Lausanne (population 145,000 city; 350,000 metropolitan area) is the capital of the Canton of Vaud and the fourth-largest city in Switzerland, on the northern shore of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) at 450–600m altitude, built on three hills rising from the lake with the Alps (Mont Blanc: 4,808m; the Dents du Midi: 3,257m; the Grammont ridge above Montreux: 2,172m) visible to the south across the lake. Lausanne has two unique international identities: it is the Olympic Capital of the world (the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been headquartered in Lausanne since 1915; 50+ international sports federations are based in Lausanne or the wider Lake Geneva region; the Olympic Museum on the Ouchy lakeside is the most visited museum in Switzerland); and it is the city of the Federal Supreme Court (the highest court in Switzerland, permanently established in Lausanne since 1875 — the only Swiss federal institution not in Bern). The Lausanne Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Lausanne — the finest Gothic cathedral in Switzerland, built 1175–1275; Pope Gregory X consecrated it in 1275; the only Swiss cathedral that still maintains the tradition of the 'Guet' (the Night Watch), a tradition since the 13th century where a town crier calls the hours from the cathedral belfry at 22:00–02:00 every night). The Lavaux (the UNESCO-listed terraced vineyards between Lausanne and Montreux, 800 years old, climbing the steep lakeside hillsides above Lake Geneva). Best months: May–October.
Olympic Museum (Musée Olympique — Quai d'Ouchy 1, Lausanne; the official museum of the International Olympic Committee (IOC): the most visited museum in Switzerland (approximately 250,000 visitors/year)); the museum (rebuilt and extended in 2013; the permanent collection covers the complete history of the modern Olympic Movement): the Pierre de Coubertin archive (the founder of the modern Olympics (Pierre de Coubertin (1863–1937) — the French Baron who revived the Olympic Games in 1896 after reading about the 19th-century excavations of Olympia in Greece; de Coubertin lived and worked in Lausanne from 1915 until his death in Geneva in 1937; his heart is buried at the Ancient Olympia site in Greece)); the Olympic torch collection (the physical torches from every modern Olympic Games from 1936 (Berlin — the first Olympic torch relay, organized by Carl Diem and Leni Riefenstahl for the Nazi propaganda) to 2024 (Paris)); the sports simulator (the interactive sports experience zone: the 100m sprint simulator (the visitor attempts a standing start against a digital Usain Bolt avatar); the high jump simulator)). Adults CHF 20.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideCathédrale Notre-Dame de Lausanne (Place de la Cathédrale, the Cité (the old hilltop centre of Lausanne); the finest Gothic cathedral in Switzerland (built 1175–1275; consecrated by Pope Gregory X on October 20, 1275 (the only papal consecration of a Swiss cathedral; the Pope visited Lausanne specifically for this ceremony))); the architecture: the south portal (the most elaborate decorative portal in Switzerland (the south transept entrance: a 13th-century carved portal with the figures of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (a common Gothic eschatological subject), the labours of the Months, and the signs of the Zodiac in the tympanum)); the rose window (the 13th-century rose window of the south transept — one of the oldest surviving rose windows in the world (the Chartres rose windows are from the same period); the glass is original medieval glass (the north rose window was replaced in the 19th century but the south rose retains significant original glass)); the Guet (the Night Watch tradition: every night from October to May, the watch is called at 22:00, 23:00, midnight, 01:00, and 02:00 from the belfry (the watchman calls 'C'est le guet! Il a sonné l'heure!' ('It is the night watchman! The hour has struck!')); this tradition has been uninterrupted since the 13th century). Free.