Château de Chillon and Lake Geneva. (©_Switzerland Tourism)

Lake Leman lies by Chillon’s walls:
A thousand feet in depth below
Its massy waters meet and flow...
There are seven pillars of Gothic mould,
In Chillon’s dungeons deep and old,
There are seven columns massy and grey,
Dim with a dull imprison’d ray,
A sunbeam which hath lost its way…

Lord Byron, The Prisoner of Chillon

The climax of a journey around Lake Geneva, and one of the highlights of a visit to Switzerland, is the stunning thirteenth-centuryChâteau de Chillon (daily: April–Sept 9am–7pm; March & Oct 9.30am–6pm; Jan, Feb, Nov & Dec 10am–5pm; last entry 1hr before closing; Fr.7; SMP; www.chillon.ch). This impressive specimen, among the best-preserved medieval castles in Europe, is in Veytaux, only about 3km south of Montreux; whether you opt for the 45-minute shoreline walk, bus #1 from Vevey or Montreux, a bike, or best of all a boat (which run year-round), your first glimpse of the castle is unforgettable – an elegant, turreted pile jutting out into the water, framed by trees and the craggy mountains. You could easily spend a half-day soaking up the atmosphere.