Things to do in Lausanne

Landmark · La Cité, top of the old town

The finest Gothic church in Switzerland, on the hill above everything, with a rose window and a working night watchman.

Local tip: Climb the belfry in daylight for the view, then come back at ten at night. The guet calls the hour from the tower to each of the four cardinal directions, every night, and has done since 1405. It is free, it takes four minutes, and almost no resident has ever bothered.

Neighborhood · The bottom of the m2, on Lake Geneva

The old port district: a promenade, the ferries to Évian, and the water the whole city descends to in summer.

Local tip: The CGN paddle steamers from Ouchy are historic vessels running as scheduled public transport, not tourist boats — a Swiss rail pass covers them. Crossing to Évian in France takes about 35 minutes and makes an absurdly good afternoon.

Culture · Beside the main railway station

A new museum district built on the old rail yards, gathering the cantonal fine arts museum, the photography museum and the design museum on one site.

Local tip: It opened in stages up to 2022 and is still not on most visitors' maps. It is two minutes from the station, which makes it the best possible use of a delayed train.

Nightlife · Between the station and the old town

A former goods-yard valley of converted warehouses, now the city's bar, club and cinema quarter.

Local tip: The valley was created by burying the Flon river in the nineteenth century, which is why it sits in a trench with bridges over it. Everything is compressed into a few streets, and the m2 stops in the middle of it.

Nature · The terraced vineyards east toward Vevey

Eight hundred years of stone terraces running down to the lake, on the UNESCO World Heritage list and still worked.

Local tip: Take the train to Grandvaux or Épesses and walk down through the vines to Cully for the train back. The Caves Ouvertes weekend in spring opens the cellars across the canton for a single ticket — locals plan their year around it.

Nature · The forest ridge above the city

A beech wood, a small lake with sheep, and a 35-metre spiral tower built entirely of Vaudois timber.

Local tip: Three hundred and two steps up a free, volunteer-built wooden tower gives you the Alps, the lake and the whole Lavaux in one turn. Bus 16 gets you there and the walk back down through the woods to the cathedral takes half an hour. Almost nobody who does not live in Lausanne knows it exists.