On New Year’s Day, Montreux is asleep and Territet is perfect.
Territet is the neighbourhood just along the lake from Montreux — close enough to walk to, far enough that nobody’s there. We went on 1 January, after seeing in the new year at my sister’s house in Montreux, with two families and three children between us, and it was the best possible way to start a year: flat paths, snow on the peaks across the water, and nothing to be on time for.
It’s also, as it turns out, five minutes from one of the oldest funiculars in Switzerland and about twenty minutes’ walk from Château de Chillon — neither of which we knew at the time.
Quick answer: Territet in winter
- Where: on Lake Geneva between Montreux and Chillon Castle, about halfway along the lakeside promenade.
- Getting there: one stop on the train from Montreux, or a flat walk of roughly 20–25 minutes.
- The walk is pushchair-friendly — paved, flat, benches all along it.
- The Territet–Glion funicular has run since 1883 and takes 8 minutes up a 57% slope.
- Château de Chillon is another 15–20 minutes on foot.
- On New Year’s Day almost everything is shut — which is exactly why a lakeside walk is the right plan.
- Free, apart from what you spend on hot chocolate.
Driving down from the north? We reviewed the Mövenpick Touring Hotel in Chiasso, on the Italian border. These are affiliate links: we earn a small commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you.
Where is Territet and how do you get there from Montreux?
Territet sits on the eastern edge of Montreux, on the shore of Lake Geneva, on the road to Chillon.
On foot. The lakeside promenade runs continuously from Montreux to Château de Chillon in 45–60 minutes, and Territet is roughly the midpoint — so figure 20–25 minutes from central Montreux. It’s flat, paved and well-maintained the whole way, with benches, and it works with a pushchair or a scooter.
By train. Territet has its own station on the main line. From Montreux it’s a single stop, a few minutes. Useful if it’s raining or if you’ve walked out and don’t fancy walking back.
By car. Don’t. Park in Montreux and walk — that’s the point of the trip.
The walk itself
This is the reason to come, and it doesn’t need much organising.
The promenade hugs the water the whole way. In winter the flowerbeds are bare but the views are better than in summer — snow on the Alps across the lake, low light, and none of the crowds that make Montreux hard work in July. The water is very still on a cold morning.
We walked it as two families on 1 January and passed almost nobody.
Things along the way:
- The Freddie Mercury statue, back at the Montreux end
- Belle-époque hotel façades — Territet was a grand resort in the 19th century and the architecture is still there
- Benches roughly every hundred metres, which matters with small children
- Chillon Castle at the far end
With children: it’s flat and there’s no traffic, so they can get ahead of you. Ours ran most of it.
The Territet–Glion funicular
This is the thing I’d go back for, and our post has never mentioned it.
The Territet–Glion funicular opened on 19 August 1883, which makes it one of the oldest funiculars in Switzerland. It climbs from the lakeshore at Territet up to the village of Glion in about eight minutes, on a slope reaching 57%, with views over the lake, the Alps and Chillon Castle on the way up. There’s a mid-station at Collonge.
The detail children love: until 1973 it ran with no engine at all. The car at the top filled a water tank under its deck; the car at the bottom emptied its tank into Lake Geneva; the heavier top car then pulled the lighter bottom one up as it descended. The two drivers coordinated with whistles. It was electrified in 1975.
That’s a lovely thing to explain to a seven-year-old at the bottom of a very steep hill.
Practical: Avenue de Chillon 92, 1820 Montreux. Operated by MVR, part of the GoldenPass network.
And the bit worth knowing: Glion, at the top, is on the Montreux–Glion–Rochers-de-Naye cogwheel line. So the old funicular from Territet connects straight onto the mountain railway — including the train up to Santa’s House in December. Two very different pieces of Swiss railway in one morning.
Santa in the Montreux area at Christmas
Two things worth planning around if you’re here in December.
The Flying Santa — free, and over the lake
At the Montreux Christmas market, Santa flies out over Lake Geneva in a light-and-music show, taking off between the CGN landing stage and the Market Square and passing over the crowd on the quay.
| Dates | 20 November – 24 December |
| Mon–Fri | 17:00, 18:00, 19:00 |
| Weekends | 16:00, 17:00, 18:00, 19:00 |
| 24 December | 16:00 and 17:00 |
| Cost | Free |
Best spot: the quayside between the Freddie Mercury statue and the Ferris wheel.
It runs in rain and is cancelled only for storms or high winds.
Santa’s House — at 2,042 metres
Santa’s actual house sits at the summit of Rochers-de-Naye, 2,042 m above the lake, and the only way up is Santa’s Train, the MOB cogwheel railway from Montreux station — about 55 minutes each way through the snow.
Children meet Santa, tell him what they want, get a photograph, and come away with a certificate signed by him, a plush toy, fruit and Läderach chocolate.
| Dates | 20 November – 24 December |
| Booking | Tickets released mid-September — book early, it sells out |
| Ticket | Sold as one package: train + entry |
| Time needed | ~1.5 hours weekdays, up to 3 hours at weekends, plus travel |
| Age note | Not recommended for under-3s because of the altitude |
That altitude warning is a real one and easy to miss when booking. Two thousand metres is high for a toddler.
