This Swiss Riviera walk takes you from Montreux to Lutry, passing palm trees, Belle Époque hotels, cafés, sculpture, vineyards and mountain views.
Allow a full day at a relaxed pace including coffee, lunch and photo stops.
Trains run frequently back to Montreux (around every 30 minutes), so you can shorten the walk at several points along the route.
Difficulty: Easy-moderate (distance rather than hills)
Accessibility: Flat, suitable for all fitness levels, buggy friendly
Distance: 18 km
Time: 5-6 hours depending on stops
Start: Montreux quays
Finish: Lutry station
Best for: Scenic walking, cafés, photography, architecture and relaxed exploring
Refreshment stops: Montreux · Clarens · Vevey · Lutry
Top tips: Comfortable walking shoes, sun hat and sunscreen — even outside midsummer it can feel surprisingly warm beside the lake. Take a bottle of water with you for the Lavaux section.
Falling for the Swiss Riviera
I’m in love with the Riviera. Not the slightly brash, ostentatious one where film stars jostle and pout on the red carpet.
No, I’m in love with its altogether more sophisticated cousin… the Swiss Riviera.
So, where’s the magic?
It’s right here.
It’s in the mountains that rise straight from the lake, crowns skimming the clouds. It’s in the crystal clear mountain water, the eerie siren calls of the paddle-steamers and the faded glory of the honey coloured villas.
With the glittering waters of Lac Léman and the French Alps beyond, backed by the Rochers- de-Naye, this is scenery on an epic scale.
But there’s more than just a great view.
The Swiss Riviera Walk
There’s something special in the air here.
Something that has drawn people to this particular spot for centuries — writers like Rousseau, Byron, Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway; artists like Turner and Courbet; and, of course musicians like Freddy Mercury and David Bowie.
Let’s set aside the usual Montreux highlights for a day and discover what makes this place so special.
So come with me on this beautiful Swiss Riviera walk.
Where to from here?
Let’s walk west from Montreux towards Lutry, where the Riviera gradually gives way to vineyards tumbling down to the water’s edge.
We’ll leave the busiest spots behind and explore palm-lined promenades, elegant lakeside towns and some of the quieter corners of the Swiss Riviera.
Along the way I can promise you coffee and cake, plenty of pauses to drink in the views and — perhaps best of all — an apéro at the end of the day.
Why don’t we start early and beat the crowds?
Quais de Montreux
We’ll begin at the famous Freddie Mercury statue in front of Montreux market hall.
Freddie lived and worked in Montreux for many years, relishing the peace he found here. Fans still leave flowers and little tributes at the foot of his statue.
But today we’re walking on.
Palm trees probably aren’t the first thing you’d associate with Switzerland, but they line the promenade here. Thanks to its own micro-climate, the Swiss Riviera has a sunny Mediterranean feel that seems completely at odds with the Alps towering behind it.
Heading west we pass rose gardens and the grand Belle Époque hotels of Montreux. Their yellow awnings give a light, bright twist to their imperial grandeur.
I love this section of the Swiss Riviera walk , it feels like a mini open-air sculpture garden.
See how many bronze sculptures of composers and animals you can spot hidden among the flower beds.
And the cherry on top here? The little yachts and boats that moor just off-shore.
If you only take one photo on this walk, take it here.
Coffee stop: Clarens
Strolling on we come to Clarens. It feels much quieter here. The soft colours of the Belle Epoque villas and their slightly overgrown gardens give it a more laid back feel.
Clarens has long attracted artists and writers. Painters like Turner and Courbet came here, while writers including Rousseau and Byron found inspiration on these shores.
Byron visited Clarens in 1816 and is said to have travelled with a well-thumbed copy of Rousseau’s La Nouvelle Heloise, curious to see the landscape that had inspired the novel.
In a way, he was among Europe’s very first tourists.
I love the fact that, even 200 years later, you can still clearly recognise the places they wrote about.
It’s like sharing a secret.
Anyway, enough culture for now, let’s talk tea! There’s a little tea-room, the Tea-room Leduc, on Rue du Grammont just off the promenade that is well worth the detour.
The smell of fresh coffee greets you as soon as you open the door. Pull up a chair and let’s treat ourselves to a pastry before heading on.
Open: Tuesday to Friday 7:00 – 14:00 — Saturday 7:00 – 12:00
Closed Monday
Villa ‘Le Lac’, Corseaux
Mention Le Corbusier to almost any architect and their eyes light up. One of the pioneers of modern architecture, his influence can be seen all over the world.
His tiny house, Villa ‘Le Lac’, designed for his parents in 1923, sits directly beside the promenade. From the outside it’s surprisingly modest — a long low white building with ribbon like windows and almost no decoration at all.
Inside though, it’s painted with vibrant colours that soften the clean lines, but furnished in a way that I’d describe as… spartan. But then again, I do like a bit of sparkle.
This little house turned out to be more influential than it first appears and became an early expression of many of Le Corbusier’s later ideas.
Is it worth a visit? Mmm… perhaps, if architecture or interior design is your thing — or if you want to impress the next architect you meet.
If you fancy a look inside, visits currently run on Saturdays and Sundays 14:00 – 17:00
La Tour-de-Peilz
From here onwards, the Swiss Riviera walk becomes quieter.
We pass the 13th century Savoy castle sitting directly on the waterfront, its towers reflected in the lake.
