Pleasure cruises and ferries on Lake Geneva in Switzerland are often not cheap but savings deals are available to make boat trips and tickets cheaper.

photo credit: gamsiz

Day-trip pleasure cruises on Lake Geneva in Switzerland are very popular with many boats departing daily from major sights such as Genève, Lausanne, Montreux, Nyon, Evian, and Yvoire. These day-trip excursion cruises on Lac Léman are often fairly expensive but several special deals are available to bring prices down. All Swiss transportation passes are valid on Lake Geneva cruise boats while the Junior Card allows children to travel for free with parents.

CGN pleasure boats cruising on Lake Geneva between Switzerland and France have first class and second class sections. Second class is often a false economy for tourists as second class passengers do not have access to the open-top decks that offer the best views of Lake Geneva, vineyards, and the Alps.

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Ferries go from Lausanne in Switzerland to Thonon and Evian in France while pleasure boats cruise on Lac Léman to Genève, Nyon, Vevey, Montreux, and other Swiss towns on Lake Geneva.

photo credit: Tom Anderson

Lausanne is an important departure port for boats cruising on Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) between Switzerland and France. Passenger ferry boat services connect Lausanne with the French cities Evian and Thonon-les-Bains. Pleasure boat cruises depart from Lausanne on day excursions to all parts of Lake Geneva including Genève, Nyon, Morges, Yvoire, Vevey, Montreux, Chateau de Chillon, and St Gingolph. Savings deals and cheaper offers are available to reduce ticket prices which are often far from cheap.

Dinner and lunch cruises are available (with fondue cruises popular in winter, autumn, and spring). Ferries, pleasure boats, and historic paddle steamers from Lausanne are operated by the Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le Lac Léman (CGN). Lausanne is not only a popular departure point for boat cruises but also located where the Alpine backdrop over Lake Geneva is at its most beautiful.

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A Top Romanesque and Gothic Church with Cloisters, Switzerland

The Basler Münster (Minster) is the top historical sight in Basel, Switzerland. It is a big Romanesque and Gothic church with cloisters and the tomb of the humanist Erasmus.

photo credit: son_gismo

The Basler Münster (Minster) towers over the Rhine Valley and the old town of Basel from Münsterberg hill. This mostly fourteenth and fifteenth-century Gothic church is the top historical and architectural sight in Basel, Switzerland’s fourth largest city.

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Tour the Old Town, Münster (Minster), Rathaus, and Best Museums

The Romanesque-Gothic Minster, historical Rathaus on Marktplatz, old streets in Spalenberg, fountains, and excellent museums are the best sights to see in Basel, Switzerland.

photo credit: dongga BS

The Swiss city Basel is on the Rhine River at the border with Germany and France. This city of almost 170,000 inhabitants has an interesting historical center, pedestrian shopping streets, and excellent museums.

The Romanesque-Gothic Basler Münster (Minster)

The Romanesque-Gothic Basler Münster (Basel Minster) is the top historical and architectural sight to see in Basel. This large church on Münsterberg Hill towers of the town and the Rhine River valley. Its origins are twelfth-century Romanesque but most of what is visible today is late medieval Gothic.

The Minster in Basel is famous for its highly decorative Romanesque St. Gallen portal where Christ sits in judgment on the tympanum. Also note the elephants carved out of stone facing the Rhine river.

• European humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam (1469-1536) is buried in the Basler Münster.

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Chillon Castle is amongst the Top Monuments and Sights in Switzerland

Romantic Chateau de Chillon in Lake Geneva near Montreux is one of the top castles in Switzerland. This Swiss medieval fortress is a great day-trip destination to visit with children.

Chateau de Chillon is a great medieval castle on a small rocky island in Lake Geneva a drawbridge length away from the mainland. It is just south of Montreux and a pleasant day-trip destination from many towns and resorts in the Lac Léman region including Genève, Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux, and the French resort town Evian. Visitors to nearby ski resorts in Switzerland (including cantons Vaud and Wallis), as well as France and Italy may find it a very rewarding bad-weather destination too. Chillon is a top Swiss destination for families and children.

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