Planning a Trip

Getting There

Lausanne doesn't have a major airport (just a small airport reserved just for private aircraft), so most visitors fly to Cointrin Airport in Geneva and then travel on to Lausanne. The train from Geneva leaves for Lausanne every 20 minutes and the trip takes between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on the individual train. Call tel. 0900/300-300 for train schedules.

In addition, between late May and late September, a lake steamer cruises several times a day in both directions between Geneva and Saint-Gingolph, Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux, and Nyon. Sailing time from Geneva is about 3 1/2 hours. Round-trip transit from Geneva costs 75F ($62/£32) in first class and 55F ($45/£23) in second class, with 50% discounts for children 16 and under. For information, contact the Compagnie Générale de Navigation (CGN), 17, av. de Rhodanie (tel. 0848/811-848).

If you're driving, Lausanne is connected by freeway (N1) to Geneva. The Great Saint Bernard road tunnel is 113km (70 miles) to the southeast, reached along E2, which becomes E21 during your final approach. The speed limit on most of the highways leading into Lausanne, and throughout the rest of Switzerland as well, is 120kmph (75 mph).

Visitor Information

There are two branches of the Office du Tourisme et des Congrès in Lausanne. The larger of the two faces the lakefront in Ouchy, at 2, av. de Rhodanie (tel. 021/613-73-21 or 021/613-73-73; www.lausanne-tourisme.ch). It's open May to September daily 9am to 7pm; the rest of the year, daily 9am to 6pm. The tourist office in the railway station (tel. 021/321-77-66) is open daily, year-round, 9am to 7pm.

City Layout

Lausanne is spread out along the shore of Lake Geneva, surrounded by suburbs. There are two sections in particular that attract the most visitors -- the Upper Town (Haute Ville) and the once-industrial neighborhood of Flon, which collectively comprise the oldest parts of the city, and the Lower Town (Basse Ville), and the lower town's lake-fronting district of Ouchy; the two sections are connected by a small subway (metro). Throughout most of 2007, the metro went through a major expansion of its lines. Subsequently, during the lifetime of this edition, beginning early in 2008, the metro will feature 14 separate stations instead of its previous 4, thereby incorporating Lausanne with many of its outlying suburbs. This is the only underground (metro) in Switzerland.

Haute Ville -- Lausanne's Upper Town still evokes the Middle Ages -- a night watchman calls out the hours from 10pm to 2am from atop the cathedral's belfry. A visit to the Haute Ville takes about 2 hours and is best done on foot. In fact, walking through the old town of Lausanne is one of its major attractions. It's easy to get lost -- and that's part of the fun. This area is north of the railroad station; you can reach it by proceeding uphill along rue du Petit-Chêne. The focal point of the Upper Town, and the shopping and business heart of Lausanne, is place Saint-François. The Church of St. François, from the 13th century, is all that remains of an old Franciscan friary. Today, the square is filled with office blocks and the main post office; regrettably, La Grotte, the villa with the terrace on which Edward Gibbon completed The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in 1787, was torn down in 1896 to make room for the post office. While vehicles are permitted south of the church, the historic area to the north of the church is a pedestrian-only zone; it has more than 2km (1 1/4 miles) of streets, including rue de Bourg, northeast of the church, the best street for shopping. Rue de Bourg leads to the large, bustling rue Caroline, which winds north to Pont des Bessières, one of the three bridges erected at the turn of the 20th century to connect the three hills on which Lausanne was built. From the bridge, you'll see the Haute Ville on your right, with the 13th-century cathedral of Lausanne, opening onto place de la Cathédrale. From the square, rue du Cité-de-Vant goes north to the 14th-century Château Saint-Maire, on place du Château -- once the home of bishops and now containing the offices of the canton administration.

From here, avenue de l'Université leads to place de la Riponne, the site of Lausanne's biweekly food and produce markets (Wed and Sat May-Oct 8am-1pm), where stalls loaded with the agrarian bounty of the district are set up within the square and the streets around its perimeter. The Palais de Rumine rises from the place de la Riponne's east side. From place de la Riponne, rue Pierre-Viret leads to the Escaliers du Marché, a covered stairway dating back to the Middle Ages. You can also take rue Madeleine from the place de la Riponne, continuing south to place de la Palud. On the side of place de la Palud is the 17th-century Hôtel de Ville (town hall).

South of place de la Palud is rue du Pont, which turns into rue Saint-François (after crossing rue Centrale). Nearby, at place du Flon, you can catch the subway to Ouchy. Place du Flon, with its cafes and bars, has become a favorite evening hangout.

Ouchy -- Ouchy, once a sleepy fishing hamlet, is now the port and hotel resort area of Lausanne. The lakefront of Lausanne consists of shady quays and tropical plants spread across a lakefront district of about half a mile. The Château d'Ouchy was closed for renovations at press time; check its status at the time of your visit. Adjoining place de la Navigation is place du Port immediately to the east. Quai de Belgique and quai d'Ouchy are lakefront promenades bursting with greenery and offering the best views of the lake.

Getting Around

By Metro -- To avoid the crawling pace of the city's trams, take the metro. The trip between the heart of the Haute Ville and Ouchy takes 6 minutes. Departures are every 7 1/2 minutes Monday to Friday from 6:15am to 11:45pm. During off-hours and on weekends and holidays, trains run every 15 minutes. A one-way ride from the town center to Ouchy costs 2.40F ($1.95/£1); a 24-hour ticket sells for 7F ($5.75/£3) for rides within the inner city (zone 1), 8F ($6.55/£3.40) for rides within the inner city plus zone 2, and 12F ($9.50/£4.95) for a day ticket valid for travel within all three of Lausanne's far-flung zones.

Children (6-16 years) pay 5.70F ($4.65/£2.40) for a day ticket within zones 1 or 2, 5.80F ($4.75/£2.45) for a day ticket valid for all 3 zones. Holders of Swiss Passes ride the Metro for free.

By Bus & Tram -- The TL (Lausanne Public Transport Company) has a well-designed network of trams and buses whose routes complement the city's subway line. The tram or bus fare is 2.40F ($1.95/£1), regardless of the distance, for a single trip completed within 60 minutes on lines 1 to 50 of the TL urban network on the Lausanne-Ouchy metro.

You can purchase your tickets at the automatic machines installed at most stops.

By Taxi -- Lausanne contains dozens of taxi stands, where you'll usually find a line. Alternatively, you can telephone Allô Taxis (tel. 0800/870-872), Taxi-Service tel. 0800/810-810, or Taxiphone (tel. 0800/801-802) for a cab. The meter starts at 8F ($6.55/£3.40); each kilometer traveled adds 3.50F ($2.85/£1.50) during daylight hours in town, or 4F ($3.30/£1.70) in town on weekends or at night between 8pm and 6am. For trips outside the town limits, each kilometer traveled costs 5F ($4.10/£2.15), regardless of the time of day. The first 10 kilograms (22 lb.) of luggage are free, with 1F (80¢/40p) charged for every suitcase thereafter.

By Car -- If you drive to Lausanne or rent a car here, wearing seat belts is required, and children 11 and under are not allowed to ride in the front seat. In Lausanne there are four types of parking zones: a white zone, in which parking is free and unlimited; a red zone and a blue zone, in which parking is free but variously limited (15 hr. in the red zone and 90 min. in the blue zone); and a fourth zone with parking meters. To park, you must display a parking disk on the dashboard of your car; parking disks are free and can be obtained at police stations, automobile clubs, and most gas stations. Note: Anything identified as a "yellow zone" is strictly private and reserved only for cars with special plates -- if in doubt, don't park there under any circumstances, or else you will risk a fine.

By Bike -- The city of Lausanne maintains a program wherein visitors, upon presentation of a passport or ID card and a (refundable) deposit of 20F ($16/£8.30), can rent a bicycle for free for a period of one day. There are two outlets in Lausanne that provide these free one-day rentals: Lausanne Roule, Rue du Tunel, near Place de la Riponne (tel. 076/411-83-78), and at Ouest Roule, at Place de la Gare in the western suburb of Renens (tel. 077/427-14-69). Both branches are open daily between April 27 and October 28, from 7:30am to 9:30pm. Bikes can be transported by train from Lausanne to any of the region's outlying districts (or anywhere in Switzerland) for an extra fee. But be aware that to avoid additional penalties, bicycles must be returned the same day before 9:30pm. Like an overdue library book, fees and penalties build up quickly at a rate of between 10F and 20F ($8.20-$16/£4.25-£8.30) a day for every day that a user doesn't return his or her bike. Reservations are accepted, but only for groups of five or more cyclists traveling together. For additional information about this program, click on www.lausanneroule.ch.

By Boat -- To rent boats or pédalos (pedal boats), try various rental kiosks at Ouchy and Parc Bourget at Vidy.

On Foot -- This is the only way to see the old Upper Town effectively. Afterward, you can take the subway to Ouchy and resume your walk along the lakefront quays. Between May and September, Lausanne's civic authorities conduct a guided walking tour of their city, lasting 2 hours, Monday through Saturday. Departure is from place de la Palud, adjacent to the city hall, at 10am and 2:30pm. The cost is 10F ($8.20/£4.25) for adults, 5F ($4.10/£2.15) for seniors and students, and free for children. For more information on this, or on any of the "specialty tours," which require a minimum, pre-arranged group of five participants, and which focus on in-depth explications of specific buildings or specific mini-districts within Lausanne, call the city's tourist office or click on www.lausanne.ch/visites.