Tour de Gourze: An autumn stroll for the whole family

🗺️ Overview

• Starting point: Lac de Bret (700 m)

• Highest point: Tour de Gourze (939 m)

• Total elevation gain: ~310 m

• Total distance: ~7 km

• Total time: 2.5 h (adult) / 5 h with small child (including picnic & play)

• Technical difficulty: Easy – suitable for families and children

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The Tour de Gourze stands at the very beginning of the Alps, in the gentle Prealpine hills just above the Lavaux area. It was a sunny November day when I decided to go with Gaia.

You can reach the tower from several sides. The route I describe here starts from Lac de Bret, above Puidoux (700 m). You can park your car by the lakeshore next to the restaurant. At the corner of the lake, a small asphalt road climbs upward — there are hiking signs, though no destinations indicated yet.

After a short ascent, the path briefly descends, where you’ll find the first signposts pointing left to Puidoux and right to Tour de Gourze. The climb resumes on the asphalt road, passing near a charming house adorned with sculptures and objects in its garden (not quite at its best in this November picture).

A few bends later, you’ll reach a crossroads with a little wooden hut selling vegetables and homemade sauces on a self-service basis. Of course, Gaia skipped all that and asked for sweets — I gave in, using them as a perfect lure to keep her walking (it worked!).

At the hut, turn left, and after about 200 m, turn right. Here begins the main climb up the hill where the tower stands. After a short, flatter section, a panel points right again, marking the final stretch — definitely the steepest part.

You don’t see the tower until the very end, when it suddenly appears beside a small restaurant serving traditional Swiss food at reasonable prices.

The top of the tower reaches 939 m. Inside, it’s empty except for the stairs leading to the top, where you can walk all around and enjoy a stunning panorama: the Alps stretching toward the Moléson, Lake Geneva shimmering below, the French Alps crowned by La Dent d’Oche, and the rolling Swiss Plateau with the Jura in the distance.

After our picnic, we chose a different route down. From the garden below the tower, a trail descends into the forest — muddy and not particularly scenic. I’d actually recommend returning by the road for better views, or at least taking the trail uphill instead.

After 20–30 minutes, the trail rejoins the road. Turn right, then right again to reach the little self-service hut. From there, the way down follows the same route as the ascent.

All in all, it’s a lovely autumn walk, perfect for families with kids — gentle, varied, and rewarding, especially on a clear day.