Calling Swandav and other Lake Geneva Experts

Hi eschule,

I'll help all I can! And what a lovely way to begin my day -- planning a trip to the Lavaux!

I recommend you take the train to Chexbres, not your car. That way, you can take the ferry back to Vevey. The length of time you spend there will vary, of course, depending on how far you want to walk!

Anyway, here are the particulars. The train from Vevey to Chexbres-village takes about seven minutes with 0 changes, and there is a train at 10.02, 11.02, 12.15, 13.00, 14.02, and 15.02 (etc). You can check the schedule for your exact day at www.rail.ch. The cost will be under 10 chf, I believe.

At Chexbres, there are no signposts in town, but not to worry: just head downhill! The little town is quaint and sweet, so you may want to wander through its streets a bit, depending on your schedule. So, when you're ready to move on, just go downhill and soon you'll be in the middle of the vineyards. You'll then find a trail and signs for "Rivaz." The walk to Rivaz will take about 15-20 minutes. In Rivaz, you can go east to St Saphorin or just meander around the town. Here's a map of this area: http://www.lavaux.ch/sentier2.htm.

Ingo's favorite cave in the Lavaux is in the town of Lutry, which is more of a hike from Chexbres. Here's a map of the entire Lavaux: http://www.lavaux.ch/sentierglobal.htm

So you see that you can spend an hour or two in Chexbres & Rivaz or a whole day in Chexbres, Lutry, Rivaz, etc.

Anyway, if you're hungry when you get to Rivaz, stop at the Auberge de Rivaz just across from the train station & dock. Sit outside and enjoy some local wine.

I suggest you take the ferry back to Vevey, and in summer the return from Rivaz will be at 18.44 (arriving Vevey at 18.59). Check www.cgn.ch to verify the schedule in Sept.

If you're athletic or energetic, you could take the train to Lausanne and rent a bike at the train station. Ride through Lutry, Cully, and Rivaz on the vineyard trails (lots of hills though!). Stop at Rivaz for a snack, then hop on the ferry to return your bike to Vevey (one-way rental ok for these stations). The cost to take the bike on the ferry is **about** 5 chf.

I walked from Rivaz to Vevey once and hated it -- it took me about two hours, and I got very, very tired of looking at the train tracks . . . I wouldn't recommend it. If you want more flexibility for your return trip than the ferry offers, there is a frequent local train running along the lake, hitting Rivaz and St Saphorin -- check schedules at www.rail.ch.

Let me know if I can help further!

s

ps,

Thought I'd post these distances I calculated for my planned cycles down the Lavaux:

Lutry-Cully 2.6 miles
Cully-Rivaz 3.2 miles
Rivaz-Chexbres 0.7 mil
Chexbres-Vevey 3.5 miles

Hope this helps!

s

S'! You're famous!

eschule, all I can add is that I love the vineyard walks and the Auberge du Rivaz. Grapevines over its small stone terrace. While you're exploring, do try to fit in a brief look at little St. Saphorin just nearby. It's very tiny, but very well conserved. And you'll notice that the trains from either Rivaz, or St. Saphorin, or even Lutry, run pretty often and you're only a few minutes away from Vevey. (I agree with S', your best choices to return to Vevey are boat, train, bike or vineyard walk. The highway along the lake comes in last place. By the way, the village of Rivaz is high on the hillside and the Auberge is at the edge of the lake, you can't see one from the other.

If I were going to do your day, I'd follow S's walk to Rivaz, then train to Lutry, then boat all the way back to Vevey. Here's my question, which the map will probably answer: S' can eschule drop down from the Chexbres-Rivaz vine path to St. Saphorin, then go back up to the path and continue to Rivaz? I walked from St. Saphorin to upper Rivaz via the path, but I can't recall if it meets the one from Chexbres.

You will be so enchanted with the lavaux that you'll want to return to spend a week. Do you have any idea how many daytrips are possible from one of those little towns? It's incredible!!!! Lake villages, one more beautiful than the last, mountain places like Gruyeres (well hills, actually) and Chateau d'Oex, an absolutely dandy castle--Chillon. I'm so envious of your trip. I'll be back in the classroom. J.