The castle was once home to the William Beckford, author of the Gothic novel ‘Vathek’.
Back in the day Beckford was described as ‘the richest man in Britain’. He was also wildly eccentric and no stranger to scandal.
To escape the press and his critics, he relocated to Switzerland where he continued to host lavish balls and parties.
Today the castle is the Swiss Museum of Games, which somehow feels appropriate.
This is also where the Riviera begins to change. There are fewer visitors, more locals and maybe a glimpse of everyday Switzerland.
The scenery, though, is every bit as beautiful and the breeze from the lake just as refreshing.
Vevey and the giant fork
If all this walking is making you feel hungry, you’re in exactly the right place. Rising out of the water like a giant exclamation mark is an 8-metre (26 feet) stainless-steel fork.
It was installed as part of a temporary exhibition, but the locals loved it so much that it’s stayed.
The fork is one of the Riviera’s most photographed landmarks. On misty days, with snow-dusted mountains behind it, you can see why.
Vevey is also home to Nestlé and the Alimentarium, Nestlé’s food museum.
It would be fair to say that Switzerland has a thing about good food. And chocolate is no exception. I was surprised to discover that milk chocolate was invented by Daniel Peter and Nestlé here in Vevey.
Place du Marché
Beyond the fork, one of the most striking things about Vevey is Place du Marché —one of Switzerland’s largest arcaded squares, opening directly onto the lake.
On Tuesdays and Saturdays, the market fills with local cheese and charcuterie stalls.
On Saturday mornings you can buy wine by the glass from local producers and sip as you shop.
Every 20 – 25 years the Marché in Vevey hosts the extraordinary the Fête des Vignerons — a huge celebration with music, wine and hundreds of performers.
The best bit is buying a small glass (wine is often served in very small glasses in Switzerland) and filling it as many times as you like from the various stands, which I think rather defeats the point of the small glass.
Vevey has always drawn people in.
Charlie Chaplin lived for 25 years just outside Vevey at Corsier-sur-Vevey. His former home, Manoir de Ban, is now a Hollywood style ‘studio experience’ showcasing his life’s work and recreating the atmosphere of the silent movie days.
Before modern transport, women from Haute Savoie rowed across Lac Léman to buy and sell goods in Vevey before rowing home again the same day. Much more exhausting than our Swiss Riviera walk.
Lunch in Vevey
Please tell me it’s lunchtime! Time to rest our feet and soak up a little local life.
I’ve got two good lunch options in Vevey for you, both just a few minutes from the lake.
The Café – Restaurant du Port on Rue d’Italie specialises in lake fish — particularly perch and fera — and has a large sunny terrace. It’s unpretentious and reasonably priced.
Open: Daily June – August
Sept – May: Closed Mondays (15:00)
Or there’s Gueuleton Vevey on Rue du Léman — a popular spot serving fish from the lake, sharing platters, Vaudois charcuterie and local Chasselas by the glass. (My tip is to check the prices before booking)
Sounds delicious… although I suspect I’ll skip the sharing bit.
Into the Lavaux vineyards
Leaving Vevey behind, the character of the walk changes almost without you noticing. The cafés and busy promenades fade into the sweeping terraces of one of Switzerland’s most famous landscapes.
The Lavaux vineyards are among the steepest vineyards in the world. Luckily we don’t have to climb them today on our Swiss Riviera walk.
There are said to be over 10,000 terraces with a phenomenal 400 km of dry stone walls.
One of my favourite facts about Lavaux is that it’s known as the ‘land of the three suns’. The vineyards are warmed not only by the sun overhead but also by its reflection from Lake Geneva and by the heat stored in the dry stone terrace walls.
It’s a unique combination that helps produce exceptional wines here, particularly the light refreshing Chasselas that you’ll find everywhere.
If you have the time, wander up into one of the little wine villages. Behind the heavy wooden doors you’ll often see the wine presses and depending on the season, local winemakers hard at work.
I’ll be honest, by this stage my feet are beginning to remind me I’ve been walking for several hours. On a warm day this stretch can feel surprisingly long, but keep going, we’re almost there.
The first glimpse of Lutry’s little harbour is a welcome sight and the promise of a cold drink is all the motivation we need.
Lutry
And here we are — at the end of our walk, with it’s little ports, waterside cafés and stunning views.
And, unofficially at least, the end of the Swiss Riviera.
The palms and Belle Epoque villas give way to the sweeping vineyards of Lavaux and to Lausanne further along.
Those are adventures for another day — but if you’d like a taste of what’s around the corner, then take a look at ‘Lausanne — a City of Athletes’ or if sampling the local wine is more your thing, then see ‘Lavaux — A Stairway to Heaven’.
In the meantime, let’s take a moment to look back along the full sweep of the Riviera.
We did it!
Eighteen kilometres of the Swiss Riviera walk, along one of Europe’s most beautiful lakefronts. And now all that remains is the reward.
Apéro: Les Copains d’Abord
Les Copains d’Abord is known as the best bar on the Lutry quai, it serves craft beer, local wine and tapas right beside the water.
There’s nothing quite like that feeling that you’ve earned your glass of wine or your Aperol after a day’s walking.
This is our chance to wind down, look through our photos and reflect on life on the Swiss Riviera. And the best part? The train back to Montreux is only 5 minutes away. 
Photo Credit: Vevey Market Hall: Photo by Jmh2o, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo credit: Tour de Peilz: Patrick Nouhailler’s
