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Geneva -

Geneva, the second-most populous city in Switzerland after Zürich, is located where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva. The Jet d'Eau, a huge fountain, is one the city's most famous landmarks.

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Lausanne -

Located 62 km (38.5 mi) northeast of Geneva is Lausanne. The city boasts 46 buildings or sites that are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance.

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Montreux -

Picturesque Montreux hugs the shoreline of Lake Geneva and is world-famous for its annual Montreux Jazz Festival. The town boasts one of the most beautiful walks along the lake, stretching from Villeneuve all the way towards Vevey.

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Vevey -

Vevey, on the north shore of Lake Geneva near Lausanne, is the birthplace of milk chocolate—the town is home to the world headquarters of the international food and beverage company Nestlé.

So, these are four good reasons to visit Lake Geneva, but who decided to stay longer?

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Mary Shelley (1797–1851) -

English novelist Mary Shelley wrote the Gothic novel 'Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus,' published in 1818. But what isn't so well known is that early chapters of the book were drafted at a villa in Cologny, in the Lake Geneva area, in 1816.

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Lord Byron (1788–1824) -

Shelley was in Switzerland with her lover and future husband, the poet Percy B. Shelley. Both were staying with Lord Byron at the Villa Diodati. They were later joined by English writer John Polidori, whose short story 'The Vamprye' was also conceived at the property. Polidori is credited by some as the creator of the vampire genre of fantasy fiction.

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Villa Diodati, Cologny -

Villa Diodati today is in private ownership. It's listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

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Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837–1898) -

In 1898, despite warnings of possible assassination attempts, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, nicknamed Sisi, traveled incognito to Geneva. She checked into a hotel, the Beau-Rivage Genèva. On September 10, Elisabeth and her lady-in-waiting were walking along the promenade when the empress was attacked by Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni, who stabbed her once with a sharpened needle file.

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Beau-Rivage Genèva -

Mortally wounded, the empress was carried back to the hotel, where she was pronounced dead later that afternoon. Sentenced to life, her killer was found hanged in his cell in 1910. The hotel remains a Geneva landmark, and over the years has welcomed actors, poets, diplomats, monarchs, authors, and politicians.

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Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977) -

Legendary Hollywood figure Charlie Chaplin spent the last 25 years of his life living at his villa, Manoir de Ban, located at Corsier-sur-Vevey on the banks of Lake Geneva. He's pictured here in 1969 relaxing in the front garden.

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Manoir de Ban -

The villa now houses a museum dedicated to the life and work of its former owner, named Chaplin's World.

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Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) -

In July 1901, Lenin left Russia for Western Europe. Writing for the communist newspaper Iskra, he relocated to Switzerland when the paper's editorial board moved its base of operations to Geneva. Lenin rented a little chalet near Geneva while in exile.

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Geneva and Zürich -

Lenin also lived in Zürich, at Spiegelgasse 14 on the second floor. Pictured in 1928 is a tablet in his honor set under the apartment window, above a restaurant.

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Coco Chanel (1883–1971) -

In 1945, French fashion designer Coco Chanel moved to Switzerland, where she lived for several years.

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Lausanne -

Chanel's home was near Lausanne, where she was eventually laid to rest in the city's Bois-de-Vaux Cemetery after her death in Paris in 1971.

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Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977) -

Russian-born novelist Vladimir Nabokov pictured in 1965, seated on the veranda of his suite at the Montreux Palace Hotel overlooking Lake Geneva. He lived in the hotel for the last 17 years of his life.

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Fairmont Le Montreux Palace -

Today known as the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, the hotel is one of Switzerland's most luxurious. Many renowned musicians have stayed at the hotel while appearing at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

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Audrey Hepburn (1929–1993) -

One of Lake Geneva's most iconic  residents was Audrey Hepburn. The actress and humanitarian, pictured here during a cruise on the lake, lived in Tolochenaz, Vaud.

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Audrey Hepburn -

Audrey Hepburn's residence, "La Paisible." The property was the subject of a 1971 Vogue fashion shoot. In this image, the focal point of the lounge is a painting of three watermelon slices by Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo.

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James Mason (1909–1984) -

British Hollywood film star James Mason, regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation, lived for many years in Lausanne.

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James Mason -

Mason had a large villa near the city, and is pictured here in his study in 1975. The actor's remains are interred in the cemetery at Corsier-sur-Vevey in Vaud, just a few steps away from the tomb of his friend, Charlie Chaplin.

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Noël Coward (1899–1973) -

The debonair English playwright, actor, director, composer, and singer Sir Noël Coward divided his time between an estate in Jamaica and a villa in Les Avants, near Montreux.

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Les Avants -

The thespian's home in Les Avants, pictured in 1963. Coward's neighbors included the Australian opera singer Dame Joan Sutherland (1926–2010). Ernest Hemingway relates in his posthumous 1964 memoir 'A Moveable Feast' that he used to winter in Les Avants when he lived in Paris in the 1920s.

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Peter Ustinov (1921–2004) -

Actor, writer, filmmaker, theater and opera director Peter Ustinov made his home in Bursins, Vaud, on the banks of Lake Geneva.

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Bursins -

Pictured here at the piano at his home in 1995, Ustinov became a Swiss resident in the 1960s.

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Jackie Stewart -

A British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland, Jackie Stewart competed in F1 between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships, and twice finishing as runner-up.

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Begnins -

Jackie Stewart and his wife Helen in the garden of their home at Begnins, near Lake Geneva, in 1971. The couple lived in Switzerland between 1969 and 1997, before selling their house to Phil Collins. 

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Phil Collins -

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor, Phil Collins is best known as the drummer/singer of the rock band Genesis.

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Phil Collins -

In 1999, Collins married his third wife, Orianne Cevey, a Swiss national whom he met on tour and who worked as his translator. He's pictured here arriving for the ceremony at Féchy. The couple divorced in 2008.

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Queen -

British rock band Queen owned and operated Mountain Recording Studios in Montreux, where they are pictured in 1986. Lead singer Freddie Mercury had a home nearby.

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Queen: The Studio Experience - After Freddie Mercury's death in 1991, the original studios were converted into a museum, Queen: The Studio Experience, which is housed in the Montreux Casino. Band memorabilia includes the mixing desk (pictured) used to record Queen's final album with Freddie Mercury. Protected behind a plate of glass are the very last lines written by the eccentric front man when he was at Montreux in 1991.

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Freddie Mercury statue -

A statue of Queen's late lead singer Freddie Mercury stands in Montreux, on the northern shore of Lake Geneva.

See also: The king of Queen: How Freddie Mercury became somebody we all love.

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