Things To Do in Lausanne

The cathedral of Lausanne, place de la Cathédrale, is the focal point of the Upper Town and one of the finest medieval churches in Switzerland. North of the cathedral, at the end of the Upper Town, is the Château Saint-Maire. It was built of brick and stone in the 14th and early 15th centuries. Powerful bishops lived here until they were replaced by the Bernese bailiffs, who turned Lausanne into a virtual colony of Bern. Today, the château is used for the canton's administrative offices.

On place de la Palud, in the center of town, is the Hôtel de Ville (town hall), which has a 17th-century Renaissance facade; it was completely restored in the late 1970s. Today it's the headquarters of the Communal Council. Also on the square is the Fountain of Justice, dating from 1726. A clock with animated historical scenes presents a drama every hour on the hour from 9am to 7pm daily. To visit the cathedral, take the Escaliers du Marché, a covered flight of medieval stairs on one side of the square.

North of place de la Palud is place de la Riponne, at the edge of which sits the Italianate Palais de Rumine, built in 1906. It contains several museums, a university founded in 1537, and the university and cantonal library with some 700,000 volumes.

On the east side of town, Mon Repos Park contains landscaped gardens and the Empire Villa, where Voltaire performed his work Zaïre for a group of friends. The Tribunal Fédéral is in the northern area of the park; it was constructed in the 1920s and today houses Switzerland's highest court.

To the north, the mostly timber-built Tour de Sauvabelin, which stands very close to a panoramic lookout known simply as le signal, rises above the town. At 637m (2,089 ft.), both the tower and its nearby belvedere overlook Lac Léman with the Fribourg Alps rising in the distance. Some high-energy travelers make it a point to climb to the belvedere from the center of Lausanne, a trek that takes -- for very fit hill climbers -- about 25 minutes along clearly signposted trails.

Ouchy is the lakeside resort and bustling port of Lausanne. Its tree-shaded quays have flower gardens that are nearly half a mile long. The small harbor contains a 700-boat marina, and the Savoy Alps are visible on the opposite shore. The Château d'Ouchy is now a hotel and restaurant. The Allies, Greece, and Turkey signed a peace treaty here in 1923. The 13th-century keep is still standing. In the Hôtel d'Angleterre, formerly the Auberge de l'Ancre, is a plaque commemorating the stay of Lord Byron, who wrote The Prisoner of Chillon here. In the Beau-Rivage, the Treaty of Lausanne was ratified in 1923; it settled the final reparations disputes after World War I.

Ouchy is the lakeside resort and bustling port of Lausanne. Its tree-shaded quays have flower gardens that are nearly half a mile long. The small harbor contains a 700-boat marina, and the Savoy Alps are visible on the opposite shore. The Château d'Ouchy is now a hotel and restaurant. The Allies, Greece, and Turkey signed a peace treaty here in 1923. The 13th-century keep is still standing. In the Hôtel d'Angleterre, formerly the Auberge de l'Ancre, is a plaque commemorating the stay of Lord Byron, who wrote The Prisoner of Chillon here. In the Beau-Rivage, the Treaty of Lausanne was ratified in 1923; it settled the final reparations disputes after World War I.

Few other cities in Switzerland manage to remain as cosmopolitan but relentlessly conservative as Lausanne. Consequently, you'll find lots to do, often with a Gallic insouciance, after dark. You may begin your evening hanging out in any of the cafes and bars ringing the Espace Flon, a cluster of restaurants and shops at place Flon. Lots of hideaways, frequented by strollers of all ages, will be here to tempt you, but one of the most appealing is Le Grand Café, 3, allée Ernest-Ansermet (tel. 021/320-40-30). Here, in an American-inspired space that contains some of the glitter and razzmatazz of a Planet Hollywood (though it's not connected), you can meet a cross section of virtually every night owl in town. The cafe lies inside the Casino of Lausanne.

Attractive and popular discos include Le Mad, 23, rue de Genève (tel. 021/340-69-69; www.mad-geneve.ch), where the fads and preoccupations of nocturnal Paris filter quickly in from the west via an under-30 crowd. You'll recognize this place instantly, since its exterior is covered with an artist's rosy rendition of street graffiti as it might have been applied by a supremely talented French-speaking artist.

Ouchy White Horse Pub, 66, av. d'Ouchy (tel. 021/616-75-75; www.whitehorse.ch), draws the crowds at night, who in summer enjoy the terrace with views of the water. Beer is on tap, and a range of tapas and burgers is sold. It's the most authentic pub atmosphere in town.

Lausanne is also a city of culture. It shares the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande with Geneva and also occasionally hosts the legendary ballet company of Maurice Béjart. The local tourist office will advise on what's available at the time of your visit. Most performances of major cultural impact take place at the Théâtre-Municipal Lausanne, avenue du Theatre (tel. 021/310-16-00). Le Théâtre de Beaulieu, at 10, av. des Bergières (tel. 021/643-21-11; www.theatredebeaulieu.ch), is also a venue for dance concerts, operas, and orchestral music presentations. Tickets can be purchased at Ticket Corner (www.ticketcorner.ch), which has various locations throughout Lausanne, including one that's prominently positioned within Lausanne's railway station. Tickets can also be bought at one of Lausanne's large department stores, la FNAC, 6, rue de Genève (www.fnac.ch). For more information, contact the Théâtre-Municipal Lausanne.