Heritage Doors, Windows and Houses of Lavaux, Switzerland

Heritage Doors, Windows and Houses of Lavaux, Switzerland may not be mentioned in any guide books on Switzerland, but as soon as you enter Lavaux area, they strike you the most. Right after you get over the gorgeousness of the terraced vineyards which have intrigued the travelers for centuries, these heritage houses can overtake your senses.

In my case, even before we reached Lavaux, our new friend and host Neha had already told us quite a bit about these doors and windows. I am generally quite a sucker for old houses and doors, so was quite looking forward to explore them.

The Perfect colors!

A view on the streets...

Functional beauty!

Lavaux is famous across the world for its wine, but my visit made me realise that there is more to the area than wine. So while we explored the grapes, wines and food, I also explored the houses there. Picture perfect in every way, the houses have been maintained like this for the last few centuries.  

Read more: Wine tasting at Lavaux Vineyard

The colors of these houses truly come alive on a sunny day when the light is bright. With blue sky in the background, most houses use yellow, red and green to stand apart. Both pure hues as well as pastels are seen, and all of these compliment each other. There are very specific rules which one needs to follow if they want to color their houses, and it all first needs to be approved.

More functional windows

Close to our parking, I loved this view...

My favorite yellow wall!

Most of these windows are 'real' windows, but some are not, at least not in the conventional way. These openings look like window but are actually areas for displaying the famous Lavaux wine. Most of the people living in these stunning houses are actually wine growers, so these 'windows' are a display area for their brand!

The layout of the houses in these villages is based completely on practicality. As it was desired that most land be used for growing wine, the villages were typically small and houses were compressed in narrow alleys. The bigger and richer houses were generally built outside the villages in the vineyard itself. Some of the villages worth a visit include Savuit, Aran, Grandvaux, Epesse etc. If you buy some wine there, you will realise that those are often branded after the village where the grapes are grown.

Most windows have flowers and flags...

More minimal and functional

Another set of functional windows

As always the best way to discover these gems is simply to walk through these villages. People here are quite used to tourists getting wide-eyed looking at their homes, and do not mind photography at all.

Here are some of the images from the few hours I spent wandering through some of these beautiful little towns of Lavaux. All of these have been taken from my iPhone (read more: mobile photography).

Enjoy and let me know your feedback :)

Window as a wine display!

A house, a restaurant...super relaxing...

Just another gorgeous street

A 'wine tasting' center

Lovely grape vine around the door...

A relaxing afternoon in the village...

In perfect harmony with each other

More flowers, lace...

That's Lake Geneva in the background

A rustic wall and rustic windows...

A quaint village corner

Walk down to the vineyard

Another very interesting display for wine

One of my favorite displays!

Brilliant orange!

These houses have remained unchanged for centuries...

Another lovely window with flowers!

To reach

By road: The Lavaux Vineyard Terraces are reachable by driving from the towns of Vevey and Montreux by a drive along the gorgeous Swiss Rivera.
By Train: The vineyard is also reachable by trains and the best train for travellers is RER / S1 which has a hourly departure.
By bus: The third option is to take a bus to Lavaux from Vevey or Montreux.

If you are in Switzerland, you can also take a Swiss Pass which is one pass which allows you travel through bus, train and waterways, and is the most affordable way to explore the country.

I love colourful houses and if you do too, there's another town in Switzerland which you should not be missed - Appenzell. Read more: Appenzell – Swiss Village of Painted Houses.

Do you also love doors and windows? If you do, I am sure you will love my story on Doors of Zanzibar, a tiny island off the mainland Tanzania.

Read more Doors of Zanzibar

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Note: I was in Switzerland on invitation of Switzerland Tourism and NDTV Good Times to explore the 'Swiss Made Grand Tour'. The story shared here is based on personal experiences and all the views shared are completely my own.