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideLausanne Old Town (the Cité — the hilltop historic centre of Lausanne; unlike most Swiss cities (Geneva, Zurich, Berne) which have flat or gently sloping Old Towns, Lausanne's Old Town is dramatically hilly (the city is built on three hills separated by valleys that were once rivers; the rivers Flon and Louve are now underground under the city (the Flon became the Flon district (the coolest nightlife and shopping area in Lausanne); the Louve flows under the Place de la Palud)): Place de la Palud (the main square of the medieval city; the fountain (the 1749 Justitia (Justice) fountain — the standard Swiss fountain type found in almost every Swiss old town: a painted heraldic column with the city arms and an allegorical figure)); the Hôtel de Ville (the City Hall: a 17th-century Renaissance building with a stone arcade facing the Place de la Palud); the covered market (the Wednesday and Saturday market on the Rue de Bourg (the elegant shopping street of the 18th-century bourgeois city)). The Escaliers du Marché (the covered wooden staircase connecting the Place de la Palud to the Cathedral terrace — one of the most characteristically medieval streets in Switzerland). Free.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideOuchy (the lakeside district of Lausanne — the port and leisure area of the city at the foot of the hillside (the altitude difference between the Cité/Cathedral (555m) and Ouchy (375m) is 180m — the M2 metro line (the world's steepest urban metro at a gradient of 12%, running on rubber tyres; inaugurated 2008) connects them in 5 minutes)): the Ouchy promenade (the lakeside walking and cycling path along the northern shore of Lake Geneva between Ouchy and the Lutry/Cully direction): the view from the Ouchy promenade at sunset (the sun sets over the Jura mountains to the northwest; from Ouchy, the Alps to the south across the lake glow orange-pink with alpenglow (the best alpenglow view from the Swiss Riviera shore is from 18:30–19:00 in summer when the sun illuminates the High Alpine faces of the Dent Blanche (4,357m) and the Matterhorn (4,478m) at the far right of the southern horizon)). The Lausanne-Ouchy pier (CGN lake boats (Compagnie Générale de Navigation — the white paddle-wheel and motor lake steamers of Lake Geneva; the most scenic boat connection in Switzerland)). Free.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideSwiss fondue (fondue au fromage — the Swiss national dish; the Vaud (Lausanne) version of fondue uses the Vacherin fribourgeois cheese (a semi-soft, full-fat cow's milk cheese from the Canton Fribourg (which borders Canton Vaud to the northeast); the Vacherin fribourgeois is distinguished from other Swiss fondue cheeses by its more creamy, less sharp flavour and its tendency to produce a thicker, more elastic fondue); the Vaudois fondue standard (Fondue Moitié-Moitié — 'half-half': half Gruyère (the most important Swiss hard cheese: a 1000-year-old cheese from the town of Gruyères in Canton Fribourg, made from raw full-fat cow's milk aged for a minimum of 5 months; the cheese has a firm, granular texture and a complex, slightly sweet flavour) + half Vacherin fribourgeois; the wine in the pot: Chasselas (the white wine grape of Vaud and the Lake Geneva region; the wines of the Lavaux (the UNESCO terraced vineyards east of Lausanne) are all Chasselas; the wine is added to the cheese at the start of melting (1 glass per person per portion) to prevent curdling and add acidity))). Best fondue: Restaurant Pinte Besson (Rue de l'Ale 4; the oldest restaurant in Lausanne (established 1780)), or Café du Grütli. CHF 28–35 per person.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideLavaux Vineyard Terraces (Vignoble en terrasses de Lavaux — UNESCO World Heritage Site 2007; the 830-hectare vineyard terraces on the steep south-facing hillside between Lausanne (Lutry) and Montreux (Chillon), at altitudes between 375m (lakeside) and 650m (the upper terraces)): the geology (the hillside was shaped by glacial erosion during the last glacial maximum (21,000 years ago) when the Rhône Glacier (the glacier that carved the Lake Geneva basin) retreated; the resulting south-facing slope with thin glacial moraine soils is ideal for Chasselas viticulture (the direct south exposure maximizes solar radiation collection in the cool Swiss Leman climate)); the three-sun system (the Lavaux winemakers describe their terroir as being heated by three suns: the direct sun, the reflected light from the lake surface (Lake Geneva acts as a mirror reflecting sunlight back onto the vines from below), and the radiated heat from the dry-stone terrace walls (the 1,000-year-old terrace walls, built by Benedictine monks from the 11th century, absorb heat during the day and release it at night, moderating temperature swings)). Lavaux Express (the tourist train from Cully: CHF 12). Walk the Lavaux wine trail (Chemin des Vignerons: 5km, 2 hrs, from Lutry to Rivaz; flat along the lake, then steeply uphill through the terraces). Free walk.