Switzerland 2.0: Lausanne, Lavaux & Geneva

Our second trip to Switzerland took us to Lausanne and Geneva, with a wine hike through Lavaux in between. A short trip with time for exploring, a spa day, a few museums and plenty of meals together.

Jump to a stop: Lausanne · Lavaux · Geneva

Lou and Bridget overlooking the Lavaux vineyards and Lake Geneva — Together above the Lavaux vineyards, with Lake Geneva behind us.

Lausanne

Exploring and eating our way around town

We started in Lausanne, walking around town and stopping to take in the streets, buildings and fountains. Along the way we tried pâté vaudois, a little savory pastry. We also stopped for cheese fondue.

Lou and Bridget at a fountain while exploring Lausanne — Exploring Lausanne together.

Bridget exploring Lausanne — A little more wandering around town.

Pâté vaudois in a bakery wrapper — Pâté vaudois along the way.

Bridget enjoying cheese fondue — Cheese fondue, with Bridget ready to dig in.

Our hotel and a spa day

We stayed at Royal Savoy Hotel & Spa. Alongside our days out exploring, we made time for a private spa day at the hotel, with the spa space reserved just for the two of us. We had the pool, the sauna and a bottle on ice to ourselves.

Champagne beside the spa pool and sauna at the Lausanne hotel — Our private spa day at Royal Savoy.

For anyone looking into a similar stay, here are the hotel’s spa details.

The Olympic Museum

We also visited the Olympic Museum. Outside, we saw the flame and Olympic rings overlooking the lake. Inside, we explored the exhibits, including the USA hockey memorabilia.

Olympic flame and rings overlooking Lake Geneva — The Olympic flame overlooking the lake.

USA hockey jersey on display at the Olympic Museum — A little hockey history inside the museum.

Lavaux

A wine hike above the lake

From Lausanne, we headed to the Lavaux wine region for a wine hike. We walked through the terraced vineyards, with the lake and mountains in view.

Bridget walking through the terraced Lavaux vineyards — Walking through the vineyards in Lavaux.

A little about Swiss wine

Chasselas is the signature white grape of Vaud, the region that includes Lavaux. Across Switzerland, Pinot Noir, Gamay and Merlot are also among the main varieties. Swiss wine can be harder to find back home because only a small share is exported; most stays in Switzerland. All the more reason to explore the local wines while you’re there.

More about the wines: Vaud and Chasselas · Swiss grape varieties · Swiss wine facts

Time with Blaise

Our wine outing included time with Blaise Duboux. We sat outside with Blaise, tasting his wines and chatting about the vineyard.

Lou and Bridget talking with Blaise during their Lavaux wine visit — A conversation with Blaise during our Lavaux visit.

Geneva

Our base and a look around

Next came Geneva, where we stayed at Hotel Bristol. We explored the city, took a photo together by the Jet d’Eau and saw the flower clock lit up at night.

Lou and Bridget with the Jet d’Eau in Geneva — Together by the Jet d’Eau.

Geneva’s flower clock at night — The flower clock after dark.

The Patek Philippe Museum

We visited the Patek Philippe Museum, too. With my interest in watches, this was a natural stop for us. We got a look at the old watchmaking tools and workbench on display.

A very windy private boat ride

We took a private boat ride on Lake Geneva, also known as Lac Léman. It was windy enough that our hair tells the story in both photos. We had drinks on board and a view back toward the city from the water.