Festival & event · Switzerland

Montreux Jazz

Two weeks each July on the shore of Lake Geneva, with the Alps as a backdrop and a guest list that has run from Miles Davis to Prince.

Best forNightlife · Culture seekers · Couples
In October17°C · 13 rainy days
Ideal stayA long weekend during the festival
Approx. flying time~11h 55m from Los Angeles

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Takes place in Montreux Jazz, Switzerland — nearest airport Geneva (GVA).

CurrencyCHFSwiss franc
LanguageGerman, French, Italian and Romansh
Local time14:051h ahead of the UK
PlugsType C / JBring an adapter
Drive on theRightOpposite to the UK
Dialling code+41

The festival

For two weeks each July, Montreux Jazz Festival takes over the shore of Lake Geneva, with the Alps rising across the water as a backdrop few festivals can match. Despite the name, the lineup has long stretched well beyond jazz into rock, soul and pop, a legacy of a guest list running from Miles Davis to Prince. Ticketed shows fill the Auditorium Stravinski, but a free lakeside programme of stages and late-night jam sessions runs alongside it, open to anyone wandering the promenade.

Build a trip around a handful of ticketed headline shows and let the free stages fill the rest of the evenings, since the atmosphere along the lakefront is as much the draw as any single act. Montreux's own hotel prices climb steeply during the festival, so basing yourself in nearby Lausanne or Vevey and training in keeps costs down without losing much time. Book headline tickets as soon as the lineup is announced, well before the festival itself begins.

Ideal stay: A long weekend during the festival
The vibe: Lakeside, starry, effortlessly cool

From our guides

Headline tickets in the Auditorium Stravinski cost serious francs, but the shrewd move is the free programme — lakeside stages and late-night jams that deliver half the magic for nothing. Stay in Lausanne or Vevey and train in; Montreux hotel prices reach for the peaks.

Featured in Ten festival trips worth building a holiday around

Make a trip of it

Auditorium Stravinski

The festival's main ticketed venue, hosting headline acts each night across the two-week run in a room with famously sharp acoustics.
Free lakeside stages

Open-air stages along the Lake Geneva promenade run music for free throughout the festival, drawing a mixed crowd of locals and visitors.
Late-night jam sessions

Informal, often unannounced sessions bring together festival musicians after the main shows, a long-standing part of the event's reputation.
Miles Davis Hall

A smaller festival venue named for one of Montreux's most celebrated past performers, hosting more intimate ticketed sets.
Lake Geneva promenade

A flower-lined lakefront walk connecting the festival venues, with views across to the French Alps on the far shore.

Getting there

Fly to
Geneva (GVA)

The airport is on the doorstep.
Then
To Vevey

About an hour and a quarter by direct train from Geneva (GVA) along the lake to Vevey or Montreux; by car it is roughly an hour on the motorway.
On the ground
Getting around

Festival venues and the free lakeside stages sit along the Montreux waterfront within easy walking distance of the station, and trains from Vevey or Lausanne take 10 to 20 minutes.

Public transport: Excellent: frequent lakeshore trains run late during the festival, plus lake steamers and local buses.

Flights

Los Angeles Montreux Jazz, Switzerland

Flying from

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Roughly 11h 55m in the air from Los Angeles (LAX), estimated from the distance — check for a direct route. Pick a month to see every available flight with live prices.

Check dates and prices

Pick your departure date, then your return.

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Flight times are estimates; prices open on Google Flights.

When to go

Daytime highs run from about 6°C in January to 25°C in August. Wettest in June, with rain on about 17 days.

The year at a glance — pick a month for detail

October17° · rain 13 daysCool and often wet.

Monthly figures averaged from daily records for 2020–2024 at this location (ERA5 reanalysis).

Where to base yourself

Lakeshore grand hotels and mid-range town hotels along the Riviera, plus apartments, campsites and a couple of hostels. Festival-only accommodation does not exist here.

Best base overall
Vevey

Ten minutes by train along the lake, with a proper town square, restaurants and hotel rates that do not answer to the festival. Last trains back run late enough for the main stages.
Find stays in Vevey
Best value
Lausanne

A bigger city twenty minutes away with the widest choice of rooms and hostels, plus its own nightlife when the festival stages close. Trains are frequent and run through the night in July.
Find stays in Lausanne
Closest to the sights
Montreux itself, Clarens and Territet

Staying on the lakefront means walking home from the free stages at two in the morning. Prices are at their most ambitious and rooms go early.
Find stays in Montreux itself, Clarens and Territet
Quietest
Villeneuve and Aigle

Small towns at the head of the lake and up the Rhone valley, cheaper again and still on the railway. You are committing to the timetable for every late night.
Find stays in Villeneuve and Aigle

Worth knowing before you book: Book in winter for the July fortnight, as Montreux and Vevey rooms go first and many hotels impose minimum stays across the festival weekends.

Search everything else in Vevey by budget. These are indicative budget bands in GBP per night for two people, not live quotes or guarantees of hotel type. Check your dates, guests, taxes and final price on Booking.com.

Or see everything in Vevey

Good to know

Book ahead: Headline show tickets sell out quickly once the lineup is announced, generally in spring; buy as early as possible for popular acts.
Accommodation: Montreux hotel prices rise sharply during the festival; staying in nearby Lausanne or Vevey and taking the train in keeps costs more manageable.
Free events: The lakeside stages and jam sessions are free and open to anyone, a good way to experience the festival without buying tickets.
Getting there: Montreux sits on the main rail line between Geneva and the wider Swiss network, making it an easy train journey from either airport.
Timing: The festival runs for roughly two weeks each July; check the exact dates and lineup announcement each year, since they shift slightly.