Lavaux
Discover Lavaux
Lavaux is internationally famous as a terraced wine-growing region on the shores of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) in western Switzerland. It covers the territory roughly from Lausanne to Montreux, extending to an altitude of roughly 500 meters above lake level and including 6 lake shore villages and the city of Vevey. Part of the Lavaux (bas-Lavaux) has been recognised since 2007 as a world heritage site by UNESCO. The territories of two additional communes Savigny and Forel, also belong to the Lavaux, but lie entirely outside the UNESCO world heritage site. With only distant glimpses of the lake, at 700–900 meters altitude, along with the upper reaches of the commune of Puidoux, these outlying parts of the Lavaux lie too high above the Léman for commercial wine-growing, but nevertheless benefit from stunning views of the entire mountain range from the Moléson of the Fribourgeois Préalps to the Dent D'Oche of the Chablais Français. In winter the haut-Lavaux is often sufficiently snow-covered that it is not unusual to encounter off-piste cross-country skiers on the rolling farmland and abundant forest trails. In Autumn, Savigny and Forel may bask in sunny blue skies on the days when Lausanne and the bas-Lavaux remain shrouded in mist. Highly accurate local weather predictions for the region can be had from the web site of the local weather station, MeteoLavaux.
What to Experience in Lavaux
Taste of Lavaux...
This site provides details of a good selection of attractive, affordable B&Bs throughout the Lavaux region.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsFrom Lausanne or Vevey many Lavaux villages are reachable by train within a few minutes : Lutry, Vilette, Cully, Epesses, Rivaz and St-Saphorin with the S1, S2 and S3 trains. Chexbres is reachable from Vevey with the S31 train. Lausanne has good connections to other major cities of Switzerland, including Geneva, Bern, and Zurich. Most trains run roughly between around 5am and midnight everyday of the week, though the number of trains is somewhat more limited on Sundays and holidays. For details check the website of the Swiss Federal Railway. One of the nicest ways to spend an afternoon anywhere is to take a boat from the port of Ouchy on the Lakefront of Lausanne or from Vevey or Montreux. Enjoy the terraces which produced it roll by at a leisurely steam-powered pace. It's possible (although a much longer ride) to take the same steamboat all the way from Geneva or Evian. The steamboat ports in the Lavaux include Lutry, Cully, Rivaz, and Vevey....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
The regional trains stop at many of the villages along the way and can be used to get around . However, the Lausanne-Montreux line runs close to the bottom of the Lavaux, near the big lake, so you are guaranteed to see almost nothing on the train ride (except gorgeous views of LacLéman and the Savoie Alps between Lutry and Vevey), and the train stations are often in the suburban commerce centers of the larger municipalities, away from the vineyards themselves. There is also a Train-des-Vignes that runs from Vevey to Puidoux which can be quite scenic if you aren't fit enough to hike or walk around the Lavaux. There is also a funicular from Vevey to Mont-Pelerin station (where you can walk in perhaps 1.5 hours to the Mont-Pelerin summit at 1080 m which has a viewing tower), a train from Vevey to Les Pleiades (1360 m), and several others.
Where to Stay
This site provides details of a good selection of attractive, affordable B&Bs throughout the Lavaux region.
Money & Budget
This site provides details of a good selection of attractive, affordable B&Bs throughout the Lavaux region.
Safety Information
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Lavaux
Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces and magnificent landscapes of Lake Geneva. Snowy peaks of the Alps mountains. French Switzerland, Lausanne, Canton Vaud. Summer
a scenic view of a vineyard with a house on the hill
Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces and magnificent landscapes of Lake Geneva. Snowy peaks of the Alps mountains. French Switzerland, Lausanne, Canton Vaud. Summer
A small village by the lake with a beautiful vineyards in Vaud, Switzerland
Autumn sunset over Lake Geneva
Beautiful vineyards in Vaud, Switzerland
I am passionate about photography since I am a child and my mother who is one of my biggest fans asked me for a landscape, so we went together for this photo shoot in the Lavaux vineyard, which is a wonderful place in Switzerland, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage (near Lausanne city). The yellow color of autumn was incredible, it was also a beautiful afternoon with my mum and the picture is now in her room.
Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces and magnificent landscapes of Lake Geneva. Snowy peaks of the Alps mountains. French Switzerland, Lausanne, Canton Vaud. Summer
a large field of green plants in front of a lake
UNESCO-listed Lavaux vineyard in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland
Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces and magnificent landscapes of Lake Geneva. Snowy peaks of the Alps mountains. French Switzerland, Lausanne, Canton Vaud. Summer
a scenic view of a vineyard with a house on the hill
Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces and magnificent landscapes of Lake Geneva. Snowy peaks of the Alps mountains. French Switzerland, Lausanne, Canton Vaud. Summer