La Prairie PAGE 2 PAGE MONTREUX RIVIERA pure inspiration Location: On the shores of Lake Geneva in the Canton of Vaud, in Switzerland, (French-speaking part) Destination: From Villeneuve to Lutry, passing through Montreux, Vevey and Lavaux Situated just one hour’s drive from Geneva In- Climate: Temperate microclimate all year round ternational Airport, Montreux Riviera stretches from Lutry to Villeneuve in the Canton of Vaud. Population: approx. 120,000 residents; about 145 different nationalities (2015) Dubbed «the Swiss Riviera» thanks to the micro- climate the region enjoys and the magnificent Official language: French (English and German widely spoken by the majority of residents) landscape, it has been attracting visitors from all over the world for a long time. Nestled between Currency: Swiss franc (CHF), CHF 1 ≈ € 0.90; CHF 1 ≈ $ 1 (January 2020) the lake and the mountains, Montreux Riviera offers both the benefits of a peaceful and safe Altitude: Montreux 372 m (lake) – 2,042 m (Rochers-de-Naye) region which is ideal for family holidays as well as stunning surroundings perfect for enjoying a walk, Architecture: Belle Epoque style in Montreux & Veveyy and a plethora of leisure, cultural and sporting ac- tivities. The region also distinguishes itself thanks to its fine cuisine and the quality of its wines. Home to an outstanding hotel complex and an TOURISM DATA (2019, 2020 data available in March 2021) internationally recognised convention centre (2m2c), it is also highly regarded as a business Tourists: 757’733 overnight stays for 399’068 visitors destination (MICE). Active in the business tour- Countries of origin – TOP 5: Switzerland (market share 2019 : 43.5%), ism sector for almost 40 years, Montreux Riviera North America (8.1%), France (6.9%), China/Hong Kong/Taiwan (6.1%), Convention Bureau is today focused on develop- UK/Ireland (5%) ing associative congresses such as the Congress of the European Orthodontic Society – EOS – Media: 488 journalists / 172 media trips (2017) or the Meeting of the Population Approach Countries of origin – TOP 5: France, Switzerland, China, USA, Italy Group in Europe (PAGE - 2018). In addition, Montreux Riviera has made a name for itself as a Tour operators: 421 TOs / 47 familiarisation trips destination for major international events includ- Countries of origin – TOP 5: Russia, China, UK, Australia, GCC ing the Francophonie Summit (2010), the Inter- national Peace Conference on Syria (2014) or the Iran Nuclear Talks (2015). PAGE 3 PAGE GETTING THERE GETTING AROUND Montreux Riviera boasts an excellent pub- Montreux Riviera Card. It offers a number of lic transport network permitting fast easy benefits including: access to a wide array of tourist attractions. Besides entitling the bearer to unlimited Among the many options are buses, trains, transport on rail, bus and boat, the Swiss eva Direct flights to Gen funiculars and even boats! Travel Pass also offers deals and free admis- Trains sion to regional tourist attractions. More in- Upon arrival, guests staying in any of the formation here. region’s hotels, holiday apartments or pri- vate clinics can take advantage of the free Moscow 3h20 LLondon 1h40 Amsterdam 1h40 - 50% Brussels New York 7h45 1h15 Francfort VEVEY - 50 1h15 Alimentarium % Paris Chaplin’s World LAKE 4h00h0 Musée Jenisch Vevey Bateau Schiff Boat Milano - CGN Riviera Tour 33h0 0 Musée historique de Vevey Free Musée de la Confrérie des Vignerons Barcelona 1h30 Musée suisse de l’appareil photographique Public transportation MOUNTAINS City walking tour Zones 70 & 71-78 - Les Pléiades - Sonloup - Rochers-de-Naye BLONAY Musée du chemin de fer Blonay-Chamby Dubai 7h05 Beijing 10h55 CORSEAUX Atelier De Grandi Villa « Le Lac » Le Corbusier Zuricchh 2h30 - 50% Château de Chillon, Veytaux Montreux Riviera Aquaparc, Le Bouveret Swiss Vapeur Parc, Le Bouveret FunPlanet, Rennaz Mines de Sel de Bex LA TOUR-DE-PEILZ - 50% Geneva 1h10 Musée Suisse du Jeu MONTREUX - 20% Musée de Montreux - Free City walking tour Mosimann Collection, Le Bouveret Maison Cailler, Broc MONTREUX Glacier 3000 Queen The Studio Experience + © Montreux Riviera / G. Antonelli PAGE 4 PAGE Remains of human activity found in the area stretching from Villeneuve to Lutry prove that the region, and specifically the lake shores, were inhabited going back as far as 4000 BC or before. Down through the centuries, Montreux Riviera was taken over by the Celts (750-450 BC), the Helvetians (from 450 BC) or the Romans (1 BC during the 5th century). During the Middle Ages, the region was A DESTINATION ruled by a succession of bishops and lords; the population subsisted on agriculture and WITH viticulture (imported by the Romans). Mon- treux Riviera was ruled by the House of Sa- A GLORIOUS voy from 1250 until the Bernese conquest of 1536 which brought with it the changes PAST spurred by the Reformation. A number of Caux | © Snapshots of The Past improvements left an indelible mark on the region including the beginning of the clear- ing and terracing of Lavaux since the 11th century, the building of Chillon Castle (12th the earliest visitors to the region. Enchanted town while simultaneously hosting celeb- century) and Châtelard Castle (15th century) by the descriptions of Chillon Castle and its rities in its lavish hotels. The winemaking as well as the extensive development of the surrounding area, the European aristocra- area of Lavaux gradually evolved to become towns of Villeneuve and Vevey. cy (particularly the English upper classes) what it is today after the centuries of back- Les Rochers-de-Naye | © Snapshots of The Past found the tranquillity and escapism they breaking labour required to build its 10,000 The Vaudois Revolution of 1798 saw the re- desired. To attract even more visitors, Mon- terraces. gion liberates itself from rule by the Bernese treux’s first guest house opened its doors in Bailiffs. In 1803, the newly established Can- 1815. Everything gathered momentum with Later on, in spite of the vicissitudes of the ton of Vaud joined the Swiss Confederation. the building of the first major hotels from two world wars over the 20th century, tour- Then came the Riviera’s golden age with 1840 and the arrival of the railroad in 1861 – ism became a significant source of reve- the arrival of tourism and the Grand Tour the legendary Orient Express even stopped nue for the area. The second half of the – an educational rite of passage undertak- at Territet train station! 20th century saw Montreux Riviera’s flour- en by young English aristocrats during the ish bringing international fame and sealing 18th century which profoundly changed and While Montreux becomes a significant its reputation as the “Pearl of the Lake Ge- stimulated the area. tourist hub, the town of Vevey particularly neva” – in particular thanks to the creation The success of works by Jean-Jacques Rous- distinguished itself through its rapid indus- of the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1967 and seau (Julie, or the New Héloise, 1761) and Lord trialisation, renowned chocolate manufac- the Lavaux area being listed as a UNESCO Byron (The Prisoner of Chillon, 1816) contrib- turers, cigar factories and graphic arts stu- World Heritage site in 2007. uted significantly to sealing Montreux Rivi- dios. At the beginning of the 20th century, era’s international reputation and attracting Vevey became the Canton’s first industrial PAGE 5 PAGE Montreux | © Montreux Riviera DID YOU KNOW? Deep Purple’s rock hit «Smoke on the Water» is based on the Montreux Ca- sino fire which the group witnessed. The fire began during a Frank Zappa concert in 1971 following a distress flare being launched by a fan. «If you want peace of soul, – 26’065 "Montreusiens" (2019) come to Montreux.» – 33.4 km2 land area – 22 hotels*, including two 5* and 5* Freddie Mercury, British singer- superior, with 2'547 beds in total songwriter – lived for many years in – The Montreux Music & Convention Montreux. Centre (2m2c) 18,000 m2 of exhibi- tion space Situated between Lake Geneva and the Alps, Montreux enjoys a particularly * across all categories (excl. holiday apart- pleasant climate and a gentle way of life, ments and B&Bs) and including Clarens, which, even in the 19th century, was al- Glion, Territet, Chailly, Veytaux & Caux ready seducing the biggest names in lit- erature and music. Montreux is famous for its gorgeous Belle Epoque buildings, flow- er-lined quays and the intimate and steep alleyways of its historic centre. In summer, the city vibrates to the sounds of the Mon- treux Jazz Festival and the Septembre Musical while from late November right A MULTIFACETED DESTINATION through December the quays are suffused with the magic of the festive season guar- anteed by the Montreux Christmas Mar- ket and the laughter that rings out from MONTREUX, TOWN OF MUSIC the Montreux Comedy Festival Grand-Rue 45 1820 Montreux T.