Christmas market in Montreux & Santa Claus’s house at the Rochers de Naye
As always, December flew by so quickly! And to finally get into festive mood just before Christmas, I decided it would be a good idea to visit Santa Claus himself! Yes, this is possible. On top of the Rochers de Naye in Switzerland, he has is office. In this bogpost, I’m going to tell you how you can visit Santa Claus as well. And of course, I’m also going to reveal some more information about the area.
Santa Claus’s House at the Rochers de Naye
The Rochers de Naye is a more than 2,000 metres high mountain of the Swiss Alps, overlooking Lake Geneva and near to Montreux. From the top, you have an amazing view over the Alps. And when the weather is good, you can even see Mont Blanc. In summer, this is a wonderful area for hiking tours, but you can also observe marmot species from three continents and look at hundreds of plants from all over the world. And in winter, Santa Claus has his office there. To reach the top, it’s best to use the railway.
The Railway from Montreux up to the Rochers de Naye
The railway starts from the train station in Montreux and takes about 55 minutes up to the top of the Rochers de Naye. However, this trip was over ways faster than expected, as I was busy looking at the amazing winter wonderland around us! You also have a gorgeous view over Montreux and Lake Geneve. The railway up to Rochers de Naye operates year-round, but is quite pricey. (Find the price list here.)
Santa Claus’s House on top of the Rochers de Naye
From the end of November until Christmas, Santa opens his house on top of the Rochers de Naye for visitors and is even available for photo shoots. To get to his office, you have to go through a corridor enlightened by hundrets of lights and pass some ice bear figures. Santa Claus’s office it quite kitschy, however, this is exactly what I have expected. And you know, we all need some kitsch for Christmas. 😉
After all this Christmas kitsch, we decided to go up to the panorama terrace to enjoy the amazing view. After that, we went back to the railway to go back down to Montreux.
The Christmas Market in Montreux
Back in Montreux, I definitely recommend to visit the beautiful Christmas market. This is said to be one of the most beautiful ones in Switzerland with a focus on high quality products, beauty, and a warm welcome to all the visitors.
Beautiful crafts and even better food make it really worth a visit. However, due to the very high prices, especially visitors from foreign countries don’t have to worry about getting really drunken or bloated with food too much. 😉 Nevertheless, I really enjoyed strolling around this beautiful Christmas market at the most beauiful location along the lakeside promenade of Lake Geneve. The highlight and also the ending of our visit was the flying Santa Claus over Lake Geneve. You can watch this spectacle daily at 5, 6, 7 pm and on Saturday as well at 4 pm. (Only during Christmas market time, of course.)
And now, I wish you and your loved ones a very merry Christmas!
