You may know this area for its summertime jazz festival, but when the temperature drops and the year ends, it’s time to swap the clarinets for the chalets along Montreux Riviera Noël, right on the edge of the Swiss Alps.
Over at the Montreux Christmas Market, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more idyllic setting for festivity on paper, with both snow-capped mountains and the waters of Lake Geneva to gaze over. And that’s even before we get to Santa flying over the lakeside market every day…
Montreux Christmas Market
There’s no denying that the main draw of the Montreux market is the mountains and the lakeside setting. But even with its dazzling arena of nature, a classically quaint, picturesque Christmas market still requires some heavy lifting, so it’s a relief that the effort from Montreux has all the hallmarks of the very best around Europe.
Once you’ve taken in the sights of the lake town, you can turn your attention to the almost 200 stalls selling all the festive fare; realising with a knowing glance to your fellow revellers that there really ain’t nothing quite like a mulled wine and roasted chestnut to live your wonderful life along the lake.
Once you’ve pottered along here with views of the Swiss Alps, you can head over to the covered market to enjoy more Swiss cuisine (we’re talking raclette, fondue, sausages, and more), before picking out a handcrafted gift from a stall and then heading back outside to check out their Christmas tree and hop on the festive ferris wheel (what’s a market without one?).
Oh, and when you’re doing all of this, be sure to keep one eye on the time. At 5pm, 6pm, and 6pm every day (plus 4pm on Saturdays), you can catch Santa Claus himself being guided across the sky by his trusty reindeer. It’s safe to say that the model they’ve got set up to move along the wire in the sky is, literally and figuratively, a sleigh.
While it’s worth a visit during the day, and perhaps will give you a chance to weave around a smaller crowd, the market ignites when the sun sneaks behind the mountains, with the festivity meter and fairy lights dialling up in harmony. If you’re heading in for the evening, it’s recommended to have a scan of their site and book activities such as the fondue area, which (naturally) tends to fill up fast.
Montreux Christmas Market runs until December 24, 2025. It’s open from 11am to 8pm on weeknights, but on Friday and Saturday you’ll be able to enjoy the festivity until 10pm. A flight from London to Montreux takes between 90 minutes to 2 hours, so for Christmas lovers it’s not far for an STT (seasonal treat trip).