Where can you find scenery of astounding beauty, and hospitality of great elegance and warmth, and some of the world’s best music festivals? Vaud, of course.
This French-speaking canton in western Switzerland is home to the Lavaux vineyard terraces, a Unesco World Heritage Site that has been cascading down to Lake Geneva for a millennium. It has castles to visit, and museums dedicated to viticulture and the Olympics – and Charlie Chaplin too (this was The Tramp’s home in exile). If live music is your jam, you can catch rock and hip hop giants at Paléo Festival Nyon, or enjoy the smooth sounds of the Montreux Jazz Festival, which draws big names from around the world.
But alongside these great cultural offerings, in Vaud you are always immersed in nature, and a quick trip up a funicular or along a winding country road will bring you to the beautiful stillness of the mountains, with views of the lake backed by Alps that march into the distance in seemingly infinite layers.
We asked the locals to describe what’s so special about the region.
Patrick Fonjallaz: a landscape of exquisite beauty
Profession: winemaker, Domaine Clos de la République, Epesses
When God created the world, according to people around here, this exact spot was his final creation. The drama of the vineyards cascading down to the lake, with the Alps looming on the other side: this was his masterpiece. It was so perfect, they say, that God looked around and thought it wasn’t quite fair to the rest of the world.
Patrick Fonjallaz with Lake Geneva in the background
Credit: Guillaume Mégevand
My family has been making wine here since 1552; ours is the oldest family business in Switzerland and I am the 13th generation. Our Epesses domain is 34 hectares, and the wines are all made on the property; two thirds is white, mainly Chasselas with a small amount of viognier, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. We produce around 300,000 bottles a year, most of which is consumed in Switzerland.
Chasselas is the most popular grape in this country, but isn’t well known elsewhere; it’s a well-kept secret. It doesn’t have as much alcohol or acidity as, for example, chardonnay, which has about 75 per cent more acidity. In my experience, this means that you can happily drink a few bottles of chasselas with no repercussions the next day.
Best view
In the late 1950s a law was passed that allowed the consolidation of vineyard plots owned by a single estate. At that time, paths were created to facilitate cultivation. A walk between Saint-Saphorin and Cully (6.5km) along this path will leave you with an unforgettable memory.
Another stunning view, if you’re less inclined to walk, is if you take the Belle Epoque steam boat from Montreux, following the coastline to Geneva (this takes five hours, but they are beautiful hours), and then catch the train back (they run every 20 minutes and offer spectacular views, as you head towards the Alps).
Where to eat
In Pully, I like the Restaurant du Port, with its view over the lake and the Alps. I also like Auberge du Raisin in Cully, Brasserie de Montbenon in Lausanne and A la Valsainte in Vevey.
Antoine Mittermair: from party to peace in minutes
Profession: general manager and owner, Victoria, Glion
There’s a reason why everyone from Lord Byron to Jean-Jacques Rousseau to Freddie Mercury found refuge in Vaud Montreux Riviera: this exact spot on the coast has stunning views and a rare intersection of wild nature, superb hospitality and world-class culture, all within close proximity. The British liked it so much that they effectively invented leisure travel here.
Antoine Mittermair succeeded his father as general manager and owner of the Victoria
Credit: Guillaume Mégevand
Once luxury meant tradition, but today it’s really about experience. I run a heritage business, the hotel and restaurant Victoria, which overlooks the lake. My father started as a chef, and then bought the Victoria and managed it for more than 50 years. My mother helped him manage the hotel. We have guests who have been coming for decades, because they love the Swiss hospitality, and the Belle Epoque style.
Since I took over three years ago we have worked hard to preserve the character, but also polish it a bit, and ensure that we’re ready to welcome 21st century guests. Today people eat a bit lighter; they want to go cycling and have cocktails in the garden. But you have to be authentic. To me, there’s no sense in creating a sushi restaurant at my hotel – it’s not authentic to the place. You can easily pop to Montreux if you fancy sushi, but grand hotels in Switzerland are a special experience.
