Chateau de Chillon and Lavaux

Chateau De Chillon, A Medieval Water Castle On Lake Geneva Made Famous By Lord Byron'S Poem The Prisoner Of Chillon. Nearby, The Lavaux Vineyard Terraces Form A UNESCO World Heritage Site (2007), About 30 Km Of Walled Vineyards Overlooking The Lake And The French Alps. · Veytaux, Vaud

Chateau de Chillon stands on an island rock at the eastern end of Lake Geneva, at Veytaux near Montreux. Its oldest parts date from the 11th and 12th centuries, and it was long the seat of the Counts of Savoy. Lord Byron made it famous in 1816 with his poem The Prisoner of Chillon, about Francois Bonivard, held in the dungeons in the 1530s. West of it, the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces (UNESCO, 2007) climb the north shore for about 30 km between Lausanne and Vevey, built up by monks since the 11th and 12th centuries. Together they make one of the best days out in Switzerland. The honest picture is simple. The castle takes 1.5 to 2 hours and has many stairs. The vineyard walk is a half day on steep paths, and summer weekends are busy. Go in autumn for the harvest, or in winter for quiet. Inside, expect stone stairs, low doorways and dim cellars, so wear flat shoes. Pair it with a train ride along the shore, a glass of Chasselas and a lakeside lunch, and you have a full, unhurried day without a car.

Island castle on the eastern shore of Lake Geneva near Montreux, with the Lavaux terraced vineyards along the lakeshore between Lausanne and Vevey, Veytaux, Vaud, Switzerland

Chillon is open daily, with longer days in summer and shorter days in winter, and it is CLOSED on Dec 25 and Jan 1. The lakeside promenade from Montreux is FREE and always open. Vineyard paths are open all day, and cellars in the wine villages keep their own hours, often closed on Mondays. The panoramic trains run from spring to autumn only.

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