Vevey Tourist Attractions
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Vevey, the chief town of the Canton of Valais, lies on Lake Geneva at the mouth of the river Veveyse and is dominated on the north by Mont Pèlerin (1,084 m/3,557ft) and the Plèiades (1,364 m/4,475ft). Every 25 years the "Fête des Vignerons", a unique vintners' festival is held here (last in 1999), which includes many folklore events.Vevey lies on the Simplon railroad line and is a highway junction (N9 /E2 and N12 /E4).In Roman times, Vevey (Viviscus) was the most important port on Lake Geneva. The town received its municipal charter about 1200 and, during the Middle Ages it rose to prosperity as a trading station on the road from Burgundy to Piedmont. It began to develop into a major tourist attraction in the 19th C.
Grand' Place
The finest feature of Vevey is the Grand' Place, an unusually large market square on the shores of the lake. At its north end is the colonnaded Grenette (Corn Exchange, 1808) and, beyond this, near the Theater, is the Auberge de la Clef, in which Rousseau stayed in 1730 (commemorative plaque).
Swiss Camera Museum
The history of photography, its inventors and its techniques, is related in the Swiss Cameramuseum through the use of a collection of cameras, dating from the inception of photography to the present day. Exhibits featuring magic lanterns, stereoscopes and the secrets of the darkroom are included.
Quai Perdonnet (Charlie Chaplin memorial)
On the west side of the Vevey Grand' Place is the Jardin du Rivage (concerts during the season), with the beautiful Seahorse Fountain. From the market square and the Quai Perdonnet to the east there are magnificent views over the lake to the Savoy Alps, with Le Grammont (2,172 m/7,126ft) in the foreground. In the middle of the quay stands the "Charlot Memorial" (John Doubleday) to the great film artist Charlie Chaplin.
Museum of Food History
The Alimentarium, a museum of the history of food, is a Nestlé foundation opened in 1985. At the east end of the quay (800 m/2,625ft long) in front of a small park is an amusing bronze sculpture group, "Première chevauchée de Bacchus" (1930) and a bust of the poetess Anna de Noailles (1876-1933).
Jenich Museum (Arts Museum and Cantonal Stamp Collection)
The Jenisch Gallery houses two institutions, which alternate presentations of their own collections and temporary exhibitions. The Fine Arts Gallery has works of both Swiss and foreign schools of painting, modern and contemporary.It owns one of the finest collections of ancient and modern drawings in Switzerland including Tintoretto, Tiepolo, Ingres and Bonard. and houses the Oskar Kokoschka Foundation that comprises more than 800 of Kokoschka' s originals.The Cantonal Print Collection is an important collection of the 15th to 21st century prints and can be consulted by appointment. It features Dürer, Rembrandt, Lorrain, Piranesi, Canaletto, Corot, Bonnard, Villon, Picasso as well as many Swiss artists (Aubert, Bischoff, Lecoultre, Palézieux, Sarto, and Yersin).
Museum of Old Vevey (Museum of the Confraternity of Vintners)
In the Rue d'Italie, north of Quai Perdonnet, are the Musée du Vieux-Vevey (Museum of Old Vevey) and Musée de la Confrérie des Vignerons (Museum of the Confraternity of Vintners; closed on Mondays), housing pre-historic material, fine old furniture, weapons and costumes.
St Martin's Church
On a terrace above the Vevey railroad line (fine views: orienteering tablet) stands the church of St Martin (14th-15th C., with 20th C. stained glass).
Palais Nestlé (Nestlé headquarters)
On the northwestern outskirts of Vevey, near the Lausanne road, is the Y-shaped Palais Nestlé (1960), headquarters of the famous Swiss firm. On the Lausanne road stands the house (museum) which Le Corbusier built for his parents in 1924.
Tour de Peilz (Castle & Museum of Games)
The Musée suisse du jeu offers a look at the history of games from ancient Egypt to present day in a user-friendly family environment set on two floors of the Castle Peilz.
Surroundings
Surrounding sights of Vevey include: Mont Pèlerin, the Tibetan Center, Hauteville Castle and Blonay Castle.
Mont Pèlerin - Tibetan Center
From the hotel colony (alt. 806 m/2,644ft) on the slopes of Mont Pèlerin (1,084 m/3,557ft) there are fine views of Lake Geneva, the Rhône valley and the Savoy Alps. It can be reached either by road (12km/7mi, via Corsier) or by funicular (1.6km/1mi, 10 minutes), via Corseaux (429 m/1,480ft: swimming pool), where there is a house built by Le Corbusier for his parents in 1924 (museum), and Chardonne. In summer a tourist railroad runs between Vevey and Chamby.In 1988 the Dalai Lama, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, opened a new cultural center on Mont Pèlerin. This forms part of the Tibetan center of 1977 in which live about a dozen monks. The center is intended as a meeting-place for Tibetans who are exiled in Europe, and also to give interested Europeans the opportunity to learn something of Tibetan culture and Buddhism.
Hauteville Castle
The route (by road 5km/3mi, by electric railroad 6km/4mi in 20minutes, continuation to the Pléiades 12km/7mi in 45minutes) passes the English church and continues up the Route de Blonay, turning left up the hill in 1km/0.6mi. After passing the 18th C. Château de Hauteville (off the road to the right: beautiful private gardens, with lookouts) it runs through the villages of St- Légier and La Chiésaz, where the grave of the composer Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) can be seen in the cemetery and where there are a number of houses with humorous external paintings by A. Béguin.
Blonay Castle
From La Chiésaz the road runs below the massive 12th C. Château de Blonay, which has remained in the possession of the Blonay family since it was built. 5km/3mi: Blonay (623 m/2,044ft).
