The Lavaux wine region in Switzerland - and a visit to Chaplin's World

In co-operation with Switzerland Tourism

The Lavaux wine region in Switzerland is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the vineyard terraces built by monks 800 years ago. Now this is a picturesque area with green vineyard terraces sloping steeply down to the green-blue lake, and small villages where family-owned vineyards are densely packed. Not far from here you'll also find ... Chaplin's World!

Table of contents

From Geneva to Cully

After the visit to Geneva we drove to Cully on the other side of Lake Geneva, a journey of about 1.5 hours and a half.

View of Lake Geneva in Cully

The side of Lake Geneva where Cully is located is extremely beautiful, with the Swiss Alps as a backdrop. The vineyard terraces stretch down to the green-blue water, and it is truly peaceful and quiet. All you see on the lake are a few small boats, and the occasional person taking a swim.

Genevesjön och vinregionen Lavaux — Lavaux wine region

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Camping in Cully

At the small marina in Cully there were some fishermen, accompanied by a heron. There is also a small campsite here, so it is possible to stay overnight with a motorhome. We did not have the opportunity to stay this time, but here you can stand with a fantastic view of the water.

The Lavaux wine region in Switzerland

The Lavaux wine region has been producing wine since the 13th century, when monks began growing grapes on steep terraces supported by stone walls. Today there are 10,000 vineyard terraces in 40 levels, covering 830 hectares, and a total of 200 wine growers. Since 2007, the Lavaux wine region has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thus protecting the region.

Vinterrasser — In the background are some of the many vineyard terraces.

Schweiz vinodlingar — The vineyards make their way to the lake

Chasselas grapes

Many of the vineyards here today have been handed down from generation to generation. The main grape grown here is Chasselas, which produces a fruity and fresh white wine. Red wine is also produced, albeit on a smaller scale. Each wine producer has its own cellar, and many of them are open for wine tastings for visitors.

Vinodlingar i Lavaux i Schweiz — The vineyards of Lavaux in Switzerland at close range

Vinodling vid sjö — This vineyard was apparently started in 1747 with a panoramic view of Lake Geneva.

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Epesses - one of the villages among the vineyards

We walked up to one of the small villages among the vineyards, called Epesses. Here the charming houses are close together, and every single house has a sign about wine.

By Schweiz — Among the streets of Epesses

vinregionen Laxaux — Clusters of grapes hang tightly above the doors.

Charming streets in Epesses with the French Alps all around.

Visit to a vineyard

We visited a vineyard in Cully called Domaine Potterat, where we received a very warm welcome. Here we got to try the white wine Courseboux, which we really liked! It was also interesting to look into the wine cellar where they have 200-year-old wine barrels that still look almost like new.

The farm, like most others in the area, is run as a family business and has been passed down from generation to generation. Whilst they have a large terrace and grow Swiss wine, this is only enough locally and they make a good living from it. If you are passing by and want to visit the farm, check their website for opening hours!

Schweiz vingård — Peter, Aurela from Montreaux-Vevey Tourism and some of the family members who run the vineyard.

Vintunna i Schweiz — Oldest wine barrels are 200 years old

Vitt vin Schweiz — One of the wines produced on the farm

Buying wine in Lavaux

To buy a bottle of wine in the area, you'll have to spend between 90 and 275 kroner. In addition to visiting wineries directly, you can go to a so-called "wine library". We dropped by one of these, Lavaux Vinorama, which is nicely situated on the road that runs along the lake. It offers wines from many different producers. There are also other 'wine libraries' such as Les 11 Terres.

Good lunch in Cully

After the visit to the vineyard, it was time for lunch! Now we had already drunk some wine, so it had to be water, but instead we went for a really good three-course meal at the Auberge du Raisin in Cully.

restaurang Genevesjön — Peter at the famous Auberge du Raisin restaurant in Lavaux, Switzerland.

For starters it was prawns with quinoa for Peter and cold cucumber soup for me (Helena). For the main course we chose seabass with chanterelles, and then we finished with a dessert that tasted like Bounty. Sooo heavenly good!!!

Seabass med kantareller — Seabass with chanterelles

READ MORE: The Rhine case in Switzerland - and a journey along the Grand Tour
READ MORE: Bern, Switzerland - and a swim in the River Aare

Chaplin's World in Vevey

Not far from Cully, in Corsier-sur-Vevey, is Chaplin's World. We didn't realise it before, but Charlie Chaplin apparently lived his last 25 years right here! During your visit to Chaplin's World, you can visit The Manoir, where he lived with his wife Oona.

