I am planning on starting my 2008 trip to Switzerland with three easy vineyard hikes, and would appreciate any comments, advice etc.

Monday, 21st July: I arrive in Geneva at 7:30 AM (1:30 AM by my time ) after what will most probably have been a sleepless night. So I may decide to do no more than hang around town. But, assuming I have enough energy, I would like to explore the Genevan vineyards. On MySwitzerland.com I found what looks like an interesting hike: La route du vignoble, sentier à Dardagny. It is about 14 flat kilometers, with potential bail out points at Russin and La Plaine. Alas, since it is a Monday all the restaurants that I have looked up will be closed

Myswitzerland.com has a downloadable GPS track, which I have downloaded. In addition I have an old (1980!!!) 1:50,000 Geneva map, but all the roads followed by that hike seem unchanged.

Comments, or suggestions for a better hike?

Tuesday, 22nd July: I plan to take the train to Lausanne or thereabouts, and hike a good section of the Lavaux vineyards trail, possibly to Vevey. Then take a train to my next destination, Sion.

The brochure that I have, a printed version of this, gives many possibilities. Would love to hear what you think is the best route.

I have downloaded a GPS track that starts at La Conversion, then descends to the coast around Chatelârd, and appears to follow the main "Grande Traversée" to Vevey. I am tempted to follow the GPS track, as all I have is another vintage Lausanne map (also 1980), and no Rochers de Naye map. But if the trails are well signposted, I might be talked into being more adventurous.

I would be very grateful for advice on routes and restaurants.

Wednesday, 23rd July: Something easy around Sion. I am thinking of a third vineyard hike, though a hike along the "bisses" would be another option. The Chemin du Vignoble site gives few details, but since here I have my map (1:50,000 Montana with hiking trails) I feel less blind

My current plan is to go to the tourist office and see what they suggest. But suggestions from the forum members would add a lot of perspective.

After that I will be heading to the valleys south of the Rhone, where I have my books and my maps and feel much more comfortable. Until I cross the Röstigraben and find myself unable to communicate in the local language

For the first day, you're right on my lunch time running route. Regarding food, a key point, Café de Peney is only a bit off your route, but really good and also open on Mondays. You can watch the local lads chucking down glasses of white wine in the bar. It is in league with Chateauvieux, which is lovely, but very expensive indeed. Googling gets you straight to their site.

Thanks for the suggestion; it is off the planned route but that can be accommodated for a good meal

The Café de Peney is a fascinating restaurant! Ordering "a la carte" will get you to close to CHF 100 without wine, and you can obviously spend as much as you have on wines. On the other hand their "plat du jour" is a very reasonable CHF 26, and I suppose you can order affordable wine by the glass (at least I hope so).

Their web site has a form for reservations, are they needed for lunch?

I've always been booked for and never paid (spoilt R&D scientist disguised as businessman ), so I don't know. It gets busy as it's close to the big Meyrin industrial complex. Maybe best to ring & see what they say. I seem to remember that your french is well up to it.

A comment plus another question.

Just read an article in the TDG on an open house (last Saturday) of the wineries in the Mandement region, where I am planning to hike (jet lag allowing) in a couple of months: Genevois et touristes profitent sobrement des caves ouvertes (Genevans and tourists soberly enjoy open wine cellars). Where any EFers there?

My question: The Rother guide, Lac Léman does not describe any hikes in the Mandement, though it describes several hikes in La Côte; would that be a better idea?

Finally, I have received feedback on both the Mandement and Lavaux, but nothing about the vineyards in the Rhone valley in the Valais. Any suggestions of a good hike in the vineyards somewhere between Martigny and Sierre?

Oh yeah. Soberly? .

Well ...

If they drank soberly, why the TPG shuttles back to town My translation:

I'm sure the "soberly" comment in the article was very much tongue in cheek. As they say around here "ok, you have to drink with moderation, but who the beep is this moderation dude?"

I for once left early as I was throwing a BBQ at la casa. I was rather joyful, my friends arrived later rather tipsy and some never actually made it :O

Wow well good luck with your trip it sounds great.
You seem pretty well planned but an interesting site if you want to read up is for the la cote regions (just out from Geneva)

http://www.routeduvignoble.ch/en/index_en.aspx

Thanks for the link!

I have a few days still open between Evolène and Champex, which I had planned to spend in the area around the Dents du Midi. If I feel I need a few days of less vertical hikes I may well spend them in the La Côte region.

Now, I am not much of a hiker (being an avid couch potato), but I know that the Mandement, although certainly full of vineyards, is also home to much of Geneva's industry, so the chimneys of the incinerator omniously loom over what would otherwise be a beautiful landscape in Satigny, Russin and Aire-la-Ville. Dardagny itself is very pretty, but La Plaine has little claim to charm.

So I would even go as far as to recommend heading straight to La Cote -- now where exactly I am not sure, but perhaps around Tartegnin, Mont-sur-Rolle and Aubonne (there is an excellent although not cheap restaurant in Aubonne called L'Esplanade and in Bougy-Villars you can get the best chocolate ever from Tristan http://www.chocolatier-tristan.ch/entree/entree.html)

Having said that, if you decide to go to the Dardagny-Satigny area, I think that Café de Peney is definitely worth it. Domaine de Chateauvieux would be too much of a splurge for lunch, but chef Philippe Chevrier is the owner of both, therefore food there is very good. Plus he has his own cellar and I remember that his cabernet franc was quite memorable.

Now, I am not much of a hiker (being an avid couch potato), but I know that the Mandement, although certainly full of vineyards, is also home to much of Geneva's industry, so the chimneys of the incinerator omniously loom over what would otherwise be a beautiful landscape in Satigny, Russin and Aire-la-Ville. Dardagny itself is very pretty, but La Plaine has little claim to charm.

So I would even go as far as to recommend heading straight to La Cote -- now where exactly I am not sure, but perhaps around Tartegnin, Mont-sur-Rolle and Aubonne (there is an excellent although not cheap restaurant in Aubonne called L'Esplanade and in Bougy-Villars you can get the best chocolate ever from Tristan http://www.chocolatier-tristan.ch/entree/entree.html)

Having said that, if you decide to go to the Dardagny-Satigny area, I think that Café de Peney is definitely worth it. Domaine de Chateauvieux would be too much of a splurge for lunch, but chef Philippe Chevrier is the owner of both, therefore food there is very good. Plus he has his own cellar and I remember that his cabernet franc was quite memorable.

Thank you, that is precisely the kind of information I was hoping to get from EF.