Favourite Experiences:

• Hiking along the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces
• Tasting Gruyère cheese at La Maison du Gruyère

Mid-way through my time in France, we drove into Switzerland for the day. Our first stop was Gruyères, a small medieval town famous for being the home of Gruyère cheese. The town of Gruyères is set on the top of a hill overlooking the Saane valley, and the hike up to the town offers great views. The village itself is very cute, selling the region’s famous cheese and chocolate. Visitors can also visit Chateau Gruyères, the famous castle at the end of the town. Near the train station, La Maison du Gruyère is the town’s cheese factory, offering tours, cheese making demonstrations and tastings to visitors. Below are some of my favourite photos from Gruyères:

 

After Gruyères, we headed back to the shores of Lake Geneva to hike the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Lavaux region is made up of 30km of terraced vineyards that run along the shores of the Lake through many small towns. The hike offers amazing views of the vineyards, lake, and Alps in the backdrop. Instead of hiking, visitors could also choose to do a train tour of the region, which stops at several vineyards along the way for wine tastings. The hike from St. Saphorin to Chexbres is largely downhill and offered some of the best scenery of my entire trip. Below are my favourite photos from Lavaux: