Hello everyone! Today I’m gonna show you my most recent trip to Lavaux Vineyard (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
and Vevey, where the comedy legend Charlie Chaplin and his family lived from 1952 to 1977 as their final home.
First of all! Do not not not forget to validate your ticket if you bought the paper one-day passes……I forgot to validate mine and there’s no machine in the train that you can do it……However, if you did forget, hurry up and buy another day ticket (under the catalogue Tickets for Switzerland and 1-day travel passes) from the SBB mobile app, it takes less than 5 mins to find and buy the tickets if you have already registered before with your personal info and payment details.
We took the train leaving from Zürich HB at 8:32 from platform 32 and arrived at Lausanne at 10:44. (If you think there’s always a seat in public transport in Switzerland then you’re wrong……The train was really crowded so just grab a seat and sit down, no time for being picky……I saw people standing on the stairs……) We waited for about 20 mins and took an urban train at 11:03 from platform 1 in the direction of Palézieux to Grandvaux, which took only around 8 mins. You can use google map or SBB mobile app to check the schedule of the trains and buses, or you can have a look at the pics below.
One small ad for SBB although I don’t get any money. From 19.09-06.11.2016, if you have friends traveling together, you can buy swiss 1-day travelpass for 89 CHF for two people, 109 for three people, 129 for four people (at least one person has to have a half-price card). It’s a super good deal I have to say if you are traveling with friends.
Lavaux Vineyard
When I looked at Lake Léma in the train without seeing the vineyard I thought that’s the sky and I was flying on a plane. I’ve always wanted to go to Lavaux Vineyard since I heard of it. However, I suggest you go there in summer (when all the trees are green), autumn (when all the trees are yellow) or the time between. I’ve passed it twice on my way to Geneva, but this is the first time that I stopped and went in and appreciated its beauty so closely.
Since July 2007, the Lavaux is one of the UNESCO World Heritage. The Lavaux consist of 830 hectares of terraced wineyards that stretch for about 30 km along the south-facing northern shores of Lake Geneva. Although there is some evidence that vines were grown in the area in Roman times, the actual vine terraces can be traced back to the 11th century, when Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries controlled the area.
I suggest around 40 mins walk if you wanna walk down to Cully train or boat station directly and take some photos on your way. However, if you wanna spend more time in Lavaux Vineyard, there are two “walk and discover” routes suggested by the tourist office. Please click here for more info about the route from Grandvaux to Cully and click here for more info about route from Grandvaux to Lutry.
For more info about train excursions and having a drink in Lavaux please click here.
Ship Cruise on Lake Léman
We walked down the vineyard and went through a small town and decided to take a boat from Cully to Vevey-La Tour. It took in general around 40 mins but the view is wonderful. The lake belongs to both France and Switzerland (you can see from the boat) and on the boat, from one side you can see the vineyard from Switzerland and the side, the mountains of France. However, the ship is not very frequent, basically 2 times a day or even less, so you should plan in advance.
Basically the ship goes from Lausanne to Vevey then to Montreux and also Chillon castle, but you should check the schedule carefully because some ship doesn’t stop at some small stops. If you are interested in taking a boat, please have a look at the schedule below (The price is included in swiss 1-day travelpass and GA).
You can also have lunch on board but make sure you have enough time till you get to your destination. If you wanna know more about the accurate schedule, on-board dining and ticket prices, please click here and type in your travel date, starting point and destination, then you’ll know everything.
Vevey (Chaplin’s final home)
We got off at Vevey – La Tour (this stop is closer than the other ship stop Vevey Marché to the statue of Chaplin and The Fork), took a look at Charlie Chaplin’s statue and the famous Fork statue in Lake Léman. It’s only 5 mins walk from the ship stop to these statues and actually, you will pass the Fork on the ship if you take the same route as I did, it’s a quite different angle to look at it. FYI, the headquarter of Nestlé is also in Vevey.
If you are interested in Vevey you can spend more here visiting the churches or the museums (or maybe the Jazz festival). However, my goal here is to see Chaplin’s statue and the Fork statue so after around 30 mins having a walk around the lake, we left. There is bus number 201 here which runs every 10 mins (Mon-Sat) and 10 to at most 20 mins (Sun) from Vevey to Montreux and Chillon castle.
Our next destination was Montreux and the mountain Rochers de Naye. From the middle stop you will have a wonderful view above lake Léman and at the final stop, enjoy views of Lake Geneva to Lausanne and beyond to the Jura arc with La Dôle, towards the Savoy and Vaud Alps and the Dents du Midi.
