7 Days: Geneva, the Alps and Lake
A full week out of Geneva, one hotel room the whole time, adds Annecy onto the six-day base-camp route through Lausanne, Montreux, Gruyeres and Chamonix. Give Geneva itself a proper day first, our Geneva travel guide covers it in full; trim a day and the 6-day version stops after Chamonix.
| Day | Focus | Distance/time from Geneva |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The lake and the Old Town | In town |
| 2 | CERN, Reformation Wall, Bains des Paquis | In town |
| 3 | Lausanne | 35-45 min train |
| 4 | Montreux and Chillon Castle | ~1hr train + short CGN boat |
| 5 | Gruyeres | 1.5-2hr via Bulle |
| 6 | Chamonix and Mont Blanc | 1-1.5hr bus/train (France) |
| 7 | Annecy | 1-1.5hr bus/train (France) |
Book these before you go:
- Chamonix and Mont Blanc cable car day trip on GetYourGuide - Aiguille du Midi slots move fast in summer
- Annecy day trip on GetYourGuide
- Montreux and Chillon Castle day trip on Viator
- Geneva hotels near Cornavin on Booking.com
Day 1: The lake and the Old Town
Train from GVA to Cornavin runs 6-7 minutes, about CHF 3. Head to the water first for the Jet d’Eau, better appreciated up close from the Eaux-Vives jetty than from a photo across the lake. Climb into the Old Town for St Pierre Cathedral, free to enter, tower climb around CHF 5 for a rooftop view worth the narrow stairs. Coffee at Place du Bourg-de-Four, dinner across the Arve in Carouge, the old Sardinian quarter that beats the Old Town for both atmosphere and price, every time.
Day 2: CERN, the Reformation Wall, Bains des Paquis
Book CERN’s Science Gateway online well ahead; entry is free, and the guided underground tours release only two hours before start time, from 8:30am, and can’t be pre-booked, so keep your morning open if that’s the version you’re after. Go regardless of which slot you get, it’s the standout free experience in the city. Afternoon: the free Reformation Wall in Parc des Bastions, then Bains des Paquis for a swim and the CHF 27 fondue, better value than the CHF 40 lakefront versions by a wide margin. Swap in a UN Palais des Nations booking here if you locked one in months back, passport mandatory at the gate.
Day 3: Lausanne
Cornavin to Lausanne runs every 15-20 minutes, 35-45 minutes each way, no reservation needed. Lausanne stacks up a hillside above its own lakefront and feels younger and steeper than Geneva. The Olympic Museum costs about CHF 20 full, CHF 14 reduced, and covers the Games since 1896 with genuine interactive depth. Free Olympic Park gardens outside, lunch near Place de la Palud up the hill, afternoon train home for dinner.
Day 4: Montreux and Chillon Castle
An hour’s train ride puts you in Montreux, the palm-tree-and-vineyard side of the lake that looks nothing like Geneva’s flatter western end. Get to Chillon Castle by foot, bus, or a short CGN boat ride (10-20 minutes); admission runs about CHF 15 for all 46 numbered rooms and courtyards, free with a Swiss Travel Pass. Take the boat one way and the train back for two different views of the same water.
Day 5: Gruyeres
Change trains at Bulle for Gruyeres, the walled hilltop village that actually lives up to the postcards. Walk the cobblestones up to the castle, then stop at La Maison du Gruyere at the bottom of the hill for the working cheese demonstration, CHF 8 for the factory alone, about CHF 17 combined with the castle. Round trip runs 1.5-2 hours each way, so plan an early departure.
Day 6: Chamonix and Mont Blanc
Worth saying plainly: Chamonix and Mont Blanc sit in France, not Switzerland, so you’re crossing a Schengen border here, passport or national ID in your bag even if nobody stops you. Bus or train from Geneva takes about 1-1.5 hours. The Aiguille du Midi cable car climbs to 3,842 meters, the highest cable car station in Europe, for a round trip priced somewhere between EUR 59 and 83 depending on how early you book. The summit platform’s view of the Mont Blanc massif is the best mountain payoff on this entire itinerary, and it happens on a technicality of a day trip out of the country you’re sleeping in.
Day 7: Annecy
Save the softest landing for last. Annecy, also in France, sits about 1-1.5 hours from Geneva and centers on a genuinely gorgeous old town built along canals running off its own alpine lake, one of the cleanest lakes in Europe by most measurements. It’s also noticeably cheaper than Geneva for a sit-down lunch, which after six days of Swiss prices is its own kind of relief. Wander the arcaded old streets, cross the canal bridges, and if you have the afternoon for it, a short lake cruise or a walk along the promenade closes out the week better than another packed museum morning would. Train back to Geneva in the evening for a last dinner before departure.
Running the whole week
The free Geneva Transport Card, automatic for any registered hotel guest, covers city transit, Leman Express, and the Mouettes boats for your entire stay, though Montreux, Gruyeres, Chamonix, and Annecy all run on separate fares outside that zone. Skip a rental car for the whole trip; rail, boat, and cable car connections cover every leg of this without one, and driving into either French mountain town in peak season creates more stress than it saves.
Geneva runs on French and on some of the highest prices in Europe, and its kitchens close between lunch and dinner service, so book CERN and your Chamonix cable car slot the moment your dates are confirmed, since both operate on release windows you can’t argue with later.