The Lake Geneva Region in images!

Skiing, sledding, skating, sharing a cheese meal in a Swiss chalet: everyone has their own winter dreams. The place to go to is the canton of Vaud. The Vaudois resorts in the Alps - Villars-Les Les Diablerets, Leysin-Les Mosses-La Lécherette, Château d’Oex-Rougemont - and in the Jura - Sainte-Croix/Les Rasses, Saint-Cergue/La Dôle and Vallée de Joux - offer an impressive variety of winter activities for all levels and budgets thanks to highly competitive offers.

Hello everybody! My name is Denis, I’m a nature guide as my father before me. I have the great opportunity to present to you the incredible tourist offer of our beautiful canton of Vaud in the charming Lake Geneva Region. Are you a fan of breathing pure mountain and countryside air, wearing hiking boots, enjoying a wide range of transport and diversifying your sports activities? Look no further. You've come to the right place!

Hello everyone! My name is Judith. Here, in the canton of Vaud, we’re into a good lifestyle. So it comes as no surprise that there are stacks of places where living has been raised to an art! If, like me, you are in search of exclusive experiences and you’re eager to discover new flavours and unexpected aspects of the canton of Vaud.

Joux Valley in winter time Boasting preserved natural areas around a legendary lake, Vallée de Joux is a soothing destination in any season. In winter, the snow emphasizes its Nordic atmosphere. Although one may feel out of time, the watch industry is nonetheless omnipresent in the cradle of the Swiss watchmaking industry.

Winter in Nyon, from the plain to the peaks... At only 20 km from Nyon and Lake Geneva, Saint-Cergue offers a good compromise between the urban areas and the mountains, either for a full holiday or a little getaway. The resort nestles beneath the French-Swiss peak of La Dôle, which offers a breathtaking view.

The largest ski area of the canton of Vaud, must-do activities, new products every year and friendly restaurants make Villars-Les Les Diablerets one of the Switzerland’s top winter tourism destinations. Linking the resorts of Villars, Les Diablerets, Glacier 3000 and Gryon, the largest ski area of the canton of Vaud totals 125 km of slopes, to the delight of skiers of all levels. These slopes offer eternal snow and the wide slopes of Glacier 3000. Glacier 3000, a leisure resort located on the glacier of Les Diablerets (the highest peak in the Vaudois Alps), offers a vast array of activities, for example the famous Alpine Coaster and Peak Walk. The nearby resort of Les Diablerets is well known for the bursts of laughter among family members on the canton’s longest sled run (7 km).

A rejuvenating winter in Sainte-Croix/Les Rasses Located close to the spa town of Yverdon-les-Bains, the village of St. Croix and the resort of Les Rasses benefit from its infrastructure. In addition to a ski area favoured by families, the Nordic centre presents many tracks that can be used for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Known for its vast sunny ski area, its revolving restaurant called Kuklos, its Tobogganing Park and its Nordic space, the region of Aigle-Leysin-Col des Mosses has many surprises in store for visitors. Known as a hotspot of freestyle, the resort of Leysin is linked to Les Mosses and La Lécherette and thus forms a vast ski area offering 100 km of slopes. Leysin is famous for its sunshine and attracts skiers and hikers in search of these precious sunrays. They can enjoy the sun to the full on the slopes or the terrace of the Kuklos, a revolving restaurant 2,048 m above sea level and with a 360° panoramic view. Lower down on the slopes, the Restaurant des Fers is also a favourite to have a sunny break between two descents or as a finishing touch after a romantic outing in a dog-pulled sleigh.

Discover the new “MoveIn mini video series” by the Tourist Board of the Canton of Vaud. The 3 rd “MoveIn” episode takes you to Vallée de Joux where nature and heritage combine marvellously well. The preserved landscapes of Vallée de Joux provide silence and space for sport enthusiasts. The countless hiking routes offer the discovery of some of the treasures of this wild region, such as the Vaudois Jura Regional Nature Park, one of Switzerland’s largest nature parks, or the forest of the Risoud, which is famous for its century-old spruce trees and their resonance wood. And Lake Joux will delight fans of windsurfing and swimming.

