CGN Boat Between Lausanne, Lutry, Cully, Rivaz and Vevey

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.