“Vevey with its lakeside side location and breath-taking views of the Alps had me wrapped around it’s a little finger (or fork) the first time I visited it.
How To Spend A Day In Vevey
A chance visit to the town, for a job interview, resulted in the most unexpected twist to my “ex-pat life” in Switzerland. To cut the story short, I ended up living in this picturesque town of Vevey for a year. Today I’m going to give you insider tips on how to spend a day in Vevey.
This piece was originally published as a chapter in 21 Gems Of Switzerland, our free e-book that offers more information about offbeat travel in Switzerland.
How To Reach Vevey
If you’re coming from Geneva airport, then your best bet is to take the train (IR90) which will get you to Vevey in 1 hour, if you’re traveling by road the journey still takes about an hour. The train journey is very scenic, and this was my preferred mode of travel.
Things To Do And Places To See
Vevey has some fun things to do inside the town along with numerous excursion destinations within the region.
Chilling by the lakeside is obviously the most exciting and easiest things to do. During summers entire promenade is crowded with people from all over – there are picnics, tons of options to swim in the lake and restaurants right by the lake offering small eats. It’s just the best view and the vibe in summers is the same or probably even better than of a beach!
At the lake is the famous fork of Vevey which is made of stainless steel and is 8-meter-tall and 1.3 meters wide. Fork of Vevey is part of the Alimentarium, a Vevey-based museum with a permanent exhibition on food and Nestlé’s history. Along with this, right opposite the fork is a famous statue of Charlie Chaplin, these two are the most photographed objects in Vevey of course after the panoramic views of Lake Geneva.
Since Charlie Chaplin spent a significant part of his life in this sleepy town, there is also the famous Chaplin’s world which is worth a visit. It is his former home with some other interactive displays.
The Chillon Castle is another marvellous place on an island on Lake Geneva, some would say it is in Montreux but not too far from Vevey. If you’re interested in art and culture then Vevey has a lot to offer as it has a lot of museums including Alimentarium, Vevey photography museum, Museum nest Vevey, Musée Jenisch and more.
Hotels & Apartments, Vevey
Depending upon your budget, the hotels during peak season range from 150 CHF to 400 CHF on an average. It’s always a good idea to book in advance, some of the hotels I have tried are the vision apartments, hotel le leman as a budget option or Hotel Astra right by the station for a more extravagant choice.
Budgets And Travel Fares
If you’re making a day trip, then the train costs to Vevey (from Geneva) are 28 CHF one-way on a full fare ticket. A good meal can range between 50 to 120 CHF per person based on the choice of the restaurant. Hotel costs as above, to make your trip economical as well as fun – buy super saver tickets from the SBB app in advance, pick a moderately priced restaurant for lunch and mix it up with a fine dining option for tea/coffee.
I was fortunate enough to live close to the lake, I could hop across get to the most magical lakeside which has its own essence any time of the year. While Vevey has a lot to offer, it is best to combine it with Montreux, Lausanne and Geneva.
Our team recently put together a travel ebook called “21 Hidden Gems of Switzerland”. It was a collaborative travel project led by Pragati Siddhanti where 21 locals came together and shared their travel secrets. You can download it here.