Lausanne city is built on three hills and
has beautiful museums, monuments and buildings. The city contains the port
of Ouchy which has many parks and lakeshore and the city center is full of
shops, departmental stores, restaurants and small bistros.
Lausanne is famous for its snowcapped peaks, cool breezes, green vineyards,
chocolates, wines and Swiss cheese. Lausanne was a city graced by
illustrious personalities such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Charles Dickens,
Edward Gibbon and Victor Hugo.
This spectacular city is the home to Switzerland’s largest church, the
Cathedral of Notre Dame. Besides this, Lusanne is an intellectual and
cultural centre and headquarters of the International Olympic Committee.
There are various activities one can engage in like winter sports, hiking
and sightseeing, to souvenir hunting, swimming and sunbathing.
Fact File
Country : Switzerland
Population : 126766
Languages : German, French, Italian & Romansch
Climate : The climate in Lausanne is very pleasant and comfortable.
Official Currency : Euro; 1 Euro = 52.443 Indian Rupee = 1.2047 US $
= 0.678141 GBP(subject to change)
Location : Lausanne is located in the south-west part of
Switzerland.
Getting There
By
Air : The city does not have an airport. The two closest international
airports are located in Geneva and in Zurich. Both airports are conveniently
connected to Lausanne by frequently-scheduled trains, leaving directly from
the airports. The trip Geneva Airport-Lausanne takes roughly 45 minutes and
Zurich Airport-Lausanne takes roughly 2 3/4 hours.
By Train : The intercontinental trains connect the city to the other
countries and the intercity trains connect the city to other cities in
Switzerland.
By Road : One can even opt to travel by roads. Well defined roads
connect the city to other cities in the country.
Getting Around
City Transport : Buses and trolley buses are the best means to move
around the city.
The main towns (Lausanne, Montreux, Vevey, Nyon, Morges and Aigle) in the
Lake Geneva Region have impressive urban transport systems.
Underground : Lausanne is the only place in the Lake Geneva Region
which has an underground transport system (2 lines). The first one is the
shortest underground line in the world and it covers 1.8 kilometres route
between the port of Ouchy and the town centre and the other line links the
town centre with the western part of Lausanne and serves the university
campus.
By Public railways and Private railways : Around sixteen private
railway lines cross the length and breadth of the Lake Geneva Region round
the year. This beautiful little train takes one into the salt mines of Bex,
or the Blonay-Chamby stream-train near Montreux.
By Coach : A number of regional transport operators provide a
regular bus service to remote areas.
By Boat : A number of boat cruises are available on Lake Geneva,
Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Morat. Timetables and fares can be obtained
from your hotel reception, the relevant local tourist office, harbour ticket
offices or on the site of the Lake Geneva Shipping Company (CGN) or the Lake
Neuchâtel and Morat Shipping Company (LNM).
By Air : The Lausanne-Blécherette Aerodrome is open between
8.00 and 20.00 from April to October. Pleasure flights are available over
the Alps (Matterhorn, Mont Blanc) on request. One can also organise taxi
flights from Lausanne.
Other small aerodromes are found across the canton. Find them by clicking
on sport, adventure and other activities.
Accommodation
Lausanne
has a very good collection of hotels for the people to stay comfortably.
Below is a list of few of the hotels in the city:
5 star hotels in the city:
Best western Du Lac hotel
Best Western hotel Seiler au lac
City Swiss Q hotel
4 star hotels in the city:
Victoria Jungfrau grand hotel & spa
Best western Chalet hotel Oberland
Hotel Park Hattenhof
3 star hotels in the city:
Hotel Europe
Hotel Bellevue
Major tourist attractions
The city has a very beautiful collection of museums and churches. Below are
mentioned a few of them.
Olympic Museum : The museum details the history of the Olympics,
from its ancient Greek roots to the extravaganzas held every 2 years and
along with this it covers the various activities under the movement’s
banner.
Cathedral : This is an enticing church with intricate stained glass
windows and is the focal point of the town. The striking feature of the
church is its Gothic style with three pointed spires topping the three
towers of the cathedral.
Historical Museum at Ancien-Eveche : The museum is housed in an old
Bishop’s Palace and is a repository of Lausanne’s local history.
The Roman Museum at Lausanne-Vidy : This museum displays local
artifacts from the time when the city was known as Lousanna.
Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts (Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts) :
The chief city museum is devoted to the works of 19th-century artists who
painted in western Switzerland, but it also has an amazing collection of
French paintings, other than the works by Degas, Renoir, Bonnard, Matisse,
and Utrillo. This complex also houses the Geological Museum, the Museum of
Paleontology, the Archaeological and Historical Museum, and the Zoological
Museum.
