46.49° N · 6.75° E
Terraced vineyards above Lake Geneva, between Lausanne and Montreux, cultivated since the 11th century and a World Heritage Site since 2007. Mostly chasselas is grown.
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
A waymarked 11.4 km walk through the terraced vineyards of Lavaux, from Lutry to Saint-Saphorin, returning by train; about 3 h 15.
The Lavaux wine centre in Rivaz, beside the lake, with close to 300 wines and guided chasselas tastings from CHF 17.
A 1 h 15 tourist train through the terraced vineyards of Lavaux, leaving from Lutry or Cully from April to November; CHF 17.
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
May to October, with the Lavaux Express running and the wine cellars open. September and October bring the harvest. In winter you can walk just the same, but many things close.
How you travel
The ways of travelling that suit Lavaux. We are writing a guide to each one: where to stay, how to get around and which services you will need.
Car-freeLuxuryOn footBy bikeBy car
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Lavaux suits a family well because everything can be cut short: a stretch on foot, the boat to come back, the little train for those who get tired.
With children under six, forget the whole walk and build the day around transport: the little train, the boat and the vineyard train appeal to them more than the scenery.
Where to stay
Why we like it: Four-star hotel at the entrance to Cully, between the lake and the vineyards, two minutes from Epesses station and with free parking.
Why we like it: Ten-room inn on Cully's town hall square, in a 15th-century house, with a grill restaurant beside the fireplace.
Why we like it: Spa hotel on the Corniche road above Chexbres, with 25 rooms, most with a balcony over Lake Geneva, and the Le Deck restaurant.
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: the perch fillets with house butter, CHF 39, or in season the game; to start, the breaded tomme vaudoise salad with hazelnuts
What to order: on weekdays, the lunch menu at CHF 49 with starter, main and coffee; for an occasion, The Chef's Table, five courses, CHF 145
What to order: a pinsa, CHF 19, or the "Tout d'bon" board to share, CHF 48, with a glass of Lavaux white; in the evening, the entrecôte Parisienne style, CHF 25
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
45.92° N · 6.87° E
By carCar-freeOn footCampingBy campervanBackpacking
45.92° N · 6.13° E
By planeCar-freeBy carLuxury
46.60° N · 7.91° E
Car-freeOn footCampingLuxuryBackpackingBy car
46.02° N · 7.75° E
Car-freeLuxuryOn footBy plane
Tips
From Lutry to Saint-Saphorin is 11.4 km; the train brings you back in minutes.
It stops at Lutry, Cully and Rivaz, and in summer the Belle Époque paddle steamers sail.
In summer, the winegrowers' caveaux open in turns in each village.
The vineyard roads are narrow and there is nowhere to stop. By train, boat and on foot you see more.
Fly to Geneva and continue by train: in under an hour and a half you are in Lausanne or Vevey, at the two ends of Lavaux. Between them, the lakeside line stops at Lutry, Cully, Epesses, Rivaz and Saint-Saphorin, and another climbs from Vevey to Chexbres through the upper part of the vineyard. You do not need a car, and in the villages there is almost nowhere to park.
Combine three things: the train to come and go, a CGN boat to see the terraces from the lake, and your own legs for the path among the vines. With the Swiss Travel Pass the train and the boat are included. The Lavaux Express, a little tourist train, climbs the vineyard roads from Lutry and Cully.
Lavaux is easily visited in a day from Lausanne, Vevey or Montreux. On summer weekends and at harvest time there are more people on the path. Book the Train du caveau and the Lavaux Express in summer; and the Vinorama tastings if you are in a group.
Questions
One day: the walking route with a tasting halfway. With two, you add the boat and the Chexbres train at an unhurried pace.
At the Lavaux Vinorama in Rivaz, open almost all year, and in the villages' caveaux, which open in turns in summer.
Yes, for the trains and the CGN boats. The Lavaux Express is paid separately.
Yes. The Lavaux Express and the boat are the easiest plans; the full route is long for little ones.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/switzerland/vaud/lavaux
