Веве

May to September is the best time for the lakefront, boats and wine villages. The weekly market and cafés are busiest in summer. Spring has flowers, and autumn is the time of the grape harvest. Winter is mild but often grey by the lake. Vevey has a large wine festival, the Fête des Vignerons, about every 20 years. The last one was in 2019.

• Chaplin's World - The Studio is the museum in the former home of Charlie Chaplin, in Corsier-sur-Vevey. It has a film set, a wax figure exhibit and gardens.
• Villa Le Lac is a small lakeside house built by Le Corbusier in 1923 for his parents.
• Charlie Chaplin is a statue of the actor on the lakeside promenade.
• La Fourchette is a large metal fork standing in the lake.
• Château de l’Aile is a small castle in the old town.
• Musée suisse de l'appareil photographique is a museum of cameras and photography.
• Musée historique de Vevey shows the history of the town and the wine region.

• Walk the lakefront promenade and look at the sculptures.
• Visit the market on Grande Place. It is held on Tuesday and Saturday.
• Walk between wine villages in Lavaux. The paths pass vineyards and the lake.
• Taste local white wine in a village cellar.
• Take a lake boat to Montreux.
• Visit Château de La Tour-de-Peilz in the nearby town of La Tour-de-Peilz.

• Montreux is a lakeside town with Chillon Castle nearby. It is about 10 minutes away by train.
• Lausanne is the largest city on the lake, about 20 minutes away by train.
• The Lavaux vineyards, a UNESCO World Heritage site, lie between Vevey and Lausanne. You can walk between wine villages.
• Mont Pèlerin is a hill above Vevey. A funicular goes to the top.

• Montreux and Lausanne are the nearest larger towns on the lake.

• By air: Geneva Airport is the main gateway. Direct trains reach Vevey in about 1 hour.
• By train: Vevey is on the main line between Geneva, Lausanne and the Valais. Check times on SBB.
• By boat: lake boats stop at Vevey in the warm months.

• The old town and lakefront are easy to walk.
• Local buses link the station with Corsier-sur-Vevey and Chaplin's World.
• A funicular goes up to Mont Pèlerin from the hill above the station.
• Boats link Vevey with Montreux, Lausanne and other towns on the lake.

• A car is not needed in Vevey. Trains, boats and buses reach most places.
• Parking in the old town is limited and costly.
• A car helps for the wine villages, but the roads are narrow.

Try cheese fondue or raclette. Perch fillets from the lake are a local dish. The Lavaux white wine, made from the Chasselas grape, goes well with both. Chocolate is a local product, and Vevey is the home of a large chocolate maker.

The lakefront has many terraces. Prices are high.

• Vevey is very safe.
• Watch your bags on busy promenades and boats.
• Tap water is safe to drink.
• Vineyard paths can be steep and slippery in wet weather.

Vevey was a Roman town and later a trade centre on the lake. The wine terraces have been worked for about a thousand years. In the 19th century the town became a place for visitors and for early food industry.

Charlie Chaplin moved to Corsier-sur-Vevey in 1952 and lived there until his death in 1977. A statue by the lake remembers him.

Quick practical facts for Switzerland at a glance: