iCyclades - Cyclades Discovery Guide

This plane tree was planted on 24 January 1798, the day Pays de Vaud ("Vaud Land") was liberated from the yoke of the Bernese who had occupied it since 1536. The former Bernese possession became an informal "Lemanic Republic" and then a short-lived "Canton of Léman" and officially became the Canton of Vaud five years later.

Our virtual stroll will now pass by the CGN pier and head north-east along Quai de l'Indépendance towards the port and the Moratel campsite.

Cully is a regular stop for the boats of CGN (General Company of Navigation), which serves 37 landing stages all around Lake Léman (Lake Geneva), in Switzerland and in France. The nearest landing stages on the Lausanne-Riviera line are Lutry to the west and Rivaz-St-Saphorin to the east.

This small stream has its source at an altitude of 742 m in the upper part of the village of Grandvaux, from where it descends, sometimes channelled into an underground passage, sometimes running through a small valley between the vines, to finish its course here by flowing into Lake Léman (Lake Geneva), just beside the small port.

This monument was erected in memory of Major Davel, the hero of Vaud's independence. While the Land of Vaud was under Bernese rule, Davel was commander of the Vaud militia on the payroll of Bern. He had mystical visions of liberating his homeland from Bernese rule. He fomented a revolt, was arrested, tortured and beheaded in 1723, 75 years before independence.

This tiny harbour is set between the large lawn of Place d'Armes and the Bain des Dames ("Ladies' Baths"), a small beach nowadays also open to gentlemen.

Our virtual stroll ends here, on the pier of the small port. Further west, past the tiny beach of Bain des Dames, access to the lakeside is no longer possible.

Here we pass the small port of Moratel, which is right next to the campsite and to the larger marina, which is a few dozen metres to the east. Our stroll will end between the two harbours.

Our virtual stroll ends (or starts) here, between the small port and the campsite. A little further on is another, larger harbour, which we will perhaps show you after another series of shots...

From the outside, the church is very austere, grey and monolithic, but the inside is more welcoming, with beautiful lights and stained glass windows.

Arriving at Place d'Armes, our virtual stroll takes us past Salle Davel, an auditorium with a capacity of 200 people standing (or 100-150 seated) and Caveau des Vignerons, a tasting room for Lavaux wines.

The large lawn of Place d'Armes ("place-of-arms") is a place for play and relaxation, and makes you forget that it was once a practice and shooting ground for harquebusiers. Fortunately, its purpose has changed, although its name has remained.

Quai de l'Indépendance ("Independence Quay") stretches along the shoreline to the mouth of the Champaflon stream and the port of Moratel. We shot this virtual stroll on an April day when Lake Léman (Lake Geneva), very quiet, was offering absolutely exceptional reflections...

We are here on the sidewalk of Route de Vevey, at the bottom of Rue Saint-Antoine. On the other side of the road you arrive at Place d'Armes, the large square by the lake.

Our panorama here is oriented towards Vevey. Place d'Armes and the lake shore are on our right, a few dozen metres away.

Our panorama is oriented here on the rue Saint-Antoine, which connects Route de Vevey to Rue du Temple. At the bottom of the street we can see the lake and the Chablais Pre-Alps.

Here we are in front of the small Temple Square, where the entrance to the church is located. Unfortunately, the parking spaces have taken away all the charm...

The old part of the village is a mixture of modern houses and old houses full of character.

We are here on the west side of the Cully Temple. Contrary to all appearances, the entrance is on the other side and we will go around the church to the right to get there. Behind us, Rue du Temple joins Rue de la Gare (railway station street).

Rue Saint-Antoine climbs from Route de Vevey, close to the lake shore, to Rue du Temple, in the heart of the old village. At the top of the street, turn left to visit the church.

All that remains of the former St. Stephen's Church, built in the early 16th century, is the north aisle, the choir and the tufa-lined bell tower with a large pointed-arch window on each side. The church became a reformed church and was partly rebuilt in the 19th century in neo-Gothic style. It hosts various concerts of the Cully Jazz and Cully Classique festivals.