Lausanne

Walk

Walking is a great way to get around Lausanne. There are a number of sites within a short walk of the main railway station with the largely carfree streets beginning right across the street with rue du Petit-Chêne, which leads up to Place St. François in the old town. Like many streets in Lausanne it is a bit steep though, so if that's a problem consider taking the Metro M2.

By bus

Clean and fast buses, also provided by TL (http://www.t-l.ch/), are very frequent and form a dense enough network that you will rarely find yourself more than a few hundred feet from one bus stop or the other.

Districts

The neighborhoods of Lausanne which are of primary concern to a visitor are the Cité, the Ville Marché, and the port of Ouchy. In between you'll find the Flon which is mainly a nightclub district these days, and the otherwise sleepy Sous Gare neighborhood just under the train station which boasts one of the best cafés in town. If you feel up for a hike it's also probably worth while to spend a few hours climbing around in the woods of Sauvebelin which is above and north of the Hermitage.

Cité

This hill is the part of Lausanne's old town which goes back the furthest, and holds a lot of interest for travelers, being the site of the Cathedral, the Castle, MUDAC, several other museums, a children's theatre and a really good toy store.

Ville Marché

The medieval city of Lausanne grew up with outdoor markets arranged around several of the entrances to the old city, together with the old city these markets make up the balance of the Old Town, including Place de la Palud, Place St. François, and Place Riponne.

Flon

The original rail line into Lausanne once came up the Flon river into this valley, but there was no way to go through town, so it was supplanted in the 19th century with a line one ridge further south which could serve destinations in the Valais and Italy. Today the former warehouses of the Flon Valley are mostly occupied with trendy restaurants and discos.

Ouchy

Once a fishing Village, Ouchy was incorporated into the City of Lausanne in the mid-19th century to serve as a port on Lac Léman. The incredible views of the lake and the Alps, and the cooler air in summer have make Ouchy a popular place especially in the summer months. There's a major cluster of hotels and restaurants around the port.

Sous Gare

In the 19th century Lausanne expanded to fill all of the land between the current location of the train station or Gare CFF and the port of Ouchy. This is mostly a district of apartment buildings and houses, but it's worth a walk through, if only for the Café de Grancy and the park on the Crêt de Montriond.

By bike

Bicycles can be borrowed for 6 CHF/day with a 90 CHF deposit at Lausanne Roule, who has one location in the city center just outside the Lausanne Flon Metro station -- the address on their web site is wrong and one in the west-side suburbs in Renens. They are adding additional locations, including one in Ouchy. It is possible to take a bike in one location and give it back at the other one. A third location also exists in Vevey, but one-way rentals cost CHF 10.--. The bike ride from Lausanne to Vevey is beautiful. On your left are endless vineyards and to your right is Lake Geneva and the Alps. Get a booklet on this ride from Lausanne Roule for free.

Beware that the city is pretty steep, but the lakefront is very nice. There is a handy 1:10,000 'Carte Velo' printed in 2006 but still downloadable from the city website (http://www.lausanne.ch/velo). This map helps those new to the city find the preferred bicycling routes in the area. Throughout the city is an excellent network of paths, marked bicycle lanes, and bypass tunnels that will help get you through the most busy intersections. The routes by the lake are simply beautiful but can get quite busy with strollers, roller bladers, and cyclists at peak times during the summer.