Experience the best of Vevey

Vevey sits on the northern shore of Lake Geneva, in the canton of Vaud, facing the Savoy Alps across the water. The Grande Place, a broad lakeside square, hosts markets, and a promenade along the shore passes a bronze statue of Charlie Chaplin, who lived in nearby Corsier-sur-Vevey from 1952 until his death in 1977. An oversized steel fork rises from the lake outside the Alimentarium, a museum of food.

Vevey lies at the edge of Lavaux, a steep landscape of vineyard terraces on the UNESCO World Heritage list, with walking paths between the wine villages. Montreux, with the lake castle of Chillon, is a few kilometres east, and a cogwheel train climbs from there to Rochers-de-Naye. Gruyères, the cheese village, lies to the north-east, Lausanne to the west, and the Fête des Vignerons, a winegrowers' festival, is held here only about once a generation.

Perch fillets from the lake, cheese fondue and papet vaudois, a dish of leeks, potatoes and sausage, are the local classics, with Chasselas white wine from the Lavaux slopes. Daniel Peter developed milk chocolate in Vevey in the 1870s. The mountains make a snowy backdrop in winter, and the lake shore is mild in summer.