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Switzerland’s Vevey among National Geographic’s hot destinations for 2019

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Switzerland’s Vevey among National Geographic’s hot destinations for 2019

The Swiss town of Vevey on the shores of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) has been honoured with a place on National Geographic's 'Best Trips 2019' list.

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The town in the canton of Vaud appears on the list alongside destinations as diverse as the Peruvian Amazon, the Australian city of Perth, and French Polynesia.

But the prestigious travel magazine hasn’t named Vevey as one of the world’s top places to visit next year because of its elegant seafront promenade, or because of its stunning views of the Alps, or even due to its connection with Charlie Chaplin (who was a resident for a quarter of a century).

Instead, National Geographic is highlighting Vevey because of the upcoming Fête des Vignerons (Winegrowers' Festival), which runs from July 18th to August 11th next year.

The stunning Lavaux wine region in Switzerland. File photo: Depositphotos

This Unesco-recognised event is Switzerland’s oldest and largest wine festival and – to make it even more special – it is held a maximum of five times every century.

Last staged in 1999, the Fête des Vignerons has its origins in the 17th century when the Wine Guild held a yearly pageant in Vevey, which is located at the foot of one of Switzerland's oldest wine-growing regions, the Lavaux.

Read also: 19 mildly interesting facts about Swiss wine

This developed into the first proper festival in 1797, held on the Place du Marché, which aimed to celebrate wine growing, encourage winegrowers to improve their techniques and reward the best vineyard workers in a coronation ceremony.  

Due to political unrest in the canton of Vaud, it wasn't until 22 years later that the next festival was held, starting the once-a-generation tradition that has held to this day. 

 
Do you live in Vevey? Want to tell us what you like and/or don't like about living there? Drop us a line here.

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