12 Lausanne Attractions
Lausanne is the capital of the Swiss canton of Vaud. It
is a lovely art-nouveau city on the shores of Lake Leman. If you have the
opportunity to spend some time in Lausanne
you’d better choose wisely how to enjoy it. Of course, you can visit the Lausanne Cathedral, the Lausanne Botanical Museum and Garden or
Lausanne's Palais de Rumine where you
can discover 5 different museums (the cantonal museums of fine art, geology,
zoology, archeology and history or the Cantonal Money Museum).
But because
this city is home to a few unique attractions among the cities of the world and
depending on your time, weather and company my Lausanne guide for you presents a slightly different approach. So, if
you are living near by or you are planning a Lausanne city break here are some interesting and useful
information.
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| Beautiful Lausanne |
My Lausanne Guide
This
week I have visited the beautiful city of Lausanne and here’s how I chose to
spend my time.
After I
got off from the train in Lausanne’s train station I made the first stop at the
tourist info point from the station for a tourist & transportation map.
Then I headed for the Sauvabelin Parc.
I took the subway from Lausanne Gare (railwaiy station) to the station called Bessieres
and from there the bus 16 up to Lac Sauvabelin station – all in no more than 15
minutes. Although is not very large, this park can offer you an amazing
panoramic view over the city, quiet walks and boat trips for the nature lovers
or relaxing moments in a little forest cafe just on the edge of the lake. The
attraction is a 35m high wooden tower with a double helix staircase and a great 360
views over the city, the Alps and Lake Leman. If the weather is not so good you
could find the tower closed. So you better call first at 021 315 42 74 to see
if it is open. This objective is excellent and if you have kids: they will
enjoy climbing the wooden tower or having fun on the playground across the forest
cafe.
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| Sauvebelin wood tower in Lausanne |
After that I took the bus no.16 on the way back until La Place du Tunnel. From here I began to walk towards Lake Leman enjoying short breaks on different spots. First, I have stopped on Place du Chateau where you can admire the residence of the canton town hall – Chateau Saint-Maire and the district prefecture. The area is very quiet and a pleasure to walk around. 10 minutes away you will meet one of the highlights of the city, the Lausanne Cathedral. It is the biggest cathedral from Switzerland.
Read our guide about visiting Charlie Chaplin's museum in Switzerland.
From
here you can go on two directions: Palais
de Rumine or Escaliers du Marche.
On
Palais de Rumine you can spend a lot of time in its 5 museums if the weather is
not very friendly. Also in front of the museum is Place de la Riponne where on Wednesdays and Saturdays you can taste
local products, food or seasonal fruits and vegetables. If you enjoy the noisy
bustle and the scent of these kinds of markets you will not leave here very
soon!
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| Lausanne Escaliers de marche |
The other option is to descend on Escaliers du Marche and sunk into the heart of the old city and “lose” yourself in the maze of small and tortuous streets full of shops and cafes.
I chose
a third option: I bought a sandwich and went to Parc de Mon Repos where the green meadows and hedgerows offered me
10 minutes of calm and relaxation. I was surprised to discover here two impressive sequoia trees, the
largest species of trees.
Other Lausanne attractions
Time
flies quickly so after this short break I headed to the Ouchy promenade. Although the entire city is captivating I
recommend this area as No. 1 way to spend a day in Lausanne.
First of
all, walking-cycling-skating on the edge of the lake may bring you mixed
sensations of freedom, bliss and good way of life. Second of all here you can also
find two of those unique attractions that I mentioned in the beginning: The Olympic Museum and Musee de l’Elysee.
Thanks
to its interactive facilities and its way of presenting the athletic spirit,
The Olympic Museum is definitely a surprise for adults and for children too. If
the Olympic games are a bit to modern for your soul, 5 minutes away you can
plunge into a different state of mind. Musee
de l’Elysee is one of the biggest museums in Switzerland and the entire world
and it is dedicated to the art of photography. Due to its various theme of
exhibitions, collections and way of presenting them, the museum has the power
to attract and show to general public the thin line between entertaining and
art. Even if photography is not among your passions I believe that you can have
here a few moments of self-revelation.
I will also
mention here the last Lausanne attractions from my visit, in what regards the
passing of time, because of two reasons: they are that kind of special
attractions of this city and they could be a fascinating attraction for anyone,
child or adult alike.
In
Aquatis Aquarium-Vivarium (Lausanne
Aquarium) you can probably spend a whole day. With fishes, reptiles and
amphibians spread in more than 45 aquariums the museum is trying to make
visitors aware of the importance and fragility of the ecosystem we live in. It’s
both an educational journey and an entertaining way to spend some time.
Inventions
Space is more designed for kids. Even so, the museum could be an experience
for adults too due to its ingenious way of interacting with visitors: they are
encouraged to observe, touch, try, discover and experiment things, to ask
questions or even to meet scientists from time to time.
Really
unusual is the Collection de l’art Brut.
Hosting works that do not fit into ordinary creative currents the exposed works
can be considered as works “of artists who are not artists”. I know, it’s
sounds strange. But they are powerful emotional creations without being Da
Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Rodin’s Thinker, Monet’s Water Lily Pond or Bird in Space of
Brancusi.
No
matter if you came in Lausanne alone, with kids or friends, if it’s rainy or
sunny, if you stay 5 hours or a few days there is no chance to be bored or
disappointed. Any city has its own charm but Lausanne’s charm rivals perhaps
only with Magic Switzerland’s charm.
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| Lausanne Cathedral |
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| Lausanne Chateau Saint Maire |
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| Lausanne Palais de Rumine |
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| Lausanne Parc de Mon Repos |
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| The Olimpic museum Lausanne |
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| Ouchy Lausanne |
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