Things to Do in Montreux, Switzerland

Quick facts: Inside the castle walls, you will find more than 100 rooms spread across three floors. Every year it attracts approximately 300,000 visitors from around the world.

Highlights: Waiting for your visit is a secret prison that leaves a chilling sense of the past with a view of Lake Geneva. The castle is also known for its medieval frescoes, which are among the best preserved in Europe.

Quick facts: The statue depicts Freddie Mercury sitting on a bench, perfect for a photo with a view of Lake Geneva. It is located near the Hôtel Montreux Palace, where Freddie spent a lot of time recording albums.

Highlights: Around the statue, flowers grow that remind of Freddie's love for nature and evoke the atmosphere of his creative days in Montreux. Visitors often leave small items or messages on the bench in memory of the singer, creating a unique community and almost family atmosphere.

Quick facts: The festival attracts more than 200,000 visitors annually from around the world, who come for legendary musicians. The stage is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, which gives the concerts a unique atmosphere.

Highlights: The stage directly over the water of Lake Geneva allows artistic performances with reflections of lights on the surface, creating magical visual effects. Every year more than 300 artists perform there, including many jazz legends.

Quick facts: The legendary band recorded their biggest hits here in the 1980s. The place captures the authentic atmosphere of the studio with original recording instruments and equipment.

Highlights: Visitors can enter a real recording studio with the original mixing console and immerse themselves in the sounds that Mercury and the band once created here. It is fascinating to see how the music was born in the same place where the band's energy is still felt.

Quick facts: The old town in Montreux has narrow stone streets and buildings that bear traces of various historical periods, including the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. There is an ancient church with one of the largest Baroque organs in the region.

Highlights: Notable is the Powder Tower, built to protect the town, which offers a wide 180-degree view of Lake Geneva. At the annual local markets, visitors can taste traditional Swiss delicacies right on the paved squares.

Quick facts: Four centuries of medieval counts ruled from this rocky spur until debt and chaos forced the last one to surrender the land in the mid-1500s. More than 250,000 visitors now climb its spiral staircases every year, one of the heaviest turnouts for any stronghold in the country.

Highlights: Inside the grand hall, the 19th-century restoration covered every wall with hand-painted fake marble, grapevines, and hunting scenes, a lavish trick that still fools your eye up close. Climb to the eastern tower afterward, where the sheer drop opens onto red rooftops far below, while the white pyramid of Moléson looms straight across the valley.