general information

Climate: September marks the start of autumn with clear, sunny days and a mean temperature of 22 degrees Celsius.

Travel: Montreux can be reached by train from Zurich and Geneva airports. There are high-speed train connections from Paris to nearby Lausanne, from Frankfurt to Zurich and Basel, and from Milan to Montreux.

Visas: Participants should contact their nearest Swiss consulate or embassy well in advance, since visas are needed for visitors from many countries.

Currency, banking and taxes: All prices are in Swiss francs. A 7.5% value added tax paid by visitors can be refunded for certain goods, including the conference registration and optional tours and excursions.

Activities: Montreux’s surrounding area provides scope for many activities. There are:

• excursions on one of the region’s many rack railway trains;
• day trips can be made on the Montreux Oberland Bernois railway to Gstaad;
• vintage lake steamers take you to Geneva and Lausanne, and to Evian in France;
• the funicular up Mont-Pélerin leads to breathtaking view over the Riviera, the lake, the Rhone Valley and the Alps.;
• day trips by train and coach to the medieval streets of Bern, and to Aosta in Italy and Chamonix in France are possible;
• Alpine pastures and rocky outcrops are within easy reach;
• September is the best month to discover local wines in the vast terraced vineyard spreading its fruits from Lausanne to Aigle;
• the vineyard trail from Ouchy to Chillon takes you through quaint villages and cosy wine cellars;
• the Wine Train winds its way from Vevey on the lake, over Chexbres to Puidoux.

World-class museums in the region include the Chateau de Chillon, one of Switzerland's most impressive national monuments, the Swiss Audiovisual Museum, the Blonay - Chamby museum railway, the Musée Suisse du Jeu in its lakeside castle, the Musée Jenisch with its exhibition of works of Swiss and foreign artists of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Musée Historique du Vieux Vevey et Musée de la Confrérie des Vignerons, the Alimentarium - Musée de I’Alimentation, and finally the Musée Suisse de I’Appareil Photographique.

visas requirements: french | german |

hotel bookings direct with hotels: use this | web form - rtf file |