Bursinel: Château, Heritage and Winegrowing

Bursinel combines protected buildings and historic memorial sites with winegrowing, regional cuisine and the landscape along Lake Geneva. If you are looking for a hotel for your stay, these different features can help you choose your destination: would you like to focus mainly on architectural history, discover wine culture, or explore the landscape and the T2L trails?

Château, Heritage and Remembrance

Château de Bursinel has a 300-metre-long hornbeam avenue and remarkable trees. The château’s history is closely linked to the Confrérie des Chevaliers de la Cuiller: the brotherhood was founded at the château in October 1527; the château was formerly a fief of the Chevaliers de la Cuiller. Château de Bursinel and Villa Choisi are the two nationally protected buildings in Bursinel. The Le Lignage estate in Bursinel was also placed under protection by an order dated 14 September 1995.

The history of Choisi includes Winston Churchill’s stay at the Choisi estate in Bursinel. Sir Winston Churchill stayed there from 23 August to 16 September 1946. On 30 August 1985, a plaque commemorating him was installed on the wall of the municipal building. The two dates mark his stay and its later commemoration.

Winegrowing and Regional Cuisine

Bursinel has 28 hectares of vineyards producing wine under the Bursinel appellation. Château de Bursinel is a 6.5-hectare wine estate. Domaine Sous-les-Jardins offers another combination of agriculture and landscape: it comprises 3.2 hectares of vineyards and 3 hectares of apple trees, and is situated opposite Lake Geneva. At its Carnotzet, the estate invites visitors to discover a variety of specialities and traditional wines.

Domaine Au Grand Clos – Parfum de Vigne comprises 15 hectares of vineyards and is located in the Bursinel and Coteau de Vincy appellations. It offers private wine tastings, vineyard tours and a boutique. The municipal inn also showcases regional cuisine: its menu features dishes made with fresh seasonal produce, as well as local wines. Bursinel thus offers a range of culinary experiences, from winegrowing and tastings to a menu focused on regional fare.

Landscape and Trails

The agricultural part of the Domaine de Choisi is undeveloped and offers sweeping views of Lake Geneva. Its agricultural landscape includes hedges, groups of trees and individual trees. Domaine de l’Oujonnet is also connected to the lake, although it lies back from the shore above the cantonal road. The area around Domaine de l’Oujonnet is of exceptional landscape quality.

Bursinel is one of five stage towns on the T2L for Nordic walking, heritage walks, mountain biking and trail running. The documented T2L stage from Bursinel to Nyon is 12 kilometres long. The T2L route description places the start of the fourth stage in front of the Temple de Bursinel. The stage information thus provides both a specific route length and a named starting point.

Another connection to a walking route is the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. The scallop-shell symbol of the Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela is engraved on a fountain in Bursinel. The municipal account also describes pilgrims passing through Bursinel on their way to Santiago. The T2L stages and the historically recounted pilgrimage tradition thus reflect different ways of travelling through the town.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Cergue, Vinzel, Le Vaud, Rolle, Duillier, Commugny, Begnins, Chavannes-De-Bogis.

For the broader travel overview: Nyon.