Chaplins hem — The Manoir de ban, where Charlie Chaplin lived, overlooking Lake Geneva.

You can also visit 'The Studio', where you can sink into comfortable cinema chairs and watch highlights from the golden age of silent films. And then there's this and that! We won't reveal exactly what happens, so as not to spoil the surprises for those who want to come here, but we can say that this is an experience!

In Chaplin's World, you get to know Chaplin and his films, such as City Lights and The Gold Rush, in a very active way. As far from a boring old-fashioned museum as you can imagine!

Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie Chaplin" - The Tramp

Chaplin was born poor in London in 1889 and moved to the US in 1913, where he achieved great success. However, his work was categorised as communist and after a trip he was not allowed to return to the US, settling in Switzerland in 1952 until his death in 1977.

Charlie Chaplin's world — Charlie Chaplin himself in Chaplin's World

Chaplin was known for his small moustache, his round Derby hat, a too tight tailcoat, big shoes and baggy trousers. He had a total of eight children and made 32 films during his career. He was a master at doing everything himself, including planning, directing, editing and scoring. Maybe that's why Michael Jackson was modelled on Charlie Chaplin.

Peter i fängkläder — Peter has found a new outfit at Chaplin's World

Camping de la Pichette

We stayed at camping de la Pichette, which is located right in Ville de Vevey. This is a rather simple campsite, but with all the services you need and a fantastic location by the water. The price, 220 SEK/day including electricity, seems very reasonable.

Genevesjön — View of the lake from the campsite in Lavaux, Switzerland

Lavaux and the canton of Vaud

What is a canton? There are 26 cantons in Switzerland. Each canton has its own constitution, government and courts, and each canton has its own democracy. This means that if the people want to change something and get a majority, it goes through. Switzerland has France, Austria, Italy, Germany and Lichtenstein as neighbours. This means that several cantons speak the language closest to the neighbouring country, but the official languages are German, French and Italian.

The canton of Vaud that we are writing about here starts east of Geneva, going up to the south of Lake Neuchâtel, around the north of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) and down towards Valais.

Video from Lavaux

Peter has put together a film from the Lavaux wine region. Please check it out!

READ MORE: 12 nature experiences in Switzerland - from tranquillity to adventure

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13 August 2018 6:00

Food and drink, Switzerland

drinks, freedom best, Motorhome holiday Switzerland, campervan trip2018, culture, museum, UNESCO heritage, unique nature, experiences in Europe

Helena

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27 Comments

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Ama de casa says:

What an amazing trip you are doing - wonderful 🙂

13 August 2018 - 9:25

Reply
- Ama de casa says:
  
  By the way, Peter looks very good in stripes - you got the outfit, right? 😉
  
  13 August 2018 - 9:25
  
  Reply
  - Comment by post author
    
    Helena says:
    
    Fantastic trip! And haha, UNFORTUNATELY you weren't allowed to bring your outfit ... 😉.
    
    13 August 2018 - 10:25
    
    Reply
Swedish Explorer says:

There is something very special about the combination of lakes and mountains which creates a magical view, your pictures remind me a lot of Kotor in Montenegro which is one of the most beautiful places I have been to.

13 August 2018 - 9:48

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Agree that the combination of lakes and mountains is magical! Kotor in Montenegro is beautiful, we thought it was a bit like Norway there 😉.
  
  13 August 2018 - 10:52
  
  Reply
Anonymous says:

We will drive the same road but in reverse on the way down to the wintering area. The motorway vignette lasts all year...it is important to use it. Thanks for all the tips ?

13 August 2018 - 9:54

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  What fun! And great if we can give you tips!
  
  13 August 2018 - 20:49
  
  Reply
  - Solan says:
    
    Solan here...see that I commented as anonymous. Blew it wrong. Still nice roll ?
    
    13 August 2018 - 21:59
    
    Reply
    - Comment by post author
      
      Helena says:
      
      Ah, what fun to know that it was you who commented! What fun that you are going to travel this way! 🙂
      
      13 August 2018 - 23:02
      
      Reply
Daniela / Discovering The Planet says:

Imagine how little you know. And I am such a Chaplin fan. I still haven't been to Switzerland, so maybe Chaplin can lure me there :).