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideMontreux (30km east of Lausanne by train (SBB: CHF 9.80, 25 min) or by CGN lake steamer (CHF 25, 1.5 hrs); the most famous town on the Swiss Riviera (Riviera lémanique — the stretch of the Lake Geneva north shore from Lausanne to Chillon with a Mediterranean microclimate (palm trees (Trachycarpus fortunei — the Chusan palm; hardy to -20°C; growing outdoors in Montreux in the open air; the palms of Montreux are the northernmost permanent outdoor palm trees in Switzerland); mimosa, magnolia, and camellia bloom in February–March in the Montreux lakeside gardens)): the Freddie Mercury statue (the bronze statue on the Montreux waterfront promenade (2m, cast bronze, by Czech sculptor Irena Sedlecká; unveiled 1996; Freddie Mercury (1946–1991) spent the last years of his life in Montreux where Queen had their Mountain Studios recording studio in the Casino building; Mercury died in November 1991 and is buried in Montreux)); the Montreux Jazz Festival (the most famous music festival in Switzerland (launched 1967 by Claude Nobs; held annually in July; free outdoor stage concerts + ticketed indoor concerts (CHF 40–250); past performers: Miles Davis, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, Prince (his last major concert appearance in Europe was Montreux 2015)). CHF 9.80 train.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideChâteau de Chillon (the castle on the lake — on a natural rock island 3km south of Montreux, at the narrowest point of Lake Geneva (at Veytaux); the most visited historic building in Switzerland (approximately 400,000 visitors/year)); the castle (built from the 9th century; the current structure dates from the 12th–13th centuries when the Counts of Savoy (the ruling dynasty of what is now Savoy, Piedmont, and Switzerland) used it as a toll station on the road from France to Italy (the road along the lake shore was the most important Alpine transit route before the Great St Bernard and Mont Cenis passes)); the dungeons (the most famous element of the castle — the vaulted underground dungeon where François Bonivard (1493–1570 — the Genevan monk and political prisoner of the Duke of Savoy) was chained to a pillar for 4 years (1532–1536); Lord Byron visited the castle in 1816 and wrote 'The Prisoner of Chillon' based on Bonivard's imprisonment; Byron's name is still carved on the pillar where Bonivard was chained)). Adults CHF 14.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideReturn to Lausanne by train (CHF 9.80, 25 min from Montreux). Dinner with Lavaux Chasselas wine (the wines of the Lavaux: the 6 appellations: Lutry, Villette, Épesses, Saint-Saphorin, Chardonne, and Dezaley (the most prestigious Lavaux appellation: Dezaley (the 42-hectare Grand Cru appellation of Lausanne; produces Chasselas wines of remarkable minerality and longevity; the best Dezaley wines age for 10–15 years; priced CHF 25–60/bottle at the winery))); the restaurant choice: the lakeside restaurants of Ouchy (the Beau-Rivage Palace hotel restaurant (one of the finest restaurants in Switzerland, on the Ouchy lakefront) or the more affordable La Pinte Vaudoise (traditional Vaud cuisine: saucisson vaudois (the Vaud cooked pork sausage, served warm with leek purée and rösti (the Swiss grated potato pancake: medium-grain potatoes parboiled the day before, then grated and pan-fried in butter until the outside is deeply golden and crisp; the national dish of German-speaking Switzerland (Rösti was the traditional breakfast of the Swiss-German farmworkers of the Bernese lowlands)))). CHF 40–80.