Time is running and the christmas market will already start in less than a month.

Another new event will take place at the Chillon castle.
 
On December 05, 06, 08, 12, 13, 19, 20th, a medieval market will recreate the 15th century life of a castle.  There will be plenty of animations like Craftspeople, troubadours, artillery and archery displays. 
Moreover a traditional kitchen will be created as well as a medieval grocery store, an herbalist store, a pottery, a forge and many more. 

I must say that when I read this, it really attracted me and without no doubt, I will pass by there to see how it is. 

To go to the Chillon castle is very easy. You can either walk through the lakeside however it will take you around 1 hour otherwise you can take a bus (direction villeneuve) on the main street of Montreux. If you are staying in a hotel of Montreux, with the Riviera Card, it will be free of charge.

If you have beed there, let us know your experiences.  

On the last week-end of October, I never miss the "Fête des planches". Probably because I have lived in this area for almost 8 years but also because it is a very charming area of Montreux. "Les Planches" is in fact the old city of Montreux.
I could not find which edition it is...but I guess at least the 150th one....so a tradition in Montreux.    


From Friday evening until sunday afternoon, many private houses open their cellars (we call them Carnozet in Swiss) and transform it into restaurants, bars with DJ's or even with live music. These places are open very late in the night.

I never saw many tourists there but I guess it is a good occasion to discover the local life and to talk with some people living in the region.  

This area is really nice, especially since many renovations were done in the "rue des planches" (main street of the area). 2 new restaurants opened (I did not try them yet) and even a little tea room with an amazing view over the lake.

In the streets take place many animations for children, artisan stands with local products, concerts, etc....

If you do not wish to eat the typical sausages...go to the restaurant Museum (see section restaurant in the blog) which is very close and taste the charbonnade or the fondue. 
As this is the week-end of Halloween...you can also try the Opus Cafe which is in the area. It is always well decorated on this occasion. The atmosphere is a bit crazy and pretty young.

A great occasion to party and to discover the local life and products. 

See you there 

This week-end I read a very nice article in the "24 heures".

The newspaper mentions that Montreux might welcome the 13th Francophonie summit in October 2010.  This event gathers every 2 years the presidents of 56 countries. It would represents 10'000 room nights in the region which would be excellent for the local economy. Moreover it would be ideal in term of image due to the number of journalists that follows the event. 
 
After that the Madagascar bid was not accepted, it seems that Montreux is the only destination left still in the run. Montreux was preferred compared to Zürich and Geneva as it is a smaller city which is more friendly.
The main issue will be for sure the security but I guess that this is easier to manage in a small city like Montreux rather than in a big capital.

If Montreux will really organize the 13th Francophonie Summit, it will be the biggest event the region ever welcomed 

Definitive answer in december 2009