By train
Lausanne is served by one of the most efficient passenger rail services in the world, the Swiss Federal Rail (http://www.rail.ch/) system. Trains run roughly each half-hour between 4:45AM and 1:30AM every day to and from Geneva, Zurich, Berne, Neuchatel, St. Gallen, Brig and points in between. There are four trains daily from Paris Gare de Lyon via the SNCF's (http://www.sncf.com/indexe.htm) TGV "High Speed Train"", and 8 per day from Milan on the Swiss-Italian Cisalpino (http://www.cisalpino.com) CHEEZ-al-PEEN-o. The Italian rail service also provides twice-per-day trains to and from Milan and night trains to and from Rome and Venice.
By plane
The closest airport, Geneva airport is served by almost all European carriers, and by four daily trans-Atlantic flights, one from Washington-Dulles on United, one from New York, JFK on Swiss, one from Newark on Continental and one from Montreal, on Air Canada; otherwise when flying from the U.S. you will have to change planes at your airline's hub airport. Trains between Geneva Airport and the Lausanne CFF station take about 45 minutes and run at least twice each hour, except for the wee hours of the morning. A full fare from Geneva-Airport to Lausanne is currently 25 CHF. Zurich airport provides an alternative, with more frequent trans-Atlantic service mainly via Swiss (http://www.swiss.com/).
By ship
Boats ply both the Swiss and French shores of Lake Geneva with several daily ferries to Evian passport required to enter France, Montreux, Geneva and many smaller lakeshore towns. See the boat company website (http://www.cgn.ch/en/home/) for timetables and prices. Lunch and dinner cruises are also popular with tourists. Most of the ferries are meant as scenic trips and not the fastest way to get around. If travelling from Geneva to Lausanne, a boat trip is worth the time on a clear day.
Private boat tours and transfers from Lausanne to any port on the lake by Léman Transfers (http://www.lemantransfers...). Groups of up to 6 passengers can be privately chauffeured around the lake.
By bus
International buses arrive daily from Spain, France, as well as major cities in Central Europe. Many buses pass through Geneva or Basel before stopping in Lausanne.