Well, I'm no expert but I *love* Vevey. If your timing by any chance is a Saturday AM, go to the open air farmers market in the town square. Don't miss drinking some of the lovely white produced in/by St Saphorin, or any of the local wines. They are excellent. My friend who lives in the area jokes people never hear of Swiss wines because the locals drink it all up. Enjoy your trip.

Hi folks,

jw, yup, you can wander from Chexbres to St Saphorin and then west to Rivaz. As you know, there are dozens of small paths all over those hills, so just choose one leading east as you depart Chexbres.

I wanted to let you know that you can get more distance figures at www.mappy.com. Just go to the "itinerary" portion and input your departure & destination, then choose "pedestrian" from the drop-down menu. You can also choose to get the distances in miles or km through the "options" button.

I also wanted to suggest you make a point to get to La Tour de Peilz, a charming little town that's a suburb of Vevey. In Vevey, just go to the lake, turn left, and walk a few blocks. This lakeside promenade is lined with stately trees and an unending line of comfortable benches. At La Tour, you'll find a tower (hmmm. . . ), a harbor, and a small park with kids throwing frisbees or playing soccer or picnicing, etc. It's really charming. To me, the essence of Switzerland is in these small corners of her towns. There is a four-star hotel right there on the promenade that's on my short-list of possible hotels for my next trip.

Anyway, hope this helps. Let me know if you'd like more info.

s

"the essence of Switzerland is in these small corners of her towns" S', you are so right!

WOW. I continue to be amazed by the knowledge certain people have for certain areas and the advice offered.

It sounded so good that I was starting to wonder if I should stay at a hotel in lavaux instead of in Vevey (mistake?). I came across a few places that looked nice and were more affordable than the comparable options presented in vevey.

Has anyone stayed at the following places/towns and do you prefer one over the other. Looking mainly for nice setting with restaurants nearby.

Hotel Major Duvel (Cully)
Hotel Prealpina (Chexbres)
Hotel Le Rivage (Lutry)

Other suggestions? Thanks again.

Vevey is a jewel because it has easy train access, then is walkable on foot, lots of restaurants, shops, etc. the beautiful promonade along the lake, not really a tourist stop (except for the Charlie Chaplin statue on bus tours!) but a nice place to spend some time.

ttt

Hi, the Major Duvel in Cully (pronounced "Coo-eee") is the only place of the three I can recommend. I have not stayed there, but someone at this forum has and liked it very much, -- I have taken the lakeboat from Rivaz (I'm a two-star traveler) to the Major Duvel for a wonderful supper with lakeview. It seems like a graceful old hotel. Very lovely and sedate and lazy looking. You'll love it. It used to be one of Karen Brown's picks; you might check her website to see if its there or in her Switzerland Inn book. Cully is a beautiful tiny lake village. Good train connections, but if you could arrive by boat, you would be enchanted -- the Major Duvel is just there near the harbor beyond a lovely little park. Wish I were there. J.

Are you sure you can't stay longer in the lavaux? J.

I have done some reshifting and can now spend more time in the area (though still limited). I will be coming from Zermatt though (after 3 days) and will target arriving in Vevey around 11am on "Day 4". Plan to stay 2 nights based in Vevey or somewhere nearby and catch plane out from Geneva-Paris late afternoon on "Day 6". Thus, I'll have a little over 48 hours to enjoy Lake Geneva (unless I leave really Zermatt really early).

Is it possible to make a half-day excursion to Gruyere during my brief time? Does that require a car to do it most efficiently?

I figure I'll spend a good portion of one day taking the train to Chexbres and the walks described (probably Day 5), as well as walking throughout Vevey. Those are the activities I have targeted.

Thanks again to all who have responded....and will hopefully continue to do so!!!

Hi eschule,

I checked www.rail.ch (recommend you do so too!) to get the train schedules. The trip from Vevey will be a little more than an hour, leaving Vevey at 12.18 and arriving at 13.34. There are various combinations you can take: a bus & train or three trains. Check it out.

s

Hi. I think we used the Vevey-Montreux-Montbovon-Gruyeres option and it worked like a charm. (The one that leaves Vevey at 8:53 and reaches Gruyeres at 10:16. Notice that the Vevey-Montreux is only five minutes. (Just time to buy one of those buns with the chocolate chips in them.) You could pair your Gruyeres day with a visit to Chillon as you return via Montreux (maybe). S', do you think that's possible? How late in the afternoon is Chillon open to visitors. Wow, wouldn't it be great to be able to do Gruyeres with that morning train, and then in the evening return to Vevey via boat from the castle? I'm dreaming, but if anyone can say it's so, S' can. Later y'all, J.

Hi All,

jw, please note that eschule will only get to Vevey at about 11 am, and then go to Gruyeres (I assume after checking into hotel, etc). So with the one hour going and one hour coming, then assuming two hours in Gruyeres, it's cutting it pretty close to get to Chillon as well. Chillon's website (well you KNEW they'd have one . . . ) at www.chillon.ch shows they close at 6 pm in September. But maybe eschule could stop somewhere along the lakeside in Montreux and have dinner while watching the castle light up for the night. Then take a ferry to Vevey for the night.

Anyway, I'm going back to the chillon.ch site to see if they have a livecam . . . !!

eschule, let us know if you need more info.

s

Sometimes I think I should be paying for this information. The rail schedules were very helpful.

On Lake Geneva Day 1 (assuming aprrox. 11 am arrival), I think the plan should be to eat lunch in Vevey, wander a bit, and possibly take the Train of the Vines and wander through Lavaux.

I think I can probably go to Gruyeres and back to Montreux on my 2nd day. (great suggestion by the way).

Wake up Day 3 and perhaps spend morning in Vevey (which is a Saturday) before training to Paris. (based on logistics I have decided to use the Train between all cities and thus no reason to go to Geneva at all and just train from Vevey to PAris some point on the 3rd day).

Hi eschule,

Yes, jw does have GREAT ideas!

I checked the ferry website at www.cgn.ch, and they show the summer schedule is good until 20 Sep; you can also download (pdf) the fall schedule starting 21 Sep. Usually the difference is in frequency of trips. You can get the ferry data at www.rail.ch too, but you have to select "option" then UN-select everything except "boats." Too much hassle.

So if you can, you ought to take the ferry as often as you can -- around the Lavaux as well as from Chillon back to Vevey/Cully/Lutry. It'll be more expensive than the train, but it's cool to sit on the deck with a beer (or Lavaux wine) and watch the coast glide by.

Usually when I get to Montreux, my first act is to take a ferry and then a long walk back (or vice versa). To me, it just means that I'm there! So I like to know the ferry schedule to know which ferry I can catch.

So, anyway, I think you'll have a blast!

s

It does indeed sound like a good first taste of the lavaux, and you will be back, I promise. S', do you think the vineyards will still be green (or whatever) in mid-September? Or maybe the harvest in progress. At one thread, I think Ingo said the vineyards were bare at the end of September. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, eschule. By the way, have you done an image search for "lavaux" at either Google or Alta Vista? The photographs should increase your anticipation. --or image search separately for the village names. It will make you crazy. J.

jmw, one like this? I'm sure there are better ones but this is what I found quickly from Montreux-Vevey T.office's site. (no.89, Lavaux en autumn). This could be mid-autumn (October)or at ealiest late September.

http://www.montreuxtourism.ch/index.cfm?Page=BuildPageMain&MainMenuId=11&SousMenuId=0&IsLeftMenu=1&start=5

kava, Are the browns the harvested fields and the greens not yet harvested? I'm showing my ignorance. By the way, I'm just guessing here, but if the structure along the shoreside is the chateau Glerolles, then the nearer building just at the shore would be the Auberge du Rivaz. What do you think, S? I should be writing lesson plans. Well maybe after I finish my third cup of coffee. . . J.

apologies, kappa.

No, I'm wrong. The auberge is on the other side of the lakeside road; that must be the building near the boatdock. Wishful thinking. Ahhhh. J.

> the browns the harvested fields and the greens not yet harvested..?

I suppose so. At least last August (when I did Vevey-Chexbres by train and then walked down to St.Saphorin), it was all green like in the photos 121 - 133.

