Lausanne
- Population:~140,000 (city), ~420,000 (agglomeration)
- Timezone:CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Overview
Lausanne is the capital of canton Vaud, climbing in steep terraces up from the shore of Lake Geneva — the Olympic Capital and home of the International Olympic Committee, a French-speaking university city of Gothic cathedral, lakeside Ouchy, world-class museums and the only metro in Switzerland.
Travel
Lausanne rises in dramatic terraces from the northern shore of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), the capital of French-speaking canton Vaud and the second-largest city on the lake after Geneva. Its defining feature is its topography: the city climbs roughly 500 vertical metres from the lakeside resort district of Ouchy at the water's edge, through the Flon valley and the central squares, up to the medieval Cité crowned by its cathedral — a steepness that gave Lausanne the only metro in Switzerland, the fully automatic m2 line that hauls passengers from the lake to the hilltop in minutes. Lausanne is, above all, the Olympic Capital: the International Olympic Committee has been based here since 1915, the lakefront at Ouchy holds The Olympic Museum (one of the most visited museums in Switzerland), and dozens of international sports federations have their headquarters in the city. Its historic heart is the Cité, the old town on the hill, dominated by the Cathedral of Notre-Dame — the finest Gothic church in Switzerland, from whose tower a night watchman still calls the hours aloud, a tradition unbroken since 1405. Below it spread the lively central squares of Place de la Palud and the Riponne, the covered Escaliers du Marché stairs, and the regenerated Flon — a former warehouse district turned into the city's design, shopping and nightlife quarter. Lausanne punches far above its size in culture: the Plateforme 10 arts district beside the railway station gathers the cantonal fine-arts museum (MCBA), the photography museum Photo Elysée and the design museum mudac; the Collection de l'Art Brut, founded by Jean Dubuffet, is a singular museum of outsider art; and the city is a world centre of dance, home to the Béjart Ballet and the annual Prix de Lausanne. Along the lakeshore, Ouchy's promenade and the Belle Époque paddle steamers of the CGN fleet open onto the whole of Lake Geneva, and just east the UNESCO-listed Lavaux vineyard terraces step down to the water toward Montreux. A young city thanks to its university (UNIL) and the neighbouring federal technology institute EPFL, Lausanne pairs lake-and-mountain scenery with an outsized cultural and sporting life. The climate is temperate, the lake moderating warm summers and mild winters; late spring through early autumn is the loveliest time on the water and in the vineyards.
Lausanne's historic core is the Cité, the medieval old town crowning the highest of the city's hills, reached by stepped lanes and the covered wooden Escaliers du Marché from the central Place de la Palud — a handsome square with a painted town hall and an animated clock. Above it stands the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, consecrated in 1275 and widely regarded as the finest Gothic building in Switzerland: a soaring nave, a rare painted 13th-century portal, a great rose window and one of the largest organs in the country. From the cathedral tower, climbed for a sweeping view over the rooftops to the lake and the Savoy Alps beyond, a night watchman (le guet) still calls out the hours from 10pm to 2am every night — a duty performed continuously since 1405 and one of the last living traditions of its kind in Europe. The neighbouring Château Saint-Maire, the former bishops' and now cantonal seat, and the steep, atmospheric streets of the Cité repay slow wandering. The whole city's verticality is best understood from here: Lausanne tumbles down toward the lake in a series of terraces and bridges spanning the Flon and Louve valleys, and the m2 metro — Switzerland's only metro line, fully driverless and engineered to climb gradients up to 12 percent — threads the level change from the hilltop down to Ouchy on the shore.
Frequently asked questions
Transport & airports
Official operator of Lausanne's buses and the m1/m2 metro lines, including the driverless m2 from Ouchy to the hilltop — timetables, network maps and tickets.
The Compagnie Générale de Navigation runs the historic Belle Époque paddle-steamer fleet from Ouchy across Lake Geneva to Montreux, Chillon, Évian and Thonon — timetables and cruise booking.
Tourism & destination guides
Culture & festivals
Official site of the Olympic Museum at Ouchy — opening hours, admission, exhibitions and the lakeside Olympic Park. Tuesday to Sunday; no advance booking required.
The arts quarter beside the railway station gathering the cantonal fine-arts museum (MCBA), Photo Elysée and the design museum mudac, with a public esplanade, café and bookshop.
Diplomatic missions in Lausanne
1 embassy based in this city, grouped by region.
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