🇨🇭🎄 Montreux Noël 2023 will be running from 23rd November ⇒ 24th December 2023.
I had wanted to go to the 🎄 Marché de Noël de Montreux ( part of the wider🎄 Montreux Noël celebrations ) for a very long time, and we finally managed to go en famille five years ago. We were not disappointed; it was quite simply féérique!
So let me share with you MBFF’s experience at this fabulous 🎄 Christmas event and market, and some astuces too . . .
The highlights of 🎄 Montreux Noël lakeside
🎄 Montreux Noël stretches from the 💦 lakeside Christmas market & animations of Lac Léman– « Les Quais en Fête » – up to 🎅 Santa’s grotto in Rochers-de-Naye ( situated at 2042m altitude, you can reach this by 🚂 cogwheel train from Montreux ), and across to the 🏰 Château de Chillon’s « Noël au Château » too . . .
Here is what you’ll find along 💦 the lakeside:
- 🥨 « Les Quais en Fête » – this is the traditional 🥨 Christmas market that runs 1km along the lakeside quai and comprises 150 chalets, decorated and illuminated, and with artisan wares, food, vin chaud, ideas for presents, music . . .
- 🎅 Santa, with his sledge and 🦌 reindeer – makes an appearance each evening above your heads at 17h, 18h and 19h (and also at 16h on Saturdays);
- 🎡 the fantastic Grande Roue (Big Wheel) – this was a real highlight for us! Be sure to wrap up warmly for this!
- 🔥 La Cabane des Bûcherons (Place de la Gare) – a welcoming and warming spot, this wooden cabane serves up vin chaud and pizza, and it is where the local associations meet / pass sanitaire required;
[ ⇒ for a full list of all of the attractions, see website ]
Further highlights of 🎄 Montreux Noël
We found that we had enough to do on our visit to 🎁 « Les Quais en Fête » alone, but you might also want to combine a visit with the other 🎄 Montreux Noël highlights:
🎅 La Maison du Père Noel (Santa’s Grotto) in Rochers-de-Naye – from 24th November ⇒ 24th December 2022
Travel on the 🚂 cogwheel rain up the mountain to 🎅 Santa’s Grotto in Rochers-de-Naye (situated at 2,042m!) . . . meet Santa, get a certificate, see the 🌟 magical decorations . . . / 🗓 opening hours: every day (except Mondays and Tuesdays) from 24th November until 24th December 2023 ( also open exceptionally on Tuesday 5th December 2023 ) / 🚂 the little train leaves Montreux every hour from 9h17 until 15h17 (❄️ subject to decent weather conditions!);
⇒ more information: here & reservations
🏰🎄 Noël au Château (Château de Chillon) – weekend 2nd & 3rd, 9th & 10th AND 16th AND 17th December 2023
The beautiful 🏰 Château de Chillon will be decorated for 🎄 Christmas on the first THREE weekends in December. There will be lots of medieval characters in the castle grounds, there will be Christmas aromas, workshops, storytelling, spectacles and festive music! / good to know – dress warmly, as a medieval castle next to a lake is extra-chilly in December!
⇒ more information: see here for more details
🎄 Montreux Noël – MBFF’s advice for families
In order to 🎆 experience the full magic of the lights, we headed to 🇨🇭 Montreux in the late afternoon and then stayed until about 20h (we had a little two year old with us back then!) . . .
We did see people with buggies at the market, but personally I was glad NOT to have one, as the market was heaving! Do keep a watchful eye on children and hold onto their hands, for the same reason! Perhaps choose a meeting point (like the very visible 🎡 Big Wheel), should anyone get lost?
Also, 🧤 do wrap up warmly; it is especially nippy by the 💦 Lac Léman lakeside and on the 🎡 Big Wheel (we dressed our little one in his ski suit!)!
Getting there and parking
For 🚙 parking and transport information, see here.
There are 🅿️ special car parks set up on the outskirts of town, with FREE 🚌 navettes taking you to the market (you will be guided into one of these as your approach Montreux; this is all very well organised – merci, 🇨🇭 Les Suisses!)
We actually bypassed the out-of-town car parks, and ended up parking at Gambetta and decided to walk down the 💦 lakeside towards the market . . . the walk took about an hour, but there were playgrounds and sculptures along the way, and it really was lovely . . . on the way back, we took a bus directly back to Gambetta.
Other activities for families nearby
We decided to make a weekend of our visit, knowing that it would be a fairly late night at the 🎄 Montreux Christmas market. We stayed near Lausanne, and the next day visited the 🥎 Musée Olympique, which we all thoroughly enjoyed (see website for more details)! Lausanne is a beautiful city, especially at this time of year, with the 🥨 Bô Noël Christmas market . . .
Practical Information
🗓 opening hours: the market is open from 10h or 11h until 22h or 23h, with artisans shutting their stalls at 20h or 21h;
website & FB page
Mont Blanc Family Fun 
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