# Lavaux 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. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/switzerland/vaud/lavaux · Revisado: 2026-11-12 ## Getting there from Spain 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. ## Getting around between the villages 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. ## Crowds and what to book 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. ## Where to eat Auberge du Vigneron, in Epesses, halfway along the terraces route, open every day Le Deck, fine dining above Chexbres with a glazed terrace over the lake Cambuse Plage, a summer beach bar on the shore at Cully ## Where to stay Hôtel Lavaux, a four-star hotel between the lake and the vines, next to Epesses station Auberge du Raisin, a ten-room inn in a 15th-century house in the centre of Cully Le Baron Tavernier, a hotel with a spa and lake-facing balconies above Chexbres ## Dónde está - Cerca: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (a 64.0 km · France), Annecy (a 79.5 km · France), Jungfrau Region (a 89.6 km), Zermatt (a 93.5 km) ## Qué hacer - **Lavaux Terraces Walk, from Lutry to Saint-Saphorin** (3 h 15 · 11.4 km · Anyone who can walk for three hours · Independent · free): This is the way to really see Lavaux: on foot, with the lake below and the Savoy Alps opposite. You don't have to do all of it; Cully and Rivaz have a station and a landing stage to shorten it. What it is Lavaux is the hillside of terraced vineyards that drops to Lake Geneva between Lausanne and Vevey. It is about 800 hectares of vineyard held up by more than 10,000 terraces and between 400 and 450 km of stone walls, documented as far back as the 14th century. UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage cultural landscape on 28 June 2007. This route is the central stretch of the SuisseRando waymarked path through the vines: from Lutry to Saint-Saphorin, passing Grandvaux, Riex, Epesses and Rivaz. According to the official sheet it is 11.4 km, about 3 h 15 of walking, 415 m of ascent and 435 m of descent, with difficulty T1. You follow paths between stone walls, with no difficult sections, but with constant ups and downs. Getting there and where to park The practical way is to go and come back by train: you start at one station and finish at another. From Lausanne, the S1 or S3 regional train reaches Lutry in about 5 minutes; the station is about 10 minutes' walk from the lake. At the end, in Saint-Saphorin, you take the train back towards Lausanne or Vevey. If you come by car, in Lutry there is the Possession car park, outdoor and underground, with about 200 spaces, and La Combe, with about 100. Leave it there and come back by train to collect it. You can also arrive by CGN boat, which calls at Lutry, Cully and Rivaz. When to go You can walk all year, but the best time is from March to October. In September and October the grape harvest arrives and the vines change colour; in summer the sun beats down and there is almost no shade. In winter many wineries close and the atmosphere is different, although the view over the lake stays the same. Water, food and stops In the villages there are cafés and wineries, but between them you are in full sun: carry water and a cap. Halfway, in Rivaz, is the Lavaux Vinorama, which brings together close to 300 wines from the area and runs tastings from CHF 17. From May to September, the winegrowers of each village take turns to open their caveaux, the cellars where you taste the local wine. With children, with a dog and if it rains With children who walk, yes: there is no danger and every hour you pass through a village. For little ones, the Lavaux Express does a tour of the vineyards without effort. You can walk with a dog, but the vineyards are private land: don't go into the terraces and keep it on a lead. In the rain the cobbles are slippery, and on the descents you need to take care. How to shorten or lengthen it From Lutry to Cully is about two hours, and at Cully you have a train and a boat. From Rivaz, halfway through the second part, the train also leaves. If you would rather come down from above than traverse the hillside, the train from Vevey to Puidoux-Chexbres takes you up to Chexbres, and from there you walk down to Rivaz or Saint-Saphorin. - **Chasselas Tasting at the Lavaux Vinorama in Rivaz** (1 h · Adults · Desde 17 € per person): Chasselas is the white grape of Lavaux, and here you see why every village defends its own. A good break halfway along the terraces route, because Rivaz has a station and a landing stage. What it is The Lavaux Vinorama is the discovery centre for the wines of Lavaux. It opened in 2010 in