Montreux
46°26′ N 6°55′ ETownPop. 26,955Switzerland
Montreux suits families and couples who want a lakeside market with rides and a Santa who flies, and its trade-off is weekend crowds that the organizer itself tells you to avoid. Montreux Noël runs from 20 November to 24 December 2026 along the quays of Lake Geneva, with more than 150 chalets and a cog-railway trip to Santa's house on the Rochers-de-Naye.
Photo Armineaghayan · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay a night or two in Montreux if you want the market's evenings and a morning on the mountain. The market starts about 200 metres from the station, and the Santa train to the Rochers-de-Naye leaves from that same station.
Take the train from Montreux
- Montreux to Bern · timetable
Four Montreux shopkeepers started the market in 1995 with 80 chalets on the Grand-Rue, and the organizer counts 176 chalets on its market page today. The big wheel stands on Place du Marché and the stalls run along the lakeside quays, so the whole thing reads as one long promenade with the Alps across the water.
Book Santa's house early. It sits at 2,042 metres on the Rochers-de-Naye, reached only by the MOB Santa train from Montreux station in about 55 minutes, and tickets for the train and entry together went on sale on 15 September 2026.
Worth knowing
- The organizer names Monday, Tuesday and Thursday as the calmest days, and Saturday mornings as easier than Saturday evenings.
- The market is cashless apart from the restaurants and the New Bretzel stand, and the stalls take every card except American Express.
Quick answers about Montreux
When is Montreux Noël in 2026?
Montreux Noël runs from 20 November to 24 December 2026, according to the organizer. On 24 December the chalets and restaurants close at 17:00.
How do you get to Santa's house above Montreux?
Santa's house at the Rochers-de-Naye is reached only by the MOB Santa train from Montreux station, a ride of about 55 minutes. Tickets combine the train and entry and are sold by MOB.
Is Montreux a good place to stay?
Stay a night or two in Montreux if you want the market's evenings and a morning on the mountain. The market starts about 200 metres from the station, and the Santa train to the Rochers-de-Naye leaves from that same station.
