The Caveau Train, a Tasting in a Winegrower's Cellar

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.