Well known as the pearl of the Swiss Riviera, Montreux offers a Mediterranean way of life thanks to its holiday atmosphere and many events. But why not also discover springlike and natural Montreux? On the programme: narcissi, the Chaudron Gorges, Rochers-de-Naye and Lake Geneva.

Every spring, Morges hosts the Tulip Festival at Parc de l'Indépendance on the shore of Lake Geneva. An eagerly awaited date in an exceptional site opposite the Alps.

Considered as Switzerland’s “breadbasket” thanks to its large wheat farming space, the Wheat and Bread Festival in Echallens pays tribute to our agricultural, milling and baking traditions. Marc-Etienne Piot, the president of the Wheat and Bread Museum in Echallens and a native of the same region, describes this village event and the population’s enthusiasm with sparkling eyes. Established in 1978, the fourth Wheat and Bread Festival will take place from August 15 to 26, 2018, in the form of a show featuring nearly 800 people on stage, be they professionals or amateurs. 40,000 spectators are expected to come and celebrate the harvest time, the millennial agricultural legacies and the bread that has been the basis of our daily diet since Antiquity. https://www.region-du-leman.ch/en/P31129/2018-wheat-and-bread-festival

Encounter with François Junod - sculptor and creator of automatons in Sainte-Croix Sainte-Croix, near Yverdon-les-Bains, is the capital of music boxes and automatons. The sculptor and automatons creator François Junod was born there. He shares his passion, challenges and pride in this new episode of “Encounters in Vaud” - a video series produced by the Lake Geneva Region Tourist Office. Some of his works can be discovered at the CIMA Museum (International Centre for Art Mechanics) in Sainte-Croix. This museum presents a unique collection of music boxes and automatons, which reflect the region’s industrial heritage. You’ll be amazed by so much talent!

The Cully Jazz Festival, which will be celebrating its 35th edition this year, has become an illustrious event thanks to a clever blend of specific ingredients. The recipe isn’t that easy, but it’s a resounding success each year. Co-director and artistic director Jean-Yves Cavin has been able to maintain and improve its preparation. He tells us all about it in this new episode of the video series “Encounters in Vaud” which is produced by the Vaud Tourist Board. Internationally reputed artists, a stunning setting, a goodly pinch of art de vivre, passionate winegrowers, charming wine cellars, a welcoming village and a strong sense of hospitality: the Cully Jazz Festival is all that. Be tempted...

Welcome to Pays-d’Enhaut! Located only an hour’s drive from Montreux, this region of the Pre-Alps plays home to the villages of Rossinière, Château-d’Oex and Rougemont. The quiescence of the area invites to reverie and a gentle lifestyle. Anne Rosat, a paper cutout artist, finds all her inspiration here to tell stories through her works of art. Her cutouts, which are unique and deeply rooted in the local traditions, illustrate the region’s simple lifestyle and the values, such as the festival celebrating the cows returning from the mountain pastures, which will take place this coming 24 September in L’Etivaz. This traditional festival honours the terroir and the return of the cattle to the valley for the winter.

The Montreux Jazz Festival... a unique event and legendary moments ! 50th edition... what a unique celebration! What better idea for a legendary festival than to celebrate this anniversary with the biggest names in music? But in addition to becoming an internationally reputed event, the Montreux Jazz Festival has, throughout its incredible history, succeeded in rendering pictures of the same quality as the festival sound! Edouard Curchod has been a Montreux Jazz photographer for 36 years. He is one of those who helped to craft this myth. Passing from one concert to another, he has always endeavoured to capture the emblematic moments of this universe with its very own atmosphere. His mission: to participate as long as possible in building up this impressive heritage shaped by half a century of music. Meet him here.

