Lavaux Terraced Vineyards Hike along Lake Geneva

The “Terrasses de Lavaux” are terraced vineyards along the north shore of Lake Geneva. It’s special part of Switzerland, a popular area for long walks, bike rides and wine tasting.

We hiked the classic route, 11km from St Saphorin to Lutry on a quiet private road built through the vineyards. The whole route has panorama views of the lake and mountains and seemingly endless vineyards up and down the hill along the lake. If you prefer not to walk so far, I have a shorter version below and even a tourist train, so you can skip the walk altogether.

Besides the lovely hike, the day was full of charm, with a delicious lakeside lunch, a quick dip in the lake to cool off, and a ferry ride back to Montreux where we were staying. A perfect day in this beautiful region. The Terrasses de Lavaux are a unique experience in Switzerland and definitely something to put on your bucket list. Keep reading for all the details.

Our visit was in collaboration with Montreux Riviera tourism, who sponsored our trip.

Location

The Lavaux vineyard trail is located in western Switzerland near Montreux and Lausanne. It is a one way trail, so best accessed by public transportation.

Trail overview

We mostly followed Route 113 – Terrasses de Lavaux, with a detour in the middle of the trail to Cully for lunch. This trail walks on a stone road built between the terraced vineyards, about 11km from St Saphorin to Lutry. The path is the dotted line on the map below.

Hiking map

Below is the trail map we did, including the lunch detour (recommended!).

See trail map on Komoot • SchweizMobil • OutdoorActive

The path is easy walking, mostly on a smooth road built between the terraces. It’s a private road, so only an occasional car. There is some up and down and the uphills can feel tough in the heat. But you aren’t gaining that much elevation.

Shorter version: You can easily do just half of this trail, starting or stopping in Cully, where you can catch a train or ferry boat. We slightly preferred the section from St Saphorin to Cully, which is 6.5 km, about 2 hrs. To be honest, the view is quite similar over the hike so it’s not really necessary to do the full hike to see something in particular.

Even shorter: You could start at the Chexbres train station higher up on the hill and walk downhill about 3km to St Saphorin. See a trail map on Komoot & on SchweizMobil. Our friend Larisa from Just Moved to Switzerland blogged about that route here.

With a stroller: Since you are on a road, it’s easy for strollers and kick scooters. If you are following my route, you cannot take the detour down to Cully lakeside because there are a bunch of stairs to get down to the lake. Instead, stay on Route 113 to the Cully train station, where you can catch a train. If you continue to Lutry, there is a short section right before you enter Lutry village that has a narrow path for a short bit that would be difficult with strollers. You might also consider the short 3k version from Chexbres described above.

Getting there

This is a one-way trail so you need to decide where you want to start and how you want to return to your starting point.

By car: I would suggest parking in Lutry since there are a few large parking areas in this big town. St Saphorin only has a few parking spots along the road near the train station. Where you park depends on how you intend to connect with the other side of the trail. By train, then park at the Lutry train station – Avenue de la Gare, 1095 Lutry . By boat, then park near the Lutry port – Quai Gustave Doret, 1095 Lutry

By train: You can take a train from Montreux, Vevey or Lausanne to both sides of the trail: St Saphorin or Lutry train station. When we were there, we had to take a bus between Vevey and St Saphorin due to construction. But hopefully that will be done when you go.

By boat: If you want to include a boat ride in your day, note that Lutry and Cully have ports but not St Saphorin. We traveled by train/bus from Montreux to St Saphorin, hiked to Lutry, then took the boat back to Montreux. The boat route is shown below. See timetable on the CGN website.

Planning your day

Here is a sample schedule based on our day.

We took public transportation from Montreux, arriving in St Saphorin at 10:20. We reached the mid-point at Cully at 12:40.  We ate lunch for an hour and got back on the trail at 13:45. We arrived in Lutry at 15:15 and caught the ferry at 15:38. We arrived at Chillon Castle (near Montreux) at about 17:00.

Alternatives to walking

Lavaux Express Tourist Train

You can skip the walk and instead pay to ride the Lavaux Express tourist train. The train has several routes, including a loop starting in Cully that runs partially on the same path used by walkers (1hr15, CHF 16, discounts for children).  This would be a great option for those with small children or mobility issues. The train also has a cover for shade, great for really hot days. See current schedule on the Lavaux Express website.

Vineyards by bike

Although this walking path is not an official bike path, bikes are allowed and we saw many happy cyclists ride by. It looks like a great way to see more of the vineyards in a shorter time. 

The official bike route is on a road higher up the hill, on Route 1 – Rhone Route.  You could rent bikes at the Lausanne train station (see Rent-a-bike.ch), ride down the hill to join the bike path, ride through the vineyards as far as you like, returning by train with your bike. Make sure buy a train ticket for your bike.

When to hike this trail

This trail is particularly nice in May and June, when temperatures are a warm but a bit milder than high summer. One of the nicest times to do this trail would be in fall, during the grape harvest. If you are visiting in July and August, I would choose a day with some cloud cover to help protect from the high temperatures. There is very little shade along the path, so it can get really hot.

If you go in summer, you might enjoy this trail more in the early morning or evening when the sun is not as intense.

What to wear & bring for the hike

This region tends to be much warmer and sunnier than other parts of Switzerland. Even in mild temperatures, it can feel much hotter in the vineyards because of the sun reflecting off the road and lake. It was only 21C when we were hiking in late May, but we were quite hot and sweaty and were happy to jump in the 13C lake water at the end of the hike.

Clothes: The sun is intense in the vineyards. Definitely wear a hat to protect from the sun and remember your sunglasses and sunscreen. I don’t usually wear shorts hiking because I like to protect my legs from brush and insects, but that’s not necessary on this hike. If you want to jump in the lake at some point, remember to bring your swimsuit and a towel. 

Shoes: Since you are walking on a paved road, you will walk comfortable walking shoes, not necessarily hiking shoes. I was happy to be wearing my running shoes with lots of padding.

Water: Make sure to bring plenty of water, at least 1L per person. There are a few fountains along the way to refill, but not all are drinkable water. Do not drink from fountains labeled “Non potable”.

Food: Even if you plan to stop for lunch on the way, bring some snacks to keep up your energy. This is a long one.

Services along the trail

There are restaurants in all the villages along the way, including St Saphorin, Cully, Epesses, Grandvaux and Lutry. We ate in Cully at Le Major Davel, with great lake views from our outdoor table.

There were two wine tastings set up along the trail when we were there. I don’t know what is typical. There are many signs directing you to wineries along the way where you can sample and purchase wine.

Video of trail

Check out a video from our Lavaux Terraces hike.

On the trail

Starting the trail in St Saphorin

From the St Saphorin train station or bus stop, walk up the hill into the adorable village.

When you get to the center of the village, you will see some trail signs.

Follow Route 113 – Terrasses de Lavaux, direction Cully/Lutry. There are a few other official routes that follow the same path.

Our first view of the vineyards – love it!

Looking east towards Montreux.

These vineyards have a lot of history, 40 generations building and working these terraces. The Vaud website has interesting articles about the history and wine in this region

I loved the info signs along the trail sharing bite-sized tidbit about the vineyards and region.

Happy to have a bit of shade in this little rest area.

A little wine-tasting booth along the trail.

The trail is easy to follow with many signs. You won’t get lost. I like what it says on the green sign – Welcome to Lavaux. Stay as you are, but on the proper path!

The tourist train goes along this stretch.

We liked this poet’s words about the triple sun on this sign.

Detour to Cully lakeside for lunch

At the halfway point at Epesses, we were hungry and hot. So we decided to leave the official route and take a detour down to Cully on the lakeside. Great decision! We loved being next to the water for a bit and lunch was fantastic.

Follow signs to Cully port and Epesses train station. There are a bunch of stairs to take you down to the water.

When you reach the train tracks, walk through a tunnel under the tracks to join a walking path along the water.

We loved walking along the water for a bit.

There is a nice grassy park and free swimming area along the water, Plage de Cully. At the end of this park, there is a fish restaurant next to the boat dock (also a free WC).

The lovely boardwalk in Cully.

Near the Cully ferry dock, we ate lunch at Le Major Davel, with fantastic views from our outdoor table. My husband and I had the poke bowl, which was so delicious and the perfect light lunch for mid-hike. My boys had the steak frites from the children’s menu and ice cream.

If you want to end your hike here, you can walk up to the Cully train station (trains every 30 mins) or back along the lake to the Epesses station near the water (trains hourly).

Or you could catch the ferry. In spring (mid-April to min-June), the boat only runs twice a day in each direction. In summer, more frequently. So check boat schedule carefully as you plan your day. See routes and timetable on the CGN website.

The Lavaux Express tourist train tour leaves from the park next to the restaurant.

Continuing vineyard terrace trail to Lutry

With renewed energy from our lunch break, we wanted to keep walking. To join the vineyard route, we walked up through the village following signs to Grandvaux.

After you leave the cute part of the village, it’s an uninspiring 10mins uphill on the main road until you enter the vineyards again. It was a little hard to stay motivated on this part. But it was worth it because the detour to Cully was so nice.

Back in the vineyards and so happy!

There’s one tricky turn. When your trail hits a wall and you must turn left or right, turn right on Chemin de la Creuse, going up the hill to Grandvaux. Route 113 is up there.

On your way up the hill, you’ll pass this restaurant Domaine de la Crausaz, which has great views from its terrace. Lots of cyclists were stopped here.

When you reach Grandvaux, turn left following signs to Lutry on Route 113. Now you can see the Lutry town ahead of you.

A nice picnic spot on the side of the trail. Hoping those trees fill out a bit more by summer for some shade.

You pass through a couple hillside villages and cross the main road a couple times.

Lots of charm along the way.

The only spot on the trail (besides the Cully stairs) that wasn’t suitable for strollers. Just a short stretch on this narrow wall.

A little shaded rest area with benches.

The last bit as we enter Lutry.

If you are headed to the train station, follow signs to the train station on the hill (see on map), not by the water.

We were taking the boat back to Montreux, so we followed signs to the port, walking down the water.

Ending in Lutry lakeside

We reached the water at Plage de Lutry, a huge park and free swimming area along the water. There is a free public WC at the adjacent parking lot.

We couldn’t resist and jumped in briefly even though the water was only 13C. It needs a couple more weeks to warm up for summer season. We had to catch our boat back to Montreux, so we didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to lounge by the water.

It’s a short walk over to the ferry dock, where you’ll find cafes, shops and playground.

Boat to Montreux

Waiting for our boat in Lutry. In spring (mid-April to min-June), the boat only runs twice a day in each direction. In summer, more frequently. So check boat schedule carefully as you plan your day. See routes and timetable on the CGN website. You can buy your ticket at the kiosk but you can also buy it on the boat.

The boat ride was fantastic! Such a relaxing way to see this region.

I particularly liked seeing a wide view of what we walked, such a fun perspective.

We rode the boat about 1hr20 to Chillon Castle (Montreux was the next stop). After visiting the castle, we took a short bus ride to Montreux where we were staying. 

What a full day! I hope our tips help you plan your visit to the Terasses de Lavaux. Let us know in the comments how you trip went and any other tips you gathered.

More hiking ideas in this region

See more things to do in Montreux

See more of our posts in the Vaud / Lake Geneva Region