Hi

in early June, I did the Paris-Geneva-Vevey-Zermatt itinerary, backwards of yours! But I only spent one night and the next day in Vevey, leaving for Zermatt around 4 PM. I can't give advice on your specific questions, I can only offer what I did.

I took a boat to Chateau Chillon, and walked along the lakeside promenade to Montreux. It was absolutely gorgeous. I have posted a link to ofoto if you are interested, in my trip report. I then took a boat from Montreux back to Vevey, and spent the rest of the afternoon ambling around, had a leisurely lunch, etc. Then took the train to Zermatt.

As I came into Vevey in the late evening, it was dark and I didn't see the lake until the next morning. Oh my! what a treat that was! You couldn't even see the mountains, on the train into Vevey at night. It was breathtaking, and quite a surprise!

hope this helps, even a little.

I must back-peddle once again. The image search for lavaux is interesting (includes the grave of Marie Lavaux in New Orleans), but it is inefficient. Search for separate village names instead. You're not surprised that I'm techno naive. J.

Hi All,

Here's one from webshots (www.webshots.com):

http://community.webshots.com/photo/160507625/160509338lStdKh

It's blurry, but neat.

s

I will be in Montreux next week for 10 days. Anyone have a current weather reports to share? Last summer was such a heatwave, I'm trying to decide on what to pack. merci.

Oh, suze, NOW you've gone and done it. Here I was so content that we've finally gotten a cool-ish day, and that I had a bike ride w/o rednecks, and that my summer class is wrapping up. But NOOOO! Now I'm full of envy and angst and jealousy. Humph. Thanks a lot!!

No but really -- have a great trip to one of my favorite places. Try to get to Morges -- let me know what you think. Say hello to the cozy harbor at La Tour de Peilz for me. Have some wine at La Rouvenaz and pizza at Hostellerie de Geneve. And please let me know what theme the gardeners are doing with their sculptures.

Have fun!

s

Hi, Suze. Check out for the latest forecast, follow the links to Montreaux:

http://weather.yahoo.com/

Suze, Lake Leman region, today Sunny and about 27 centigrade at 12:30, expected it to be up to 32 c.in the afternoon. According to Teletext on Swiss TV, it will be generally sunny at least till Thursday. Enjoy your trip.

eschule, I have not read all the post here so I hope I'm not repeating what's already been said.

If you have time before doing Train de Vignes, it might be a good idea to pass by the tourist office of Cully, Montreux or Vevey and get one of the brochures titled 1.Lavaux & ses Vignerons or 2. A La Decouverte des Terrasses de Lavaux. Both have a promenade map of Lavaux vineyard and 1. has many addresses?@of the local wineries. You can stop by some of them for quick tasing of local wine while exploring Lavaux on foot. Most wineries there are open, as it is said on the brochure, Thu-Sun or Fri-Sun from 17:00-21:00, May to Sep (or other times on request). Personally I have been only to one in Aran-Villette, at Porta Family's. Beautiful tasting room and terra, of course with a gorgeous view over the vineyard and the lake. I'm sure many others are as nice. The ideal would be doing this at an early evening, sunset hour when the heat gets weaker and the sun light milder.

Hi all. Another really envious poster here. S', we had a touch of the cool air yesterday as well -- lasted until about 11:00 a.m. But if it makes you feel better, I'm envious not only of the Montreux-bound folks here, but of your 'end of teaching session.' I start tomorrow. Stress. Fret. Pout. Whine. Woe. Later, J.

Suze and I discovered on another thread that we are flying on the same day, Aug. 11, to Geneva. I can't wait to escape the blistering heat and suffocating humidity of Texas and see the beauty of Switzerland. When I return home to this oven, I will be in desperate need of the Swiss Support Group!!

P. S. I don't mean to knock Texas, it's really very nice in any season but summer.

Do you think that people who live in places like Texas and Louisiana (me) have a special need to travel to places like Switzerland? Yes indeedy. Bon Voyage. J.

I'm based in Seattle and our weather here is similar to Vevey/Montreux. My concern was for packing as this summer has been blazing hot one day followed by breezy and cool even showers. Oh well, who cares, I'll be in Switzerland (smile).

