Things to do in Lausanne

From medieval times, Lausanne has stood at the Swiss cultural avant-garde. Back then, the cathedral crowned the city as the most influential of the region. It still sits resplendent on an Old Town hill, the country’s most impressive Gothic monument. After the Reformation, students flocked to Lausanne’s pioneering university and in the 18th and 19th centuries, restless romantics sought and found inspiration in the setting and the life of Lausanne. It remains a grand-looking city, full of shuttered foursquare mansions and ritzy shopping streets and with its own glamorous lakeside resort of Ouchy. Despite the looks, there are few cities in Europe that so actively value and support the pleasure principle. For decades, the municipality has generously subsidized art and culture of all shades, resulting in a range of festivals, live music, clubs, theater, opera and dance. The world-famous Bejart Ballet and Vidy Theatre mark out this tradition of excellence in the performing arts.
 
Aiding the dynamism, a defining feature of the city is its international population of students, attracted to the prestigious University of Lausanne, Switzerland’s French-language arm of the Federal Institute of Technology. Hundreds of language schools and private academies enhance the city’s reputation for learning, along with the world-famous École Hoteliere, which is a training ground for top chefs and hotel staff. An array of international study programs helps to feed Lausanne’s uniquely diverse multi-ethnic makeup.
 
Lausanne’s city center spans several hilltops, linked by bridges spanning deep gorges. Place St-François dominates the hilltop district known as the Bourg, formerly the wealthiest part of the city and still known for its upscale shops and boutiques. To the north, the hill of the Old Town, crowned by the Cathedral, dominates the city, while expansion during the 19th century roped in more heights to the west and east. Walking is the best, and often the only, way to explore this marvelous town. The port of Ouchy on Lake Geneva has everything a Mediterranean seaside resort can offer. Terraces with panoramic views, yachting regattas and pleasure steamers, swimming and fishing are available near the shore. The winters are equally important and enjoyable where skating, curling and nearby cross-country Alpine skiing are favorite past times. The award-winning Olympic Museum reflects Lausanne’s status as the world’s Olympic Capital. The International Olympic Committee has been headquartered in Lausanne since 1915, and has attracted to the city an array of world-governing bodies in sports ranging from chess to volleyball.

Overlooking Lake Geneva, facing the splendor of the snow-capped Alps, surrounded by forests and vineyards, Lausanne boasts scenic beauty that takes one’s breath away. Lausanne is sociable and intimate, diverse and exciting and is a dream destination.