By Boat from Lausanne-Ouchy to Vevey on Lake Geneva

I have a reservation for afternoon tea at the Trois Couronnes in Vevey at 15h00. The quickest way to reach Vevey by public transport is by train and takes about twenty minutes. It’s a short but scenic route that runs along the lake. But, honestly, where’s the fun in that, hm? I’m in no particular hurry, and so, I’ve decided to take the boat to Vevey, which makes the journey in two hours and ten minutes. Actually, the direct route by boat would be fifty minutes, but the service runs via St. Gingolphe on the Franco-Swiss border, then Villeneuve, Chillon Castle, and Montreux.

The service departs at 12h40 and is operated by La Suisse, which is a steamer that was commissioned in 1910. She is the flagship of a fleet of eight steamers dating back to the Belle Epoque that operate on Lake Geneva.

Hotel des Trois Couronnes

The Hotel des Trois Couronnes sits right on the lake, just a short walk of about ten minutes away from the jetty at Vevey Marché. Vevey is in Switzerland and surrounded by rolling hills covered in vinyards. It has the advantage of facing the Alps on the opposite shore in France. Vevey is also home to Nestlé headquarters.

The hotel first opened in 1842, and the building has been perfectly preserved in its original style. The afternoon tea is served in the restaurant at the back of the hotel, facing the lake and the mountains behind it.

The style of the restaurant is simple, but nice. Here too, they have tried to preserve the original style of the building – for examle by keeping the tile mosaic floor.

The Staff

The staff at the restaurant are all quite young. Either that or I’m slowly becoming aware of my old age. Whatever the case may be, it is noticeable just how friendly all the staff are. They regularly come to check that we’re okay and have everything.

The Afternoon Tea at Les Trois Couronnes

The afternoon tea at Les Trois Couronnes is traditional. On the middle tier there are three sandwiches each – boiled egg with mayo, cucumber, and smoked salmon. The sandwiches are good, but they were obviously made quite a while ago and the bread is slightly stale already.

There are four scones with sultanas on the top tier. They are served with crème double de Gruyère and homemade red berries jam. They’re good, but it would have been nice for them to be served warm.

The sweets on the bottom tier are by French confectioner La Durée. And they are rather good. The three macarons are pistachio, coffee, and mango.

The pink/red pastry is an elegant and finely balanced combination of raspberries and rose – it’s an exquisite combination.

And the last pastry is a decadent extravagance of chocolate, praline, and a nut biscuit. I must say, it really is good – especially paired with some of the leftover crème double…

After the meal, I go for a walk along the water in the direction on Montreux. The weather is perfect! It’s a gorgeous day and it’s warm, but without being hot.

At 18h00 La Suisse announces her imminent arrival from Montreux on her third round trip of the day. So I make my way back to the jetty to catch the 18h05 service back to Lausanne under a setting sun. What a gorgeous evening!

Conclusion

Well, what a brilliant day it’s been. Honestly, the afternoon tea at Les Trois Couronnes was okay, but otherwise hardly memorable in any way. But it was enjoyable enough. Besides, it gave me as good an excuse as any to hop on a old steam boat to make the journey to Vevey. Cruising on the lake and basking in the sun is my idea of bliss, and today’s outing certainly didn’t disappoint.