Lausanne
Geneva Region Lausanne
Lausanne
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Plan your trip
A handcrafted itinerary for Lausanne.
SleepFind your stay
A short, curated list. None of them a chain.
GuidesFollow a route
Hand-curated, walked before written.
Lausanne is built into a hillside above Lake Geneva, in the canton of Vaud in southwestern Switzerland. The city rises in stages, from the harbour at Ouchy up through the historic centre to Notre Dame Cathedral, its Gothic spire visible across the water. Terraced vineyards frame the outskirts; the lake anchors nearly every view, whichever street a visitor happens to be on. Since 1405, a night watchman has called the hours from the cathedral tower between ten and two in the morning, one of the last such traditions left in Europe. Switzerland's only true metro, the driverless M2, climbs the same slope in minutes, its gradient reaching 12 percent in places, faster going up than coming down. Lausanne has hosted the International Olympic Committee since 1915, and the Olympic Museum sits in parkland along the shore.
Things worth slowing down for
A few of our favourite spots in Lausanne.
Lausanne
Lausanne Cathedral
Locals' Secret
Lausanne
Le Vestibule
What makes Lausanne slow travel perfect
Lausanne is a city that rewards climbing. Nothing here stays flat for long, and that unevenness sets the rhythm: a boat crosses from France to Ouchy, and from there the traveller can walk up through the old town or ride the M2 metro, watching the lake shrink beneath the window on a gradient steeper than almost any other metro line in the world.
At the top, the cathedral has stood since 1275. Its watchman still calls the hours after dark, a voice carrying over rooftops that have heard it every night since 1405. Renato Häusler, the current watchman, climbs 153 stone steps to do it.
Ouchy keeps its own pace below: sailboats crossing the lake, a promenade lined with plane trees, the Château d'Ouchy catching the last light before dinner. West along the shore, the Olympic Museum traces a different kind of patience, the years of training behind a single race.
Beyond the city, the Lavaux vineyards climb their own terraces toward Montreux, best seen slowly, by the wine route rather than the motorway. A day here rarely stays level. Most visitors ride up and walk down, or the other way round, past a cathedral bell that has kept the same schedule for six centuries.