Rivaz, on the lakeshore, in part of the old Forestay mill complex, documented since 1420. Inside there is a large library of about 300 wines from the area's winegrowers, a tasting room and a terrace over Lake Geneva. The soils of the vineyard's eight production sites are explained with pieces of rock, Hervé Detomasi's geoliths, and outside, beside the south car park, there are vines of the main Lavaux varieties. You can order a whole bottle from the list, try the selection of the week or take a guided tasting. Whatever you taste can be bought on the spot. The tastings "Le Roi des cépages", CHF 17: three chasselas from three different Lavaux domaines. It is the best way to understand how the same grape changes with the terrain. "La Reine de Lavaux", CHF 20: two chasselas whites and a red typical of the area. "3 saveurs, 3 nuances", CHF 21: three reds, one light, one blend and one barrel-aged. "Expérience ultime", CHF 45: two grand cru chasselas, two special whites of your choice and two reds, one of them from Plant Robert, Lavaux's historic grape, with a selection of cheeses. All are served with bread and butter flûtes. With a walk through the vines The Vinorama also runs a Wine Tour: about three hours of guided walking through the vineyard, with a visit to a cellar and a tasting of three wines, and a second tasting of three more wines at the Vinorama, for CHF 75 per person. It leaves on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays: at 15:00 in May, until mid-June, in September and in October, and at 11:00 from mid-June to August. You must book online. From November to April it only runs on request, with a minimum of six people and a week's notice. For groups or couples there are private cultural walks of one to two hours, from CHF 235 for up to seven people, plus the tasting you choose; they are booked a week in advance. Opening hours November and December 2026, and March and April 2027: Wednesday to Saturday 10:30 to 19:30 and Sunday 10:30 to 19:00; Monday and Tuesday, closed. January and February 2027: Thursday to Saturday 10:30 to 19:30 and Sunday until 19:00; Monday to Wednesday, closed. May to October 2027: Monday to Saturday 10:30 to 20:00 and Sunday until 19:00. It closes for holidays from 1 to 21 January 2027 and reopens that day at 10:30. On Wednesday 18 November 2026 it closes at 18:00. Getting there It is at Route du Lac 2, the lakeside road, in Rivaz. By train, you get off at Rivaz station, on the Lausanne to Vevey line. By boat, the CGN calls at the village's landing stage. On foot, Rivaz is on the Lavaux terraces route, about two and a half hours from Lutry. If you come by car, there is parking beside the building, to the south. Who it is for For adults. If you are with children, combine the tasting with the boat on Lake Geneva or the Lavaux Express. If you are driving, a three-wine tasting is already a lot: better to come by train or boat. - **Lavaux Express, the little vineyard train from Lutry or Cully** (1 h 15 · Families and anyone who does not want to walk · Desde 17 € adult): What it is The Lavaux Express is a little wheeled tourist train that climbs the narrow vineyard roads from the lakeshore. It has been run since 2009 by a local association and makes two circular routes of 1 h 15, one from Lutry and one from Cully. You sit in the open air between stone walls and terraces, with Lake Geneva below: it is a way to see Lavaux without walking, and the one that works best with small children or anyone who cannot manage the slopes. The two routes Boucle de Lutry: Lutry – Aran – Grandvaux – Lutry. It leaves from the Lutry landing stage, at Quai Gustave Doret 1. Boucle de Cully: Cully – Riex – Epesses – Dézaley – Cully. It leaves from the Cully landing stage, at Place d'Armes 16, and goes into the heart of the vineyards, beneath the Dézaley terraces. Halfway round, the train stops for 15 minutes in the vines. In good weather you can buy a glass of Lavaux wine; on the Lutry route you can only pay in cash or with Twint. At the train's counter they also sell bottles and souvenir glasses. You cannot board midway: only in Lutry or Cully. Days and times According to the 2026 calendar, the season runs from 1 April to 1 November: From Lutry: Wednesdays at 13:30, 15:00 and 16:30; Sundays at 10:30, 13:30, 15:00 and 16:30; and from June to the end of September, also Fridays at 13:30, 15:00 and 16:30. From Cully: Saturdays at 10:30, 13:30, 15:00 and 16:30; Tuesdays at 13:30, 15:00 and 16:30 from May; and from June to the end of September, also Thursdays at the same times. There are exceptional departures that change the starting point on some days: check the website before you go. The 