Montreux Jazz Festival 2027

You don’t necessarily need a ticket: Most of the festival takes place for free along the lakeside promenade, with stages, bars and street food. On the free stages, though, you’ll hear more pop and electro than classic jazz.

Only the concerts in the Auditorium Stravinski and the Lab cost money; the atmosphere by the lake is free.

Book your accommodation very early, or sleep a little outside town and come in on the regional train. If you stay in a hotel or holiday flat, you get the Riviera Card, which lets you use the region’s public transport for free.

During the two festival weeks, hotels in Montreux are quickly booked up and expensive.

For real jazz, head late in the evening to The Memphis club in the Lake House: After workshops and concerts, musicians who played on the other stages earlier jam there until the early hours. From 22.00 you only get in if you’re 18 or over and have official ID.

The jam sessions are seen as the heart of the festival, and there’s no entry fee.

Sold out doesn’t mean hopeless: On the day of the concert, the festival releases a small allocation at the box office in the convention centre from 16.00, one ticket per person, and the wristband goes straight onto your wrist. For advance sales, the rule is: Note when sales open and be online straight away.

Popular concerts in the Auditorium Stravinski sell out quickly.

Come by train rather than by car: During the festival, buses 201 and 204 are free in the evening and run until 4.00 on weekdays and until 5.00 at weekends. You’ll usually find free seats in the carriages at the very front or very back.

Parking spaces in Montreux are scarce, and the Grand-Rue is closed to cars in the evening.

For concerts in the convention centre, leave your backpack, umbrella, cans and water bottle at home; all of these are banned in the concert areas. Bring a light rain jacket instead, as the weather by the lake changes quickly.

There are checks at the entrance, and you won’t get in with banned items.