Dates and prices change each year — check montreuxnoel.com before you book.
Château de Chillon — twenty minutes further
If you’ve walked from Montreux to Territet, you’re already halfway to Château de Chillon, the island castle that’s one of the most visited historic buildings in Switzerland.
Another 15–20 minutes along the same flat lakeside path and you’re there. With children, that’s the natural way to turn a pleasant walk into a proper day.
New Year’s Day in Territet: what’s actually open
This is why the post exists and it wasn’t covered at all.
1 January is a public holiday across Switzerland, and in Vaud 2 January (Berchtoldstag) is usually a holiday too. What that means in practice:
- Shops: closed. Supermarkets included.
- Most restaurants and cafés: closed, or on limited hours. Hotel restaurants are your best bet.
- Public transport: runs, on a Sunday timetable.
- Museums and many attractions: closed on 1 January.
- The promenade, the lake and the mountains: open, free and empty.
Which is the whole argument for this post. On the one day of the year when a Swiss town has nothing to offer indoors, Territet has exactly the right thing outdoors. Walk, look at the lake, find a hot chocolate somewhere that’s open, go home.
Buy anything you need on 31 December. This catches visitors out every year.
Where to warm up
We finished with Swiss hot chocolate, which is a different drink from the one you get elsewhere — thicker, darker, and not really a drink you can finish.
Is Territet worth a visit?
For a specific kind of morning, yes.
It isn’t a destination. There’s no old town, no museum, no market. What it is: the quiet half of the Montreux lakefront, flat and walkable, with an 1883 funicular at one end and a castle at the other, and almost nobody on it in winter.
Who I’d send: anyone staying in Montreux who wants a couple of hours outdoors with children; families on 1 January when everything else is shut; anyone who’d rather walk to Chillon than take the bus.
Who I’d send elsewhere: if you have one day on the Swiss Riviera and want to see the sights, do Chillon and the Montreux market and skip Territet as a destination in itself — you’ll walk through it anyway.
The rest of our Swiss winter trip
- Switzerland with kids in winter: our 4-day Montreux itinerary
- Cailler Chocolate Factory, Broc
- Tobogganing Park Leysin: prices, booking and tips
- Crans-Montana Christmas lights
- Champéry, our last day in Switzerland
- 1 day trip to Geneva
- Mövenpick Touring Hotel Chiasso review
More winter with kids:
Frequently asked questions about Territet, Switzerland
Where is Territet and how do you get there from Montreux?
Territet is on the eastern edge of Montreux, on the shore of Lake Geneva between the town and Château de Chillon. It is one stop on the train from Montreux, or a flat walk of roughly 20 to 25 minutes along the lakeside promenade. The full promenade from Montreux to Chillon Castle takes 45 to 60 minutes and Territet sits about halfway along it.
Is Territet worth visiting in winter?
Yes, for a quiet couple of hours rather than as a destination in its own right. In winter the lakeside path is empty, the Alps across the water are snow-covered and the light is better than in summer. It is flat, paved and pushchair-friendly, with benches along the way, which makes it one of the easiest outdoor options on the Swiss Riviera with young children.
What is the Territet–Glion funicular?
A funicular railway that has climbed from the lakeshore at Territet up to the village of Glion since 19 August 1883, making it one of the oldest in Switzerland. The ride takes about eight minutes on a slope reaching 57%, with views over Lake Geneva, the Alps and Chillon Castle. Until 1973 it ran entirely by gravity: the upper car filled a water tank beneath its deck and the lower car emptied its tank into the lake, so the heavier car pulled the lighter one up.
How far is Château de Chillon from Territet?
About 15 to 20 minutes on foot along the same flat lakeside path, heading away from Montreux. If you have already walked from Montreux to Territet you are roughly halfway there, which makes continuing to the castle the natural way to turn a short walk into a full morning.
What is open in Switzerland on New Year’s Day?
Very little. 1 January is a public holiday nationwide and in the canton of Vaud 2 January is usually a holiday too, so shops and supermarkets are closed and most restaurants and cafés are shut or on limited hours. Public transport runs, generally on a Sunday timetable, and many museums and attractions are closed. Buy anything you need on 31 December, and plan the day around a walk rather than around anywhere indoors.
Where can you see Santa Claus near Montreux at Christmas?
Two places. Santa flies over Lake Geneva in a free light-and-music show at the Montreux Christmas market, taking off between the CGN landing stage and the Market Square, with several flights a day between late November and 24 December. Separately, Santa’s House sits at the summit of Rochers-de-Naye at 2,042 metres, reached only by the cogwheel Santa’s Train from Montreux station in about 55 minutes. Tickets for Santa’s House go on sale in mid-September and sell out, and the visit is not recommended for children under 3 because of the altitude.
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