We decided it was time for our first exploration up a Swiss mountain. After some research, we picked one of the closest mountains to us, Rochers-de-Naye, and the adventure started in the picturesque town of Montreux.
We had just bought our Half Fare Cards, which give us 50% off most train, bus, and boat tickets in Switzerland for a year. So we took a comfortable train from Lausanne station to Montreux. The ride is simply stunning: the tracks snake along the edge of Lake Geneva, sometimes just metres from the water, with the French Alps in the background.
In Montreux we had an hour to kill before our train up the mountain, so we explored a waterfront market. Strangely, we came across a Thai tuk-tuk food stall! It brought back memories of our time in Thailand, and we had a good laugh.
Then it was time to head up. Little did we know this was a cogwheel train, with a geared track that lets it climb the steep slope all the way to nearly 2,000 metres. As it zigzagged up the mountain, we were treated to breathtaking views of Lake Geneva and the Alps. Nobody told us to bring earplugs, though. It was an extremely loud train!
After about an hour, we reached the top of Rochers-de-Naye (2,042 m). The views were spectacular. There were lots of trails along the summit, so we set off exploring. We were surprised that some of them ran along rocky cliffs dropping a hundred metres, with no guardrails in sight! We also hadn’t brought enough water, and the only place to get some was a café charging 12 francs a bottle. Our first Swiss sticker shock! We paid the young man anyway.
We felt the altitude (and the cold) as we climbed the last hundred metres to the very top, but it was worth it: we were rewarded with our first real views of the Alps.
We found a cute Swiss hut and signed our names in the guest book. It was an amazing first introduction to Swiss mountains.
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