Ps so sickly impressed with you Helena. To deliver such good content every day ... barely managed one a week this summer :).

13 August 2018 - 11:33

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Thank you, Daniela! It's not always so easy to get it together actually... I write in the car when we're driving, in the evenings, in the mornings... I like to write while we're travelling, but it can be difficult to do so sometimes.
  
  13 August 2018 - 20:51
  
  Reply
Daniel | FlyingDryden says:

This part of Switzerland is so incomparably beautiful! Drove from Geneva a few years ago and via Chamonix around the entire lake. Got sunsets, alpine peaks and everything. Magnificent! Tents would be a bonus, looked really nice down there by the lake.

13 August 2018 - 12:07

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  It sounds like you had a great trip here! Switzerland is really amazingly beautiful!
  
  13 August 2018 - 20:52
  
  Reply
Mr Steve says:

Lovely post! I've been thinking about becoming an olive farmer in my "next life", but now I can also think about becoming a winemaker.

13 August 2018 - 12:24

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  We were also a bit fascinated by the lifestyle! Seems quite relaxed and cosy (even though it's probably a lot of work at times too)!
  
  13 August 2018 - 23:03
  
  Reply
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:

Such beautiful surroundings. Agree with several comments above that water and mountains are an incredible combination.
A blue sky doesn't make it worse!
We ourselves have started travelling north. How strange it felt to pack underwear, mittens and hats in the motorhome in the middle of a thawing heat thunderstorm ????

13 August 2018 - 13:10

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Is there a tour in northern Sweden coming up? Yes, now you have almost got used to the fact that it will ALWAYS be warm, but of course it won't be ... 😉.
  
  13 August 2018 - 23:04
  
  Reply
Reiselinda says:

I don't think I've ever tasted wine from Switzerland, never thought of it as a wine country either. May keep an eye out or possibly plan a trip there. Chaplin also sounded interesting!

13 August 2018 - 14:13

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  They export very little wine (2 per cent if I remember correctly) so it's not surprising if you haven't tried Swiss wine. But if you are in Switzerland, you should definitely take the opportunity! 🙂
  
  13 August 2018 - 23:05
  
  Reply
BP says:

Imagine how much one learns here with you. For example, I didn't realise that Switzerland produced wine. I know that now. The pictures and the film are fantastic. What environments. When I visited Switzerland only for skiing, I did not know how beautiful the alpine country is in summer. Wonderful:-)

13 August 2018 - 21:28

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Switzerland is really beautiful in the summer! They don't export much wine, so probably why it's not so well known. But good wine they do! 🙂
  
  13 August 2018 - 23:06
  
  Reply
Lisa says:

So beautiful - exciting to follow your journey.

14 August 2018 - 20:24

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Glad you are following our journey Lisa!
  
  31 August 2018 - 14:44
  
  Reply
Mr Robert says:

Very nice! Looking forward to going there

14 August 2018 - 22:51

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Very nice! Recommended! 🙂
  
  31 August 2018 - 14:45
  
  Reply
Lena - good for the soul says:

But that was really a cliff hanger, the Chaplin Museum! And what a beautiful setting!

Hug Lena

15 August 2018 - 11:46

Reply
- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Haha, yes, a bit of a cliffhanger there 😉.
  
  31 August 2018 - 14:45
  
  Reply

The Lavaux wine region in Switzerland - and a visit to Chaplin's World

In co-operation with Switzerland Tourism

From Geneva to Cully

View of Lake Geneva in Cully

Camping in Cully

The Lavaux wine region in Switzerland

Chasselas grapes

Epesses - one of the villages among the vineyards

Visit to a vineyard

Buying wine in Lavaux

Good lunch in Cully

Chaplin's World in Vevey

Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie Chaplin" - The Tramp

Camping de la Pichette

Lavaux and the canton of Vaud

Video from Lavaux

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27 Comments

Ama de casa says:

Ama de casa says:

Helena says:

Swedish Explorer says:

Helena says:

Anonymous says:

Helena says:

Solan says:

Helena says:

Daniela / Discovering The Planet says:

Helena says:

Daniel | FlyingDryden says:

Helena says:

Mr Steve says:

Helena says:

Britt-Marie Lundgren says:

Helena says:

Reiselinda says:

Helena says:

BP says:

Helena says:

Lisa says:

Helena says:

Mr Robert says:

Helena says:

Lena - good for the soul says:

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