Chaplin's World — Attraction in Corsier-sur-Vevey

Awesome visit! I did not know what to expect, but wanted my little girls to appreciate the genius that was Charles Chaplin and hopefully come home and watch with them the movies he had made. And boy, not only did it deliver but I ended up learning a few things about Chaplin himself! The Manor, where Chaplin lived for the last 25+ years of his life, is divided into the Studio and the house, or rather, his professional and private life. The studio experience is simply awesome - very interactive with exhibits you can touch, pose with, costumes from his movies to try, sets from his famous movies - it is really enthralling for all ages. Giant and small TVs are everywhere, showing his movies and scenes on loop. Be prepared to be rooted to your spot several times and laugh out loud! Lots of photo opportunities. Be prepared to spend at least 3 hours, especially if you are visiting with little children. The studio begins with a short film about his work and his life and then you are taken through his childhood with sets from his movies that he recreated from his childhood memories. We all know that he has a tragic childhood, but some bits of it were really tough to read, they brought tears to my eyes. But, like I was talking to my 9 year old, what a brave little boy he was. He picked up whatever job he could get so that he could put bread on the table for his mum and little brother. He was a completely self taught man who learned at every opportunity life gave him, though at that point, it wouldn't have looked like a great one. Did he know where life would take him? True genius.

The house showcases snippets from his personal life - times with family, friends, aristocrats and the wonderful adulation that he received from fans all over the world. It was very heartening to learn that Chaplin lived a rich life towards the end; he deserved every bit of it. What I did not know and shocked me was that the US government revoked his visa (though he lived for 40+ years in America, he did not give up his British citizenship) when he was away in London for a movie premiere. He was believed to be a Communist and that did not augur well with the authorities at that time. Chaplin decided never to live in America again and moved to Switzerland. He was welcomed with open arms in 1972 when he was awarded a honorary Oscar for begging the genius that "turned an industry into an art". I am intrigued enough to read his autobiography now. But as for Chaplin's World, you must not...

If I want to describe this place in just one word, I should say that it is AMAZING and it is a must-see place in Vevey. With your ticket you can visit four places: Chaplin’s house (In 3 floors and a balcony. He was living there for the last 25 years of his life! After visiting this home, you literally can feel yourself part of Charlie Chaplin’s family.), Chaplin’s Studio (here you can watch and enjoy a 10 minutes movie about highlights of Charlie Chaplin’s life and then you go through different stage sets of his movies), the garden and the souvenir shop. The staff are really informative and helpful and at least they can speak two languages: English and french. Chaplin’s World is just great and interesting and it is really worth visiting it. Even just the studio worth more than the ticket price! the scenes are really superb mirror of the original film sets. This place has also a parking with plenty of space for visitors (it is not for free). Chaplin’s world has also a cafe which looks good (but we didn’t try it, so I have no idea about the quality of food 🙈) If you are visiting this place, Charlie and Oono Chaplin’s cemetery are in another place near the museum. It is 15 20 minutes walk from Charlie’s world (and just 4 minutes with car). It is a normal Graveyard but it worth visiting!(It has...

A wonderfully emotive experience, both for long time fans of the artist and the man like me, and for those with no prior knowledge of Chaplin (my daughters). The manoir is presented in beautifully evocative style, which provides a good idea of how it would have been when Chaplin spent his final years there. The studio, tour and incredible artefacts (original costumes, Oscars etc.) cannot fail to be fascinating, to anyone with even a passing interest in film history or the arts. The only slight disappointment - a missed opportunity with some of the detail, eg. the restaurant serves general fare, rather than perhaps offer some snacks preferred by the great man himself. And the gift shop has a good collection of books, DVD’s etc but nearly all are in French. Given that Chaplin famously never mastered the language despite his many talents, the availability of a good selection of books and movies in the language of the artist himself (and to be frank the reason for the museum being there) might have made more sense and offered broader appeal (we heard many American, Canadian and Australian accents just on the day we visited). Overall though, much more worthy of a visit than any other museum you are likely to find. An emotional tribute to one of the few true geniuses, and a lifelong itch now...