People travel to Switzerland for snow-capped mountains, Instagram-worthy walks, tours and train journeys, chocolates and a relaxing break. In most cases, it is hard to get it all in one place - making it even harder to stay within budget and time - but not in Vaud.
Fork of Vevey is in Alimentarium, a museum in Vaud with a permanent exhibition on food and Nestle's history. It is also the tallest fork in the world and is featured in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The canton of Vaud gives visitors eclectic mixes of the French and the Swiss - connected by a lake that is shared by Switzerland and France. Bordered by Lake Geneva, Vaud is truly ideallyic and fairy-tale like with thousand-year-old castles, museums and typically Swiss scenery.
How to get to Vaud
Geneva has the closest international airport to Vaud. Etihad and Emirates offer daily non-stop flights (around 7 hours 30 minutes) to Geneva (GVA), and there are many airlines offering stop-over flights which may be cheaper on certain days. From Geneva, Vaud is an hour's drive away.
Cost From Dh2,000 (round-trip flights)
Highlights
Lake Geneva
Each other's highlight, Lake Geneva makes Vaud a great place to visit just as the town adds its charm to the scenery. Western Europe's biggest lake, the lake is also known as Lac Léman, named so by the French people who live by its shores.
Chateau de Chillon
A 13th century fortress, it is architecture like this that gives Vaud its fairy-tale like quality. Built on a rock, the oval-shaped island castle has pre-historic paintings, furniture and arms to see within its walls. A flower-lined promenade, known as Chemin Fleuri, guides visitors to the castle from the Montreux lakeside.
Chaplin's world
The city was home to the globally celebrated comedian and actor. Charlie Chaplin lived in Vaud, reportedly after the United States banned the celebrated comedian from re-entering the country in 1952. Chaplin lived in Vaud from 1953 up until his demise in 1977, in a mansion that he bought for 60,000 francs (Dh220,191) at the time.
The mansion was renovated and opened to the public as a museum dedicated to Chaplin in 2016. It features screenings of his best movies, and uncanny wax replicas of Chaplin and of famous celebrities who were his friends. Expect to take selfies with Albert Einstein and Michael Jackson.
Rochers de Naye
Get to the top of Rochers de Naye on a cog-wheel train from Montreux, because the view from the summit of the 2,042 metres tall Alps mountain is one not worth missing. The peak overlooks Lake Geneva and the canton of Vaud, along with a panoramic of the French and Swiss Alps. After an hour's scenic ride to the summit, you could stay overnight there in a yurt in true nomadic style.
Get to know more about the destination here.
