Montreux's old town, the Les Planches district, sits above the lakefront promenade that most visitors know first. Its cobbled lanes, winegrowers' houses, and the church of Saint-Vincent give the resort town an older hillside texture behind the Belle Epoque hotels and festival fame.
The climb from the lake takes about 15 minutes and is worth doing for the views alone. It is also a useful reminder that Montreux was not built only for jazz posters and lake cruises; there is a small, steep, lived-in town above the Riviera gloss.