I adore Lake Geneva (Lac Léman in French), especially the flower-lined promenade of Vevey and the steeply terraced vineyards above it. This stunning region is an essential part of any Swiss food and wine tour.
Called ‘the Swiss Riviera’, the region around Lake Geneva is perhaps the most obviously beautiful location in this most scenic country – and it’s somewhere I feel an uncanny sense of tranquillity. Plus it’s home to my favourite hotel, some of Switzerland’s best wines and delicious food. My food guide to Lake Geneva covers everything a food lover needs to know before visiting this gorgeous region.
Where to Stay on Lake Geneva Hotel Trois Couronnes
There’s no better place to enjoy the dramatic view of the Savoy Alps across Lake Geneva than from a balcony of this majestic hotel – it changes constantly and is glorious at any time of day. The ‘Three Crowns’ also has Switzerland’s best breakfast buffet (including bubbly) as well as thoughtful service and a great spa area. Waking here is such a joy, and it’s where we stay on the final night of my Swiss food and wine tour.
Where to Eat above Lake Geneva Café de Riex
Lunch at this casual restaurant, in the hillside wine village of Riex, is an essential part of every visit to Lake Geneva. Chef Peter Hasler makes excellent use of local produce in delicious dishes that combine Swiss tradition with his own innovative flair. The wine list showcases the region, including a producer literally across the road! Service is quirky, informed and fun and the view is superb!
What to Drink on Lake Geneva Lavaux Vineyards
The Swiss Riviera includes the prestigious wine region of Lavaux, where hillside vineyards have been in the same families for centuries. Jean-François Chevalley at Domaine de la Chenalettaz is a 19th-generation winemaker producing excellent whites and reds including Grand Cru Dézaley. Denis Bovard of Domaine Antoine Bovard (12th generation), works alongside his father adding his own touch with a delicious natural chasselas.
What to Do on Lake Geneva Paddle Steamer Ride
Steamboats have been paddling across Lake Geneva since 1823 and today several beautifully restored Belle Époque boats grace the lake. This unique fleet includes the gorgeous Vevey, built in 1907 with its chestnut-panelled, bronze-trimmed lounge. When I’m out for a lakefront walk, I like to jump aboard at Vevey-Marché and ride back to Vevey-La-Tour near the hotel (which offers guests a discount card for the boat).
What to See on Lake Geneva Lakefront Sculptures
The Vevey lakefront is famous for its sculptures as well as the view. Charlie Chaplin, who spent the last 25 years of his life in Vevey, is immortalised in a bronze statue that looks across at an 8-metre (26′) stainless steel fork protruding from the lake (part of the nearby Alimentarium food museum). Further along, two bronze nymphs ride bridled seahorses into the lake while their sister frolics in a nearby fountain.
The Swiss Riviera is the name given to the northern shore of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman in French, Genfersee in German) in Canton Vaud, stretching roughly from Lausanne to Montreux. With its flower-lined promenades, Belle Époque hotels and steeply terraced vineyards rising above the lake, it’s the most glamorous stretch of Switzerland’s most scenic lake – and arguably the most beautiful lakeside setting in Europe.
The signature grape of the Lake Geneva region is chasselas, a delicate white variety that produces dry, subtly mineraly wines – sometimes with a gentle spritz – that are rarely seen outside Switzerland. The Lavaux sub-region – stretching 30km (19 miles) along the northern shore from Lausanne to Château de Chillon and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007 – produces the most prestigious examples, including Grand Cru Dézaley. Red wines are also made here, primarily from gamay and pinot noir. The steeply terraced hillside vineyards benefit from what locals call ‘three suns’: direct sunlight, the reflection off the lake, and heat stored in the ancient stone terrace walls.
The giant stainless steel fork protruding from Lake Geneva in Vevey is one of the most photographed landmarks on the Swiss Riviera – and a very Swiss statement about the importance of food. It stands in front of the Alimentarium, a food museum founded by Nestlé, whose global headquarters are in the town. The Alimentarium explores the history, science and culture of food and eating across human civilisation.
Charlie Chaplin spent the last 25 years of his life in Corsier-sur-Vevey, having moved to Switzerland in 1952 after being denied re-entry to the United States during the McCarthy era, when his left-wing sympathies made him a target of anti-communist sentiment. He died in Vevey on Christmas Day 1977. The bronze statue on the lakefront promenade – depicting Chaplin as his iconic character The Tramp in bowler hat and with walking cane – was created by British sculptor John Doubleday and erected in 1982, five years after his death. An almost identical statue stands in Leicester Square in London, made by Doubleday the previous year.
The three bronze nymphs on the Vevey lakefront were created in the 1960s by Swiss sculptor Édouard-Marcel Sandoz, son of the co-founder of the Sandoz pharmaceutical company. Officially titled Jeunes filles jouant sur des hippocampes (Young women playing on seahorses), the group comprises two adult nymphs riding bridled seahorses into the lake and a smaller child on a seahorse in a nearby pool on the promenade. Sandoz, who produced almost 1,800 sculptures in his lifetime, is best known for his animal sculptures.