2026 season has already ended; the 2027 one starts on 3 April. Prices and booking Adults, CHF 17; pensioners and people with disabilities, CHF 14; ages 14 to 18 and students, CHF 14; ages 6 to 13, CHF 6; under-6s, free. Booking on the website is recommended to be sure of a seat, and you pay there and then, in cash (francs or euros) or by card. Groups of up to 18 people can book on regular departures. If it rains, the train has rain and wind protection; the driver only cancels the departure if there is a storm. Getting there To Lutry: by S1 or S3 train from Lausanne, about 5 minutes, then a 10-minute walk to the landing stage; or by bus 9 from Place Saint-François in Lausanne, about 20 minutes, to the Voisinand stop. By car, the Possession car park has 200 spaces and the Combe one about 100. To Cully: by S1 or S3 train from Lausanne, about 10 minutes, then a 5-minute walk. By car, the Fortunades car park on the Route de la Corniche, and those at the quay and the station, have 50 to 60 spaces each. The CGN boat also reaches both, stopping at their landing stages. With children, with a dog, and accessibility With small children it is the most comfortable plan in Lavaux: short, seated and with a stop midway. There are no toilets on the route; the public ones are at the departure points, so go beforehand. Small dogs travel free on your lap or under the seat; large ones are not allowed. Wheelchairs cannot be taken aboard, because the benches are fixed, although they can be left at the counter. The association does not recommend it for pregnant women, because there are bumpy stretches. There is no live commentary: download the izi.TRAVEL app, with commentary in French, German and English, or ask for the "Mini guide" leaflet at the counter. More trains In summer, the same train runs sunset departures with a tasting stop at a winegrowers' cellar: this is the caveau train. - **The Caveau Train, a Tasting in a Winegrower's Cellar** (2 h · Adults; children with a soft drink · Desde 28 € adult, with three wines): What it is In Lavaux, the winegrowers of each village band together to open their caveau, a cellar where you taste the local wine served by the producers themselves. The Train du caveau, run by the Lavaux Express, takes you at sunset along the vineyard roads to whichever caveau is open that day, and stops there for 45 minutes for the tasting. It is the simplest way to taste Lavaux wine with the people who make it, without driving and without having to organise anything. What it is like You set off from the Lutry landing stage, at Quai Gustave Doret 1, at 18:30. The little train climbs through the terraced vineyards with the lake below and the evening light, and stops at one of the caveaux in the area's villages: Aran, Grandvaux, Epesses, Cully or Lutry itself, according to the calendar. There you have a three-wine tasting and keep the souvenir glass. Then the train brings you back to Lutry. The whole thing lasts about two hours. When it runs It runs from May to mid-September. In 2026 it ran on Fridays and Saturdays from 1 May to 20 September, and on Sundays from 7 May to 20 September, always at 18:30. The caveau changes every day: the association publishes a calendar with the village for each date. The 2027 one is not yet published; check the Lavaux Express website in spring. Price and booking It costs CHF 28 per adult, with the three-wine tasting and the souvenir glass. Children aged 4 to 15 pay CHF 10, with a soft drink. The association recommends booking to secure a seat and you pay at the departure point, in cash, in francs or euros, or by card. Groups of up to 18 people can book on the regular departures. Getting to Lutry From Lausanne, the S1 or S3 train reaches Lutry in about 5 minutes; from the station it is about 10 minutes' walk to the landing stage. You can also take bus 9 from Place Saint-François to the Voisinand stop, a 5-minute walk away. If you come by car, park at La Possession, with 200 spaces, or La Combe, with about 100; but if you are going to drink, the train is better. The train drops you back at the landing stage, 10 minutes from the station. Who it is for For adults who want to taste Lavaux wine in a village atmosphere, not a shop. Children can go, with a soft drink, and they enjoy the train ride, but it is two hours at the end of the day. There are no toilets on the train; the public ones are at the departure point. Small dogs travel free on your lap; large ones are not allowed. Wheelchairs cannot board the train. If it rains The train has rain and wind protection, and is only cancelled in a storm. In bad weather, confirm the departure by phone before you go. Other ways to taste the wine If the days don't suit you, the Lavaux Vinorama in Rivaz has guided tastings almost all year, from CHF 17, and can be combined with the terraces walk. - **CGN Boat Between Lausanne, Lutry, Cully, Rivaz and Vevey** (1 h 30 · All ages · Lavaux Tour, CHF 38 in 2nd class; Swiss Travel Pass valid): What it is Seeing Lavaux from the water explains its shape: a wall of terraces dropping to the shore, with the villages pressed against the lake and the vines climbing behind. The boats of the CGN, the Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman, link Lausanne with Vevey and Montreux and call on the way at the Lavaux landing stages: Pully, Lutry, Cully and Rivaz. You can use them as a round-trip cruise or as transport to start or finish the walk along the terraces. The Belle Époque boats The CGN keeps a fleet of Belle Époque boats, among them several paddle steamers. The paddle steamers La Suisse and Montreux normally sail from mid-April to mid-October. The steamers Rhône and Savoie and the diesel boats Vevey and Italie, also period vessels, sail all year. If you want to travel on a paddle steamer, check the CGN timetable to see which boat runs each journey. Which trip to choose Lavaux Tour: the round-trip cruise Lausanne – Vevey – Lausanne, along the whole Lavaux coast. Lausanne Tourisme gives it as CHF 38 in second class. Patrimoine Tour: longer, from Lausanne to Saint-Gingolph, Chillon, Montreux and Vevey, and back, for CHF 55 in second class. A single stretch: for example, from Lausanne-Ouchy to Cully or to Rivaz, and back on foot or by train. It is the most flexible and combines best with the vineyard walk. Allow between one and two hours depending on the trip. In Lausanne, the boat leaves from the Ouchy landing stage, at Quai Jean-Pascal Delamuraz 1. Tickets and discounts The Swiss Travel Pass, the GA travelcard and the Half Fare Card are valid on all cruises, except special events. Regional travel passes, such as Mobilis, are not valid on the boats. Children under 6 travel free and from age 6 they pay half; the Swiss rail Junior Card and Grandchild Card are also valid. If you have the Lausanne Transport Card, you get 20% off. You can buy at the ticket offices, online or on board, at no extra charge. Buying online does not reserve a seat: seats are not numbered. Arrive at the landing stage at least 10 minutes before departure. First or second class First class is roomier and gives access to the whole boat, including the upper deck. With a second-class ticket you can eat in the dining room during mealtimes; outside those hours, the main-deck dining room and the upper deck are reserved for first class. You can pay the difference on board. With children, a dog, a bike or a wheelchair With children it is an easy plan: there is room to move around and the crossing is short. Dogs pay half a second-class ticket; small ones, under 30 cm at the shoulder and in a bag or basket, travel free. A bike costs CHF 15 a day and each boat takes about 10, so tell the CGN if you are bringing one. Wheelchair access is usually possible, depending on the boat and how busy it is, and all the boats have an accessible toilet. When to go There are boats all year, but the big offer, with the paddle steamers and more frequent sailings, runs from spring to autumn. In good weather, go up on deck: from the water you see the whole hillside. In strong wind or storms the CGN may cancel sailings: check the traffic information on its website the same day. - **Train from Vevey to Puidoux-Chexbres Through the Vines** (12 min · All ages · Ordinary train ticket; Swiss Travel Pass valid): What it is The Train des Vignes, the vineyard train, is a short regional line that climbs from Vevey to Puidoux-Chexbres through the upper part of Lavaux. It is not a tourist train: it is a commuter train on the RER Vaud network, with an ordinary ticket, but the journey runs almost entirely between vine terraces with Lake Geneva below. That makes it one of the cheapest and simplest ways to see the vineyard from above, and the best way to go up before walking down. The line is 7.83 km long, single track, and opened on 2 May 1904. It climbs with gradients of up to 4.4%, steep for an adhesion train, and has been electrified since the early 1940s. The journey You leave from Vevey station. The train stops at Corseaux-Cornalles, with a limited service, and at Chexbres-Village, and ends at Puidoux, at Puidoux-Chexbres station. Since December 2024 the R7 line has continued to Palézieux. It runs roughly once an hour and takes about 12 minutes from Vevey to Puidoux-Chexbres. Take a seat by the window on the lake side: the journey is short and the