In a country famed for its Christmas markets, the month-long Montreux Noël (above)  is special indeed.  There are 160 chalets arranged along the lakefront, selling hand-made goods and local food specialties. The nearby Castle de Chillon has a medieval magic program on three weekends and the famed Montreux-Oberland-Bernois (MOB) train brings families up to Rochers-de-Naye above Montreux to meet with Father Christmas. This year’s Montreux Noel runs from November 23 to December 24. https://www.montreuxnoel.com/

The nearby city of Lausanne has its own holiday festival with Bô Noël, a market with local food, wines and handmade goods from November 23 to December 31.

The city will be illuminated by Lausanne Lumieres (above), an extraordinary display of projections and light sculptures by featured artists. www.bo-noel.ch &  www.festivallausannelumieres.ch