Where to stay in Lausanne

Stay in Lausanne for a full lake city built on three levels, with the Olympic Museum at Ouchy, a medieval cathedral in La Cité, and the Lavaux vineyard walk starting six minutes away by train. For the Montreux Jazz Festival on the water or Chillon Castle, stay down the line in Montreux instead, and for a quieter market town on the lake, choose Vevey.

144 873residents of the commune, at 31 December 2024526metres, the altitude of La Cité and its cathedral, above Ouchy at 372 m on the lake6minutes by train from Lausanne to Lutry, the start of the Lavaux vineyard walk

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Lausanne at a glance

Why Lausanne

Because the city puts three different reasons to visit on the same short transport line: a lake harbour with the Olympic Museum, a medieval cathedral quarter, and a rail hub that reaches Vevey in 14 minutes and Montreux in 20. You pick a base by what you came for, and the other two stay within a few stops.

Where to sleep

First stay or want the lake close: Ouchy, by the harbour and the Olympic Museum. Looking for the old town and its character: La Cité, around the cathedral. Just passing through, or building a trip to Vevey or Montreux: the station and Flon district keep you closest to the trains.

Watch out

The cathedral’s rose window and its stained glass are closed for work on the south transept vaults until spring 2027, so do not plan a visit around them before then, though the cathedral itself stays open and free. The Sauvabelin Tower closes in strong wind, snow or ice, so treat it as a bonus rather than the anchor of a day.

Lausanne, before you book

Lausanne climbs the north shore of Lake Geneva in three distinct steps, from the harbour at Ouchy up to the cathedral quarter of La Cité, with its main station on the slope in between. Geneva Airport is 49 minutes away on the fastest direct train, and once you arrive the city keeps working for you: the same public transport line climbs from the lake to the old town.

Three areas sit on that same climb, and each one answers a different reason to visit. Ouchy, at 372 metres, is the lake itself, with the Olympic Museum on the waterfront and the CGN boats leaving from its harbour. La Cité, 526 metres up, is the historical quarter, built around a cathedral where a watchman still calls the hours every night. Between the two, the main station and the Flon sit at 452 metres, the practical middle ground for anyone who wants both within easy reach.

The hotels span the same range as the city itself. Beau-Rivage Palace, on the Ouchy waterfront since 1861, and Lausanne Palace, inaugurated in 1915 in the centre, anchor the grand end of the market, while addresses like Hôtel Victoria and Hôtel-Restaurant du Port keep things simpler near the station and on the Ouchy harbour square. Our dated price samples show summer nights running above winter ones across the selection, most sharply at the Royal Savoy, while the Hôtel-Restaurant du Port holds the least expensive rate whatever the season.

The cathedral keeps longer hours from April to September, open until 19:00 instead of 17:30, and the CGN fleet grows with two extra Belle Époque boats sailing from mid-April to mid-October, so summer stretches both the sightseeing day and the lake itself. Lausanne is also the hub for this shore: Vevey is 14 minutes away by train and Montreux 20, so a base here works even for days spent further down the line. From Geneva Airport, allow well under an hour to reach the city by direct train.

Summer or winter?

Pick a season, or set your dates above: prices and advice follow.

Summer in Lausanne

Where to stay this season

With the cathedral open until 19:00 and two extra Belle Époque boats added to the CGN fleet from mid-April, both Ouchy and La Cité work well as a base this season: choose Ouchy if the Olympic Museum and the boats matter most, La Cité if you want the cathedral and the old town, and either way the Lavaux walk from Lutry is an easy add-on.

Apr → Sep

Lausanne Cathedral open 09:00 to 19:00

Ouchy, on the shore · 5 stars

From

CHF 574/ night

Summer average CHF 575

The Beau-Rivage Palace traces its own history back to 1861, at the dawn of the Belle Époque, and stands directly on the Ouchy shore with four restaurants of its own, Pic au Beau-Rivage Palace, Café Beau-Rivage, Kaigan and La Terrasse, plus the Guerlain Spa. Our dated prices place it above every other address in this selection, in both seasons.

Check prices

Prices: lowest and average nightly rate seen on Booking.com for 2 adults and 1 room, on 2 winter dates and 1 summer dates, collected on September 16, 2026. They are indicative, the real price depends on your dates. Hotel facts come from each hotel’s own website. Some hotel links are affiliate links.

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Where to stay, area by area

Ouchy, on the lake

The harbour and the Olympic Museum

Ouchy is Lausanne at the water’s edge: the lake right there, the Olympic Museum on the quay, and CGN boats leaving for the French shore from its harbour. It suits a stay built around the water, with grand addresses like the Beau-Rivage Palace and simpler ones like the Hôtel-Restaurant du Port both standing directly on the harbour. The trade-off is the climb back up: the cathedral and the old town sit at 526 metres, a trip the m2 metro makes easy but still a climb.

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La Cité and the centre

The cathedral, Place de la Palud, Saint-François

La Cité is Lausanne’s historical quarter, the cathedral at its top and a watchman still calling the hours from the tower every night, a tradition the tourist office traces back more than 600 years. It suits a stay built around the old town and its shopping streets, Place de la Palud, Rue de Bourg and Saint-François, with the Lausanne Palace and the Royal Savoy both close by. The trade-off is distance from the water: the lake and the Olympic Museum sit 526 metres below, at Ouchy.

