CRUISING
LAKE GENEVA IN GRAND STYLE
“
La Belle Epoch” Cruises of Switzerland’s Great Lake
The “La
Suisse” paddle steamship cruises once again on the
waters of Lake Geneva, rejoining her sister ships the Simplon and Montreux
in the historic fleet of the Switzerland’s heritage cruise line.
The La Suisse had undergone repairs for the past year and a half but
once again sets sail on the lake waters where it first bathed in 1910.
The first steam paddle wheel cruise ship the “Guillaume Tell” (William
Tell) made its maiden voyage on the waters of the lake which forms a
portion of the south Switzerland border in 1823. By the end of the century
the shores of the lake had become a tourist magnet for the traveling
upper class of what came to be known as “La Belle Epoch”,
with rising wealth and the convenience of steam and rail travel. Grand
and glorious deluxe hotels which defined luxury made their appearance
around the lake at Geneva, Lausanne and Montreux, to serve the
industrialists and potentates of the golden era who made the grand tour,
before it all came to a crash with the First World War..
Still
today, the elegant way to get around Lake Geneva to its many sights
and cites below the
snow capped mountains of the Swiss and Savoy Alps
has been by water. From the glittering shores of Geneva, wine vineyard
hills and villages, to the mystical castle of Chillon (see Chateau
Chillon),
for some 130 the world’s largest fleet of historic lake steamer
ships has operated by the CGN - Compagnie Générale de Navigation
sur le lac Léman. While on board, hopping from port to port one
can enjoy local cuisine prepared by the Swiss chefs while contemplating
the majesty of Europe’s largest fresh water lake, beginning with
the morning mist clinging to the steep mountain slopes and ending with
romantic sunsets accompanied by the cries of the seagulls and the hum
of the steam engines pushing the pointed bow through the lapping waves.
The line operates five historic steam paddle wheelers which make regular
schedule stops around the lake. The La Suisse was commissioned in 1910
with room for 700 passengers and 376 dinner seating. The Simplon sister
ship launched in 1920 is a bit larger. The Montreux is the oldest steamer
in the fleet, originally sailing in 1904. The CGN fleet also has more
modern vessels operating ferrying service and for events.
The regular cruise
schedule allows hop-on hop-off at all the ports of call around the
lake with a day ticket, with scheduled stops beginning
in the morning and ending around 10 pm at night. One can travel on the
cruise boats without eating, but dining is provided on many of the trips.
The lake routes are broken into regions, from Geneva to the west, Lausanne
in the middle and Haut Lac at the eastern end. The routes don’t
travel the full lake in the winter months. If one wants to make stops
and doesn’t have several days, consider breaking a journey into
segments, with some rail or bus transport between points.
The CGN line
offers specialty gastronomic cruises which depart from Geneva or Lausanne.
Lunch cruises at noon. Dinner Cruises at 6:30. Even
Fondue cruises. The lunch cruise is offered at promotional fare of 39
CHF fare for adults and menus starting from 20 CHF. Sunset
dinner cruise for a 55 CHF fare and meals starting at 32 CHF. Fondue cruises are Thursday and Friday evenings. Fondue menu
runs from 36 CHF with a 30 CHF adult fare. The specialty cruises
operate in the summer months.
For regular cruise services individual day tickets allow travel on all scheduled ships for a full day. A Lake Package allows all day travel and includes the 3 course dinner for 100 CHF (€69). A Swiss Pass (see Swiss Pass Value) gets you half price for the fare, not the dinner. Children from 6 to 16 are half price and kids under 6 are free. For detailed schedules of all the ships, ports and prices see the website. © Bargain Travel Europe
Reviews and best travel deals for Lake Geneva on TripAdvisor
Web Info
CGN
Lake Cruises
These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission. Cruise photo coourtesy cgn.
SEE ALSO:
CHATEAU
D’AIGLE
PATEK
PHILIPPE MUSEUM
HOTEL BEAU
RIVAGE GENEVA
WINTER RESORTS OF LAKE GENEVA REGION
WILLLIAM TELL EXPRESS - CRUISE & RAIL