For Swandav, hey I took aerobic classes in La Tour de Peilz one trip.

OK now I'm off subject but thanks to all, and I will print out this thread for its suggestions. I am most excited to be there during Marche Folklorique at the Vevey Sat AM market! Yeah wine at 9:00.

jmw44, you are so right, we Southerners do have a special need for Switzerland!! I can totally relate to that.

I am curious about something. Do you find you are not a sunseeker when you go on vacation? I enjoy an occasional weekend at the beach, but for a longer trip I tend to seek out a different type of climate. I get enough sun and warm temps at home.

http://www.golf-hotel-montreux.ch/pag_en/xphotogalerie00.html

a few more photos... (from a hotel site).

I am amazed at the number of replies to this post. I am considering staying at Hostellerie Bon Rivage in La Tour de Peilz for the 2 nights. Has anyone stayed there? Is it central enough to railway connections? Thanks again.

Hi eschule,

I looked up the website for the Bon Rivage, and it looks just charming, and the views will be stupendous!! I really envy you! If you click on the "location" tab of the hotel website, it shows a map of La-Tour-de-Peilz to help orient you. The Vevey train station is out of the area of the map. I did a "pedestrian" routing on mappy.com from the Gare in Vevey to Ave. du Sully (the intersection where your hotel sits), and it shows that the distance is 2.2 km and it would take 34 minutes to walk it. Of course, the bus runs right by your hotel (bus #1 that goes all the way to Montreux), so it won't be terribly inconvenient. The front desk of your hotel can help you find the closest bus stop.

Are you still going to use a car to get to Vevey? If so, then the location won't be any problem! If not, you'll want to take a taxi from the gare to the hotel.

But for getting to the train station for your daytrips, the 30 or so minutes' walk along the lake and through town will be pleasant, I think -- getting a taste of town life. Also, if you use the ferry for a lot of your day-trips, the ferry stop at Vevey-La Tour (the one at La-Tour-de-Peilz) is only about 1 km from your hotel, so much closer than the train station.

I hope this helps!!

s

ps

Sorry, meant to add this link: http://usa.myswitzerland.com/en/navpage.cfm?subcat=Gastro_Trail&category=Hike4&id=30042

It's some info on the vineyard trail from the Swiss National Tourism site (www.myswitzerland.com). On the right hand side of the page, click on the "Details" link and you'll be able to pay for a downloadable pdf guide for this walk. There are also two nice pictures of the Lavaux.

s

thanks again s. I will check out those links. We have decided to avoid the car since all places seem to be easily serviced by train.

Since La Tour de Peilz is a viable option there is also availability at Hotel Vielle de Tour. By any chance has anyone stayed there or read anything about it?

Thanks again.

Hi eschule,

I haven't heard of this one, nor can I find it at tripadvisor.com. But I don't like its location -- it's a block or two from the promenade, and I don't think you'll have lakeviews from there. I don't think it's that much closer to the train station to justify giving up the lakeview rooms . . .

Maybe someone else will recognize it . . .

s

Thanks. I'll cross it off!

topping again to see if anyone had stayed at Hostellerie Bon Rivage in La Tour de Peilz or had other thoughts on staying in La Tour de Peilz versus other towns.

Thanks again.

Continuing to enjoy the exchange at this thread, even though I'll only be able to look in on the weekends. Note to P M: Yes, and I've noticed something even more specific. When I found myself on my favorite vine-covered terrace in Ticino, I chose the table in the shade, while the folks from Zurich and Munich opted for the tables directly in the afternoon sun -- and it was surely 90-plus. Later, J.

Apologies to eschule for this OT --

jw, your story reminds me of when I took my mom to Switzerland. While staying in Grindelwald, we had lunch at a restaurant, and the waiter insisted on placing mom in a seat in the sun. Mom tried and tried and tried and gestured and tried to tell him that she wanted to sit in the shade, but he couldn't grasp it and stood firm holding onto the back of the chair for her to sit down. So mom sat down and when the waiter left, she moved her chair . . .

Just a strange mix of custom.

s