An encounter in Vaud on the traces of Chaplin’s World Charlie Chaplin... a difficult childhood, a character that has become a legend, iconic films, timeless humour and, since 16 April, an exceptional museum in Corsier-sur-Vevey! Explore the backstage of Chaplin’s World in the company of its founders Philippe Meylan and Yves Durand. Two enthusiasts who dreamed of passing on their passion for Chaplin and whose complementarity helped create a unique and magical site. Discover it for yourself!

Armand Golay and Céline Renaud tell us about Risoud forest Discover the forest of Risoud nestling in the heart of Joux Valley and the Regional Nature Park of the Vaudois Jura, and behold its enchanting, century-old trees. Of these thousands of spruce trees rising towards the sky, a few meet the requirements of JMC Lutherie S.A., a company that makes music instruments or loudspeakers of incomparably pure sound quality. An ancient forest, unique tonewood, passionate professionals and a company strongly rooted in the region: a love story between man and nature that is well worth a visit.

A 2,000 year-old town, as dynamic and fascinating as ever? That’s Avenches, of course. Let yourself get carried away by the passion of Marie-France Meylan Krause, the director of the Roman sites and museum of Avenches and discover this Roman town, whose ancient walls still vibrate to the sounds of major festivals taking place there: Opera Festival, Rock Oz'Arènes and Avenches Tattoo. A unique experience.

Discover the behind the scenes of the slopes you enjoy skiing down on! Enter a wonderful world in the heart of the great open spaces of the Alps of the Lake Geneva Region in the company of Tim Vodoz, who has prepared the ski runs of Villars-Gryon for eleven years. The sixth part of the “Encounter in Vaud” series presents an extraordinary job full of passion and loneliness in breathtaking scenery, which will make you dream of getting away.

Chasselas is the favourite grape variety of Jérôme Aké Béda, an atypical but – above all – passionate sommelier. So it’s hardly surprising that he feels like a fish in water in St-Saphorin, one of the most beautiful villages of the Lavaux vineyards. In his words, this region is his paradise. Whether he talks about vines, winegrowers or their wines, one listens avidly to him with the one and only wish to follow him in his discoveries and to share his favourite wines. vaudtourisme.ch

If walnut oil has a history, the little village of Sévery located above Morges knows quite a bit about it. This precious liquid has indeed been produced there since 1598 and has been the passion of the Bovey family since 1845. Jean-Luc Bovey is the owner of the family mill, the last artisanal mill in Switzerland. He talks about his profession in the fifth episode of the video series “Encounters in Vaud”.

If there is one ship that stirs up emotions when you see it or travel on it, it is “La Suisse”. For over a century, crew members and captains have been coming and going, their dedication to this vessel unfailing. In the third part of the series “Encounters in Vaud”, the Lake Geneva Region Tourist Office invites you on a crew-led tour of the CGN’s flagship. All aboard!

Henri Pavillard has been a guide in the labyrinth of the Vallorbe Caves for 20 years. This former mountain guide exchanged his beloved Swiss mountains for this magical subterranean universe. The new episode of “Encounters in Vaud” is dedicated to this atypical, 91-year-old guide. “One day, I was asked by Robert, the former director here, if I wanted to become a guide in Vallorbe. I wasn’t so keen at first... I was used to being a mountain guide, so when I was asked to come here, I hesitated for a while. Finally, I decided in favour of the caves and have grown attached to them.” The moving interview with Henri Pavillard starts with this confession. True, Henri hesitated before becoming a guide in the Vallorbe Caves. But 20 years later, the dynamic nonagenarian still shows visitors through this magical place. His passion? The contact with visitors. They are of all ages and come from all over the world. The Vallorbe Caves are one of the major tourist attractions of our region: shaped for thousands of years, they are considered Europe's most interesting caves.

Since 2002, Renato has been perpetuating a Lausanne tradition that dates back to 1405. From the 75 metre high tower, he calls out the hour, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. to the four points of the compass. "C'est le guet, il a sonné dix..." ("It's the watcher, it has rang ten...") is the refrain that punctuates the nights of the inhabitants and visitors of the old city.