Lausanne: A perfect 48 hour itinerary
Lausanne is known as the Olympic Capital of the world, and that was the main reason for my visit. In 1996, at 7 years old, I was captivated. Michael Johnson was lining up in the 200m final in his golden shoes going for his second gold medal of the Atlanta games. I made fake medals out of cardboard wrapped in tin foil, I kept cuttings of the newspapers and I was glued to the TV. 4 years later, I had a small black and white TV in my bedroom and I’d sneak awake at 2am to turn it on with no sound to watch across the globe in Sydney (sorry, Mum!). Not much has changed since – I’ve got dozens of books on the Olympics, I’ve got schedules of results highlighted and cross referenced going back 30 years. I’ve got handwritten medal tables, drawers stuffed with newspapers and a head full of memories. So – I had to visit the Olympic capital didn’t I?!
(Don’t worry if you’re not an Olympics fan though, this town is still incredible with loads to see and do).
Let’s go!
Itinerary Day 1: Ouchy & Grandvaux
Olympic Museum
Obviously, I had to start my visit with the Olympic Museum. Even if you’re not an Olympics fan, it’s still a really interesting place to spend a couple of hours. It covers the birth of the Olympics, its ideals and purposes, host cities, key moments and key figures. It’s open 9am-6pm but closed on a Monday, and costs CHF20 per person, or it’s free with that trusty Swiss Travel Pass.
The Museum also lies in a lovely garden area which is well worth a stroll, and it has a nice little café in it which serves good food.
Explore Ouchy
Ouchy is the waterfront area in Lausanne, just a short walk from the Olympic Museum. We absolutely loved strolling the shoreline and taking everything in. There are plenty of nice stops for lunch or drinks and if the weather’s nice – even better.
Boat trip on Lake Geneva to Lutry
Ouchy is a perfect spot from which to get on a boat and experience the lake itself. We chose to combine it as a mode of transport to our next destination, but you could do any boat trip on the lake and get the same beautiful views every way you look.
Vineyard lakeside walk to Grandvaux
Lausanne has some of the best vineyards in the region, and the picturesque rolling fields at the lakeside are a famous symbol of the area. The most famous stretch is from Lutry to Grandvaux, so we decided to walk it. It was one of the highlights of our entire trip, they were just so beautiful and the weather was perfect for us. We finished the walk off with a wine tasting in Grandvaux as the sun went down, and then got the train back to Lausanne (it only takes 8 minutes).
Itinerary Day 2: Old town Lausanne
Lausanne Cathedral
We decided to spend the day exploring Old Town Lausanne today, and there’s no better place to start than the Cathedral. A beautiful building perched on a hill with excellent views it’s a must visit site in the city. Even better, there was a classical concert practice on when I visited so I got to listen to the orchestra.
Lausanne History Museum
Right next to the Cathedral is the Lausanne History Museum, which I really enjoyed. It covers city history – it’s formation, development and expansion over time – as well as its challenge to get a clean water supply, transport network growth etc. It was super interesting.
There was also a temporary exhibition which blew my little inner historical geek away. I hadn’t realised that post WW1 Lausanne is where the treaty was signed that effectively created modern day Turkey. Previously it had been a bigger area, known as the Ottoman Empire, but after WW1 this was defeated and collapsed. The formation of Turkey was contentious as the area of Kurdistan was split between Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. The Kurds were not consulted as part of the negotiations. The negotiations also gave immunity for all human rights violations between 1914 and 1922, including the Armenian Genocide.
It goes without saying that the UK, France and Italy brokered this conference and had to agree to the split. What did they get in return for allowing this to happen and for Turkey to be formed? Well, oil rich lands that they made the ex-Ottoman empire surrender to them of course. As with most Middle East politics, Black Gold sat at the heart of it. And in my view, the Lausanne Treaty served as a pivotal international precedent for transferring populations against their will throughout the twentieth century.
Place de la Palud
This little square is the perfect place to sit and watch the world go by with lunch and a coffee (or wine of course). We had a 27 degree day and spent 2 hours taking it all in.
Palais du Romaine
This wonderful building is now home to a number of exhibits you can visit, covering archaeology, history, science and more. It’s free so we spent an hour or so browsing. It’s worth a look inside even if just for the foyer!
Escaliers du Marché
One of the most beautiful streets in Lausanne is the steep passageway of Escaliers du Marche, lined by pretty shops and covered with a beautiful wooden roof built in the 1700s.
Le Barbare hot chocolate
Along the steps you’ll find Le Barbare, a famous hot chocolate maker in the city. Finish of your day with a cup of the good stuff here. I don’t really like hot chocolate but I thought it was delicious (if a little rich)!
