Lake Geneva and Lavaux, from Geneva to Chillon

Lakeside promenades, castles on the water and the terraced vineyards of Lavaux, on the north shore of Lake Geneva. A four-day loop from Geneva, with a detour through the Gruyère on the way back.

Switzerland

The Lavaux vineyard terraces drop towards Lake Geneva, facing the Savoy Alps.

The Lake Geneva road

This trip follows the north shore of Lake Geneva, from Geneva to Montreux, then climbs towards the Gruyère. From Geneva, the old lake road runs past the harbours and the vineyards of La Côte. On a clear day, you can see Mont Blanc on the other side of the water. Coppet, Nyon and Morges each have their own castle near the lake.

In Lausanne, the old town is at the top, around the cathedral. The Olympic Museum is at the bottom, on the lakeshore, in Ouchy. After Lutry, the Corniche road climbs into the Lavaux vineyards, through Grandvaux, Riex, Epesses and Chexbres. It is narrow and lined with low walls, with the lake just below.

East of Lavaux, Vevey and Montreux have kept their flower-lined promenades and their Belle Époque hotels. Further on, Chillon Castle sits on a rock, with the Dents du Midi behind. Then you head back towards Vevey to leave the lake by way of Châtel-Saint-Denis: in about twenty minutes, you go from vineyards to the pastures of the Gruyère.

Saint-Saphorin on the lakeshore, at the foot of the Lavaux terraces.

Lavaux, the terraced vineyards

Between Lutry and Vevey, about 800 hectares of vines run down in terraces to the lake. According to UNESCO, the terraces date back to the 11th century, when Benedictine, then Cistercian, monasteries held the area. Thousands of low stone walls hold the soil on very steep slopes. Lavaux has been a World Heritage Site since 2007, as a cultural landscape. Saint-Saphorin, with its sloping lanes and its church, stands at the foot of the vines, by the water.

The main grape is chasselas, a white variety. The winegrowers talk about the “three suns” of Lavaux: the sun in the sky, its reflection on the lake and the warmth of the walls. The walls store the heat of the day and give it back at night. Two wines have grand cru status, Dézaley and Calamin.

Waymarked paths link the villages through the vines, and the train along the lake takes you back to where you started. Higher up, Mont Pèlerin has an open view over the lake and the Alps. A funicular runs up from Vevey.

The walls store the heat of the day and give it back at night.

Chillon, the castle on the lake

Chillon Castle is built on a limestone rock, about ten metres from the shore. The Counts of Savoy enlarged it mainly in the 13th century. Today it is the most visited historic monument in Switzerland.

In 1536, the Bernese freed François Bonivard there, a Genevan prior imprisoned for opposing the Duke of Savoy. In 1816, Lord Byron visited the castle and wrote “The Prisoner of Chillon”, a poem about Bonivard’s captivity. In the dungeon, you are shown Byron’s name carved on a pillar; its authenticity is disputed.

Aigle Castle

Aigle, canton of Vaud · 20 minutes from Chillon

A Savoyard castle surrounded by vineyards, on the Rhône plain, facing the Alps. Burnt by the Bernese in 1475 and then rebuilt, it has housed a museum of vines and wine since 1976.

Practical notes

When to go: May–June and September–October. The grape harvest runs from late September into October. In July, the Montreux Jazz Festival fills the Riviera for two weeks.
Getting there: Geneva is under two hours from Lyon and an hour from Lausanne by motorway.
Access: Everything is tarmac. The motorway vignette is compulsory in Switzerland; above 3.5 tonnes, a flat-rate charge replaces it. On the Corniche, passing oncoming traffic is tricky.
Sleeping in a van: Lakeside campsites in Morges and at Lausanne-Vidy. In Lausanne, the underground car parks are too low for a large van: park near the lake and take the metro.
Worth knowing: The village of Gruyères is pedestrianised, with car parks at the entrance. The Olympic Museum is closed on Mondays. In summer, it is best to book Chillon and Chaplin’s World online.
Allow: Four days for the loop, one more for the Rochers de Naye or Aigle Castle.

Riex and Epesses, their huddled roofs among the Lavaux vineyard terraces.

What not to miss

1Geneva’s Jet d’EauA 140-metre column of water at the end of the Eaux-Vives jetty, running almost all year round.
2Lausanne CathedralEvery night, from 10 pm to 2 am, a watchman calls out the hours from the top of the tower, a tradition that began in 1405.
3The Vevey ForkAn 8-metre steel fork planted in the lake, in front of the Alimentarium, the food museum.
4Chaplin’s WorldThe manor house in Corsier-sur-Vevey, now a museum, where Charlie Chaplin lived from 1953 until his death in 1977.
5The Rochers de NayeA rack railway climbs from Montreux to 1,970 metres in under an hour.
6GruyèresA pedestrian street that climbs to the castle of the Counts of Gruyère, one of the most visited castles in Switzerland.

Lake Geneva and Lavaux in pictures

The white castle of Nyon above the rooftops of the old town.

The Jet d’Eau in Geneva harbour, under a blue sky.

Gruyères Castle and its round tower.

Food around Lake Geneva

By the lake, you eat perch fillets, pan-fried in butter. Many do not come from Lake Geneva: you can ask where they are from. Papet vaudois combines leeks and potatoes with a cabbage sausage.

In the Gruyère, moitié-moitié fondue mixes Gruyère and vacherin fribourgeois. At the foot of the village of Gruyères, La Maison du Gruyère shows how the cheese is made. In Broc, close by, Maison Cailler runs tours of its chocolate factory. For dessert, meringues come with the Gruyère’s double crème. In the glass, it is chasselas, to taste in the wine cellars of the Lavaux villages.

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