Vaud, Switzerland: Towns to Explore on Foot

Vaud is a Swiss canton where Lake Geneva, Lake Neuchâtel, vineyards, historic towns and mountain landscapes meet. The region is worth visiting for its changing scenery, food and wine traditions, and the towns of Lausanne, Montreux and Vevey. Neywo offers free audio guides for 3 cities in Vaud, with 97 narrated places in total across 6 walking tours, available in 11 languages.

What to see and do in Vaud

Explore Lausanne

Lausanne is one of the main places to visit in Vaud. Its Neywo guide includes 69 narrated places, including the Olympic Museum, Lausanne Cathedral, Château d’Ouchy and HumuS. The city sits on the shores of Lake Geneva, making it a useful starting point for discovering the canton’s relationship with the lake, its history and its urban culture.

Visit Montreux

Montreux lies on Lake Geneva against a mountain backdrop. Its 13 narrated places include Queen: The Studio Experience, the Freddie Mercury site, Châtelard Castle with fountain and Le Merdasson. The town is one of Vaud’s best-known destinations for combining lakeside scenery with cultural and historic sights.

Discover Vevey

Vevey is another lakeside town with a strong cultural identity. Neywo covers 15 narrated places there, including the Alimentarium, Vevey Photography Museum, Musée Jenisch and Saint-Martin Reformed Church. Its museums and historic buildings make it a rewarding stop between Lake Geneva and the surrounding vineyards.

For more urban discoveries, see the guides to Lausanne, Montreux and Vevey.

See the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces

The Lavaux Vineyard Terraces extend along the steep shores of Lake Geneva. They are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and reflect Vaud’s importance as a wine region. Most of the canton’s vineyards are located along Lake Geneva, and Vaud is Switzerland’s second-largest wine producer. White wine makes up most of its production.

The terraces are one of the clearest places to see how the landscape, agriculture and lake fit together. They also introduce the region’s wider food culture, which is built around local wines, cheeses and charcuterie.

Travel between the lakes and mountains

Vaud stretches from Lake Neuchâtel in the north to Lake Geneva, also known as Léman, in the south. Between them are all three of Switzerland’s main natural regions: the Jura Mountains, the Swiss Plateau and the Alps.

The centre of the canton is hilly and shaped by moraines, while flatter plains lie beside the lakes. In the southeast, the land rises into the Vaud Alps on the northern side of the Bernese Alps. The Diablerets massif is the highest mountain in the canton, reaching 3,210 metres. Grand Muveran and Tour d’Aï are among the summits visible from much of Vaud.

Villars, Les Diablerets and Leysin are among the region’s skiing destinations. Even away from the ski resorts, the contrast between open water, plains and mountain horizons is one of Vaud’s defining features.

Explore Vaud’s long history

Vaud’s history reflects repeated changes of power. People lived beside its lakes in prehistoric times, before the Helvetii arrived. Roman settlement followed Caesar’s defeat of the Helvetii in 58 before Christ. Vevey and Lausanne were among the Roman towns, while Aventicum also developed during the Roman period; remains can still be found around the town.

Later, Alemannic tribes invaded, Burgundians occupied the territory and Merovingian Franks replaced them. The area then became part of the Carolingian Empire before passing to the Zähringens. The counts of Savoy followed and brought political unity to the territory as the Barony of Vaud.

When the House of Savoy weakened, troops from Bern occupied the land and eventually annexed it. Vaud joined the Swiss Confederation as an independent canton in 1803. Its coat of arms still bears the motto “Liberté et Patrie” on a white and green background.

Taste the food of Vaud

Food in Vaud is closely connected to the land around Lake Geneva, the Jura and the Alps. The canton is often called the culinary capital of Switzerland and is known for cheeses, wines and charcuterie.

A classic local dish is papet vaudois, made with potatoes and leeks and served with regional sausages, especially saucisse aux choux. Taillé aux greubons is a baked speciality in which crackling is wrapped in puff pastry. For dessert, carac combines a sweet pastry case with chocolate ganache and green icing, finished with a dot of chocolate.

The canton’s agriculture changes with its landscapes. Sugar beet grows around Orbe, tobacco is important in the La Broye Valley and fruit is cultivated at the foot of the Jura. Cattle breeding and pasture are common in the Alps and Jura Mountains. Together, these products give Vaud’s cuisine a direct connection to its fields, vineyards and mountain pastures.

Explore Vaud with Neywo

Download Neywo to discover Vaud through free audio guides for Lausanne, Montreux and Vevey. The region has 6 walking tours covering 97 narrated places in total. Narration is available in 11 languages.

The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Use it to explore the canton’s lakeside towns, museums, churches and historic sights while walking independently. Vaud is part of Switzerland, a country where landscapes and local cultures change quickly from one region to the next.