After the Lausanne Marathon: Lavaux

The Route: Lausanne → Cully → Lausanne Logistics: A short regional train east along the lake, then a walk down to the water. No car needed. Marathon Month: October Duration: Day trip

Lausanne station ──(~10 mins regional train)──> Cully
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Lausanne station ◄──(~10 mins regional train)─────┘

The Lausanne Marathon runs east from Place de Milan along the lake shore and passes through Cully at about kilometre nine, so a day in Lavaux means walking the same stretch of coast at a pace your legs will accept. The terraced vineyards of Lavaux run for around 30 kilometres between Lausanne and Chillon and were inscribed by UNESCO in 2007. The stone walls that hold the terraces were built over centuries, beginning with the monastic orders of the Middle Ages.

October in Lavaux: the grape harvest usually runs from the end of September into October, and by the last week of the month most of the picking is finished. What remains is colour: the vine leaves turn yellow and red, and the terraces look quite different from a summer visit. Conditions vary from year to year, so treat the foliage as likely rather than guaranteed. Mornings can be foggy over the lake, and the cloud often lifts by midday. The Olympic Museum in Lausanne is closed on Mondays, which makes this a good use of the day after the race.

Regional trains run from Lausanne to Cully several times an hour. The journey takes about ten minutes, and the lake-side station is a short walk from the village. Check the timetable and fare at sbb.ch. Your hotel may also issue a Lausanne Transport Card, but confirm with the hotel whether it covers the Cully stop before you rely on it.

Cully on Flat Ground

Cully is a working wine village with a small harbour and a lakeside quay. The walk from the station down to the water is short and mostly level. The quay is paved, with benches facing the Savoy Alps, and an out-and-back along it takes half an hour or less. A café in the village square is enough for a slow first hour.

The terraces above are steep. Footpaths between the vineyard walls use stone steps and narrow lanes, and the descent will punish quadriceps that ran 42 kilometres two days before. If you want a view, climb the first lane above the village for ten minutes and then turn back. Skip the long descent from Grandvaux; it is a hard downhill for tired legs.

A tasting is the better afternoon. Many cellars in Cully, Epesses and Rivaz take visitors by appointment, and some close on certain weekdays or in the off-season, so book ahead and confirm the opening hours directly with the producer. Chasselas, the white grape that dominates Lavaux, is what most cellars pour first. Ask for a glass of water alongside.

Getting Back

Trains return to Lausanne through the afternoon and evening. Check the last convenient departure at sbb.ch before settling into a long lunch, since services thin out later in the day. If the weather turns, a warm meal in the village and an early train is a fair version of the day.