Best view
I love going to Le Cubly, a path just above Les Avants that overlooks Montreux. You can take the old funicular up and have a walk. You can see the Vevey Lavaux vineyards, La Tour de Peilz, Montreux, and the Alps long into the distance; it is a painting with many layers. There are brilliant colours in the autumn, snow in the winter and narcissus in the early spring. That’s my ideal day: spend the morning pursuing activities that get the adrenaline pumping, chill by the pool at the hotel and then go down the mountain for culture.
Where to go out
The most important thing is to attend the Montreux Jazz Festival at least once. It is the greatest party. Two summers ago, I was dancing to Lenny Kravitz, and my friend pulled me off the dancefloor – I had been moving rather wildly next to an American Supreme Court justice. She was also dancing away in relative anonymity; this is a very safe and discreet place to be.
Laura Fayet: marking the seasons on Lake Geneva
Profession: seventh generation fisher on Lake Geneva
When you go out onto Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) in the autumn, you can suddenly be enveloped in mist, so you cannot see more than a metre in any direction. It is magical. Sometimes it lifts rapidly, other times it can last for days. This is the largest lake in western Europe. It changes completely between Geneva, where it’s flat, and by Montreux, where you can see the Alps looming overhead.
Laura Fayet is the seventh generation of her family to fish Lake Geneva
Credit: Guillaume Mégevand
There’s a rhythm to the seasons on the lake: in the winter, it’s so cold that our hands stick to the metal on the boat. In spring and summer, you see more and more people doing sports. I like to sail and waterski, but there’s also lots of swimming and stand-up paddleboarding. We tend to go out at 4am to fish in the warmest months, to have the lake to ourselves and to keep the fish fresh.
I’m the seventh generation of my family to fish in this spot. My father and my grandfather took me out on the lake from when I was little, and I’ve had a professional fishing licence since 2024. I am not the first woman in my family to fish here: my great-great-grandmother Jeanne had a licence to fish, so her husband helped her by rowing or sailing out, and she was in charge of the nets. The lake has perch, trout, pike, féra (whitefish) and at least 18 other native species.
Fishing is my passion and my profession, but I am also interested in biology, because I want to be able to work with scientists and ecologists to conserve the environment; I share what I learn on my instagram account. So I am also pursuing a degree in nature conservation in Geneva.
The best view
Mont Pèlerin, just above Vevey. It’s maybe half a day’s walk.
The best fish to eat
La Clef d’Or in Bursinel, near Gland, buys fish from us, and they really know how to cook fillets of perch, which they serve with a lemon butter sauce, vegetables and frites.
Nathalie Ravet: celebrating the range and depth of Swiss wine
Profession: sommelier and director of Maison des Vins de La Côte
La Côte is the wine region along the northern shore of Lake Geneva, between Nyon and Lausanne. It covers around 2,000 hectares and has a very nice terroir with minerality.
Sommelier Nathalie Ravet is the director of the event and tasting space La Maison des Vins de La Côte
Credit: Guillaume Mégevand
About 65 per cent of what we produce is chasselas – it’s very fresh and ideal for an apéro. But we also make a toasty and buttery chardonnay, pinot gris, sauvignon blanc and gamay; it’s a region of great variety, so there’s something for everybody. And you can try it all at La Maison des Vins de La Côte, a beautiful tasting and events space where I have been director for more than a year. I am part of the Gault & Millau tasting board, and we have an annual day-long blind tasting of more than 100 wines to determine the 150 best winemakers in Switzerland.
Passion for the wine and food of this region must be in my blood. For 33 years my parents had a renowned restaurant, L’Ermitage des Ravets, about 15 minutes from here. My father, Bernard Ravet, had 19 Gault & Millau points (20 is the maximum), and he and my mother now prepare delicious food for my guests three days a week. They’ve been married for 58 years, and they work really well together.
Best view
I love to be among the flowers by the lake. It’s perfect because it’s so central – it’s just 30 minutes to the mountains; you can hop on a boat on the lake or go to Geneva or Lausanne in 20 minutes for culture. But here, by the lake, it is so peaceful, and you’re immersed in nature. I love the open space.
Where to eat
There’s a restaurant called Au Vieux Navire (The Old Ship) in Buchillon, right on the lake. When we have a night off, we go there. It’s more than 100 years old, and they make a classic fillet of perch.
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