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideCollection de l'Art Brut (Avenue des Bergières 11, Lausanne; the world's most important collection of Art Brut (raw art — the term coined by the French artist Jean Dubuffet (1901–1985) in 1945 to describe art created outside the mainstream art establishment by people with no formal training, often in psychiatric institutions or social isolation)); the collection (3,000+ works; the Jean Dubuffet collection donated to the City of Lausanne in 1976 — Dubuffet chose Lausanne specifically because the city agreed to maintain the collection permanently): the most famous works: Aloïse Corbaz (1886–1964 — a Swiss seamstress who was hospitalized in 1918 with schizophrenia; her large-format drawings of elaborately costumed figures in royal courts are now among the most valued works of the 20th century outsider tradition); Adolf Wölfli (1864–1930 — a Swiss psychiatric patient who produced 45 volumes of illustrated text (total 25,000 pages) during his 35 years of confinement in the Waldau psychiatric clinic in Berne). Adults CHF 10.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideLe Flon (the Flon district — the valley between the Cité hilltop and the Bessières bridge; the valley was the site of the Flon River and until 1930 an industrial zone of warehouses and factories; after the river was channelled underground (1930) the valley became a storage and waste area until the 1990s urban renewal project (the 'Stade de Lausanne' project, initiated 1989, completed 2000) converted the old warehouses into a pedestrianised entertainment, shopping, and nightlife zone)): the Flon today (the most dynamic commercial and cultural area in Lausanne): the Plateforme 10 (the art museum complex opened 2022 — the new home of the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts (the cantonal fine arts museum: 8,000 works from the 15th century to the present, with particular strength in 19th-century Swiss painting (Albert Anker, Ferdinand Hodler)); the mudac (the Lausanne design and applied arts museum); and the Photo Elysée (the Swiss photography museum)); the independent restaurants and bars of the Flon (the most affordable dining in Lausanne for good quality food). CHF 15 mudac.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideCGN Lake Geneva Steamer (Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le lac Léman — the public boat company operating the most scenic public transport in Switzerland): the lake steamers (the CGN fleet includes the Belle Époque steam-powered paddle-wheel boats (the most famous: the Savoie (1914 — a restored 1914 steam paddle-wheel boat running on its original steam engine; the sound of the paddle wheels (the rhythmic 'thwack-thwack-thwack' of the wooden paddles on the water) is one of the most distinctive acoustic experiences on Lake Geneva); and the modern motor vessels); the route: Lausanne-Ouchy to Evian-les-Bains (France: 35 min crossing; the Belle Époque boat runs this route in summer (May–September) with the full steamship experience); or Lausanne-Ouchy to Vevey (25 min east along the lake; the Lavaux vineyards visible from the water); the view from the lake (the complete view of the Swiss Riviera from the water: the Lavaux terraces rising directly from the lake surface, the Château de Chillon in its lake position, and the Alps above)). CHF 10–18 depending on route.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideLausanne Cathedral Night Watch (the Guet (the Night Watch) — the tradition (maintained since the 13th century, with only brief interruptions during the Reformation and WWII) of a watchman calling the hours from the cathedral belfry between 22:00 and 02:00 every night of the year): the watchman (the current Guet is a municipal employee of Lausanne who lives in the belfry apartment during their service weeks (the role rotates between 3 guards); the watchman calls toward each of the 4 cardinal points in turn (north, south, east, west), calling 'C'est le guet! Il a sonné (l'heure)!' ('It is the Night Watch! The hour has rung!')); the acoustic experience: the call echoes across the old city and the lake in the late-night silence (by 22:00 the tourist traffic has diminished; the old city streets are empty; the call of the watchman can be heard clearly from the Place de la Palud and the Escaliers du Marché). The 22:00 call is the most accessible for visitors (final meal complete; the walk up to the cathedral square in the night takes 15 min from Ouchy by metro + 5 min walk). Free to listen from the street.
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