The lakeside climate is mild year-round. May to September is the obvious season, with long evenings, swimming weather, and the wine villages of Lavaux in full leaf. July and August are busy with tourists but rarely uncomfortably hot.
The Fete des Vignerons happens roughly once every 20 years (next forecast around 2039) and is when the town is at its most spectacular. The annual Marche Folklorique on Saturdays in July and August fills the Grande Place with wine growers and a much more sedate version of the festival energy. Winter is quiet — the Alimentarium and Chaplin's World stay open and the lakefront is empty, which has its own appeal.