By Yusuf Chachia on Sep 26, 2019 in Accommodation, Attractions, Cruises & Boat, Travel, Europe, Family Travel, Featured, Food and Drink, Going Out, Hotels, Leisure Travel, Regions, Restaurants, Speciality Travel, Switzerland, Travel Miscellany, Western Europe

 

With its rich and diverse tourism offering, its privileged position within the heart of Europe and its incredible location on the northern shore of Lake Geneva, the Olympic capital of Lausanne is not just a famous sporting city but also a cultural one that springs to life during the Summer months.

The Summer is also a great time to visit for cultural events such as Festival de La Cité and the Winegrowers Festival (Fête des Vignerons) and, with the city being so accessible (just 40 minutes from Geneva International Airport, and two and a half hours from Zurich Airport) and easy to get around once you’re there, there are so many exciting things to enjoy, along with numerous architectural highlights and plenty of green spaces. Here we share a handful of our own experiences from our recent family stay in the welcoming capital of Vaud.

Take a tour of the city

A great way to get to know any city is through a local guide, and Lausanne is no exception. We took a private walking tour with a local guide, allowing us to discover the magic of Lausanne, its evolution around the Cité hill sculpted by the Flon and Louvre rivers, to explore both the ancient and modern architecture of the city centre, and learn all about the different districts.

We learnt how Lausanne had been an important commercial passage between France and Italy since Mediaeval times and visited Lausanne Cathedral, consecrated in 1275 and today one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in the whole of Switzerland.

The interior is equally impressive with its stunning rose window, great organs, painted portal, 13th Century choir stalls and ancient and modern stained glass windows. This is also a place where, if you happen to be following the Camino de Santiago within Switzerland, you can get your pilgrim passport stamped.

It is from the cathedral that each night, between the hours of 10pm and 2am, that a night watch (le guet de la cathédrale) calls out from the top of the belfry; you can learn more about this 600-year-old tradition in the video below.

Our tour also took us to Lausanne Castle which has been completely renewed and, once the bishop’s residence, now serves as the seat of the state of Vaud. Outside it stands the statue of Abraham Davel, resposible for liberating Vaud from the power of Berne, but later betrayed by military colleagues and beheaded. However, it was because of his efforts that Lausanne became independent.