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The station and the Flon

Between the lake and the cathedral

The station and the Flon sit at 452 metres, roughly midway between the lake and the cathedral, and the tourist office names both the Flon and the Sous-Gare and Grancy district just below the station among the city’s shopping quarters. It suits a first stay or a short one, with the Hôtel Continental standing directly opposite the station and the Hôtel Victoria a short walk away. The trade-off is that neither the lake nor the old town is quite on the doorstep, though the m2 metro reaches both from here.

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What to do in Lausanne

Lausanne is not short of things to do, but a few named places give a stay its shape, from the Lavaux vineyard walk starting just outside town to the Olympic Museum on the lakefront. These are the ones we would build a day around, with the figures their own operators and Lausanne Tourisme publish.

On foot

Vines and city trails

Lavaux vineyard terraces, Lutry to Saint-Saphorin11.1 km · 3 h 15 · +369 m / -393 m · easy
Starting from Lutry station, six minutes from Lausanne by train, the walk to Saint-Saphorin crosses a landscape on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2007, with more than 10 000 terraces and 450 km of heritage walls kept by about 180 winegrowing families. It is graded easy and needs no car at either end.
Sentier nature Grand Lausannetwo 10 km sections, east and west
This one stays inside the city, following the Vuachère, the shore of Lake Geneva, the rose garden in the Vallée de la Jeunesse park and Lausanne’s three forests. Switzerland Tourism splits it into two ten-kilometre sections, east and west, so it works as a half-day out without leaving town.

Typical here

The lake and the cathedral

The Olympic Museum1 quai d’Ouchy · Tue-Sun 09:00-18:00, last entry 17:00 · CHF 18 adults, CHF 10 students/seniors, free under 16
On the Ouchy lakefront, the museum suggests allowing two hours for its exhibitions, so it fits into a morning or an afternoon rather than a whole day. It closes on Mondays except public holidays, worth checking before you build a day around it.
Lausanne Cathedralconsecrated 1275 · tower CHF 6, free under 26 · night watchman 22:00-02:00
Built in the 12th and 13th centuries and consecrated in 1275 before Pope Gregory X and Emperor Rudolf of Habsburg, the cathedral itself costs nothing to enter, so only the tower climb is worth budgeting for. Every night a watchman still calls the hours from that tower, a tradition the tourist office dates back over 600 years.

Where to eat

Café du Commercenear the centre
A brasserie describing itself as steps from the centre, serving a seasonal menu from midday to evening, with a weekday lunch formula that makes it an easy choice between sightseeing stops.
Café Beau-RivagePlace du Port 17-19, Ouchy
One of four tables at the Beau-Rivage Palace in Ouchy, alongside Pic au Beau-Rivage Palace, Kaigan and La Terrasse, so guests staying elsewhere in Ouchy can still eat on the same harbour without booking a room there.

Figures and hours from Lausanne Tourisme, the Olympic Museum and Lavaux UNESCO, checked on 16 September 2026. We publish no ratings and no route descriptions: check conditions on the spot before you set off.

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Prices and availability change daily in the Alps, especially in July, August and over Christmas.

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Lausanne, in practice

Drop-off at the station

Because of the redesign of Lausanne main station, Hôtel Continental publishes two 15-minute drop-off areas, at Place de la Gare and at 44 Avenue de la Gare, and directs guests to the Montbenon car park, so plan on parking there rather than looking for space near the station itself.

By car

Lausanne sits on the A1 and A9 motorways, with no car ban and no access permit needed for the town itself, so driving in is straightforward if you would rather not manage station drop-off rules or rely on the train.

Boats from Ouchy

CGN boats leave Ouchy for the French shore and along the lake, and the Swiss Travel Pass is valid on all CGN cruises except events, as are half-fare and GA travelcards, so a pass you already hold for the trains also covers an afternoon on the water.

Across town by metro

The m2 metro links the lake at Ouchy to the upper districts, serving the main station and the Flon interchange on the way up to La Cité, so you can switch between a lake-based day and an old-town one without ever needing a car.

Driving on from Lausanne? Compare rental prices and check the vignette, the winter rules and the passes before you book.

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Frequently asked questions

How long is the train from Geneva airport to Lausanne?

The fastest direct train, the IC 1, takes 49 minutes; IR 15 and IR 95 are also direct, at 52 and 56 minutes, with no change needed on any of the three. With three direct lines to choose from, there is no need to book a transfer: take whichever leaves first after you land.

Should I stay at Ouchy or in the centre?

Ouchy is the lake shore at 372 m, with the Olympic Museum and the CGN landing stage; the historical quarter La Cité is 526 m up, around the cathedral. Both sit on the same public transport line through the station, so choose Ouchy if the water matters most to your trip and La Cité if you would rather walk out onto cathedral streets each morning.

Can I visit the cathedral’s rose window?

Not at the moment. Work on the vaults of the south transept has closed the rose window and its stained glass until spring 2027, so do not centre a visit around them before then; the cathedral itself stays open and free throughout the closure.

Is there really a night watchman?

Yes. Every night between 22:00 and 02:00 the watchman calls the hours from the cathedral tower, a tradition the tourist office dates back over 600 years, so expect that call to carry across La Cité rather than absolute silence if you are a light sleeper.

Is the Lavaux vineyard walk doable from Lausanne?

Yes. Lutry, the start of the published 11.1 km, 3 h 15 route to Saint-Saphorin, is six minutes from Lausanne by regional train, so it works as an easy half-day out and back without ever needing a car.