If the last stage was splendid, this one is pure inspiration.

The Lake Geneva gently accompanies the path and is almost always skirted. It is impossible to take a wrong road.

Lausanne deserves a day off to be able to get to know the city and visit its historic center and immerse yourself in the sweet life along the Riviera. But the best memory of our stay in Lausanne is the museum dedicated to the Olympic Games, founded in 1993. It is worth a trip.

The stage from Lausanne to Vevey is easy at the beginning, running quickly next to the lake. However, the second part is quite demanding. In total it’s almost 22km.
Leave Lausanne and continue the journey with the sound of water accompanying the slow intercession of the steps. Today is hot and at 7:50 the thermometer is already 29 degrees. The breeze coming from the sea and the different sections sheltered by plants lighten the heat in the first part of the route.

After 10km you arrive at the small port of Cully, passing through the ancient village of Lavaux. This stretch is a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognised for splendid vineyards and terraces that flank the lake. Yes, this is precisely the highlight of the day!

The Francigena path climbs up the hill to immerse yourself in the magic of an extraordinary wine-growing landscape. There is only one problem: the heat at this point really beats and there is not a single shadow! At the first jerk I have shortness of breath, perhaps I made too much of an effort climbing up.

With 800 hectares of vineyards, the wine-growing terraces of UNESCO Lavaux make up the largest wine-growing area in Switzerland and offer extraordinary panoramic views, terrace after terrace. Terraced vineyards and the Geneva Lake at the bottom of the snow-capped mountains: you need to slow down to enjoy every moment!

St-Saphorin, Dézaley, Epesses, Corseaux: wine lovers will surely be thrilled to hear these names of villages that are crossed along the vineyards. They benefit from three sources of solar and in particular thermal radiation: one directly coming from the sun, another is produced by the reflection of Lake Geneva and one more derives from heat accumulated by numerous stone walls.

Returning to this second part of the route, there are continuous jerks, ups and downs of the path. Better be prepared! Alternatively, you can go along the lake to Vevey, but you would lose one of the most fascinating parts of the whole European itinerary.

Today the arrival is not in Vevey, a splendid tourist resort that houses the house museum of the brilliant Charlie Chaplin, but continues for another 2km to La Tour de Peilz. Today we are guests of the Montreaux Riviera Tourist Office at the beautiful “Hotel Bon Rivage” which overlooks the lake. At the end of the stage, we meet Marion Duc, marketing and communication manager of the Montreux Riviera, on a refreshing terrace overlooking the lake.