view goes by quickly. Tickets An ordinary Swiss rail ticket is valid, which you buy on the app or at the station machines. Like any regional train, it is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass, the GA travelcard and the Half Fare Card. What to do when you arrive The usual thing is to get off at Chexbres-Village and walk down through the vines to Rivaz or Saint-Saphorin, beside the lake, to return by train on the lakeside line. At Rivaz you have the Lavaux Vinorama, with tastings from CHF 17, and a station and CGN landing stage. At Saint-Saphorin the terraces walk from Lutry ends, which you can also do partly in reverse. Another option is to go up by train, look around and return to Vevey without walking: just over half an hour in all. With children, pushchairs and bikes It is an easy plan with small children: short, seated and with views. If you have a pushchair or wheelchair, check the accessibility of each stop on the Swiss rail app. For the walk down from Chexbres, a baby carrier is better than a pushchair, because the vineyard paths are steep. When to go It runs all year. To see the vines at their best, go from May to October; in September and October, with the grape harvest, the landscape changes colour. In winter the vines are bare, but the view of the lake and the Alps is still there. ## Dónde comer - **Auberge du Vigneron** (Restaurant, Epesses, €€€). Qué pedir: the perch fillets with house butter, CHF 39, or in season the game; to start, the breaded tomme vaudoise salad with hazelnuts - **Le Deck, at Le Baron Tavernier** (Restaurant, Puidoux, €€€€). Qué pedir: on weekdays, the lunch menu at CHF 49 with starter, main and coffee; for an occasion, The Chef's Table, five courses, CHF 145 - **Cambuse Plage** (Bar, Cully, €€). Qué pedir: 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 ## As a family: Vines, boat and little train 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. ### What works best The Lavaux Express from Lutry or Cully, an hour and a quarter among the vines A stretch of the terraces walk, from Cully to Rivaz, and back by boat The train from Vevey to Chexbres and the walk down to the lake ### Where to sleep Lausanne or Vevey, with more choice and one train from everything Cully, in the middle of the vineyard ### Where to eat A picnic on the benches along the path, with a view of the lake The Train du caveau has soft drinks for children aged 4 to 15 ### Bear in mind There is almost no shade on the path: caps and water in summer The Lavaux Express only runs from April to early November ### Qué hacer as a family - Lavaux Terraces Walk, from Lutry to Saint-Saphorin - Lavaux Express, the little vineyard train from Lutry or Cully - The Caveau Train, a Tasting in a Winegrower's Cellar - CGN Boat Between Lausanne, Lutry, Cully, Rivaz and Vevey - Train from Vevey to Puidoux-Chexbres Through the Vines ## With young children: Lavaux without tiring out the little ones 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. ### What works best The Lavaux Express: free for under-6s The CGN boat, ideally one of the paddle steamers in summer The train from Vevey to Chexbres, 12 minutes among the terraces ### Where to sleep Vevey or Lausanne, with parks and a lakeshore Apartments near a station ### Where to eat A picnic by the lake at Cully or Lutry Village bakeries for an afternoon snack ### Bear in mind The vineyard paths have steps and slopes: with a pushchair, short stretches only Bring water and a cap: there is little shade in the vines ### Qué hacer with young children - Lavaux Express, the little vineyard train from Lutry or Cully - CGN Boat Between Lausanne, Lutry, Cully, Rivaz and Vevey - Train from Vevey to Puidoux-Chexbres Through the Vines ## Consejos ### Walk one way and come back by train From Lutry to Saint-Saphorin is 11.4 km; the train brings you back in minutes. ### Use the boat It stops at Lutry, Cully and Rivaz, and in summer the Belle Époque paddle steamers sail. ### Taste the wine where it is made In summer, the winegrowers' caveaux open in turns in each village. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How much time do you need? One day: the walking route with a tasting halfway. With two, you add the boat and the Chexbres train at an unhurried pace. ### Where can you taste the wine? At the Lavaux Vinorama in Rivaz, open almost all year, and in the villages' caveaux, which open in turns in summer. ### Is the Swiss Travel Pass valid? Yes, for the trains and the CGN boats. The Lavaux Express is paid separately. ### Can you go with children? Yes. The Lavaux Express and the boat are the easiest plans; the full route is long for little ones.