Montreux Riviera, Switzerland

The Montreux Riviera is the most beautiful region along Lake Geneva. It nestles between the Alps and the lake and has attracted tourists (Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Lord Byron were the first) over the centuries through its microclimate. In summer, it is warm enough for tropical plants and the winters are mild. Among the WOW factors are the UNESCO Lavaux vineyards with wine-tasting in the picturesque villages, the medieval Chillon Castle - the most visited in Switzerland, the Montreux Jazz Festival, the grand belle epoque hotels, lake steamers, close to ski resorts and the spectacular panoramas.Montreux has also been an inspiration for writers, artists and musicians. Hans Christian Andersen who suffered from bronchitis and came for treatment in Glion wrote the Ice Maiden and Ernest Hemingway on a visit wrote chapters from a Farewell to Arms. In Clarens, Tchaikovsky composed the Concerto for violin and Igor Stravinsky the Rite of Spring. Oskar Kokoschka spent the last 25 years of his life in Villeneuve and to cap it all, Vladimir Nabokov lived with his wife Vera on the sixth floor of the Montreux Palace hotel for 16 years until his death in 1977.