Canton of Vaud · Switzerland
Where to stay in Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, home to about 145,000 people. This guide covers 3 aparthotels in Lausanne, with about 157 rooms between them.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 3
- Nearest airport
- GVA52 km · Geneva International Airport
- Currency
- CHFSwiss franc
- Time zone
- Europe/Zurich
- Language
- French, German, Italian
About
About Lausanne
Lausanne ( loh-ZAN, US also loh-ZAHN; French: [lozan] ) is the capital and largest city of the Swiss French-speaking canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. The Olympic capital, it is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway between the Jura Mountains and the Alps, and facing the French town of Évian-les-Bains across the lake.
The city is the host to the International Olympic Committee and two major universities. As you might expect the large student population makes for a lively nightlife and arts community, revolving around the Flon district. You'll also find a number of quality restaurants and two dozen museums of note, including the Olympic Museum and the offbeat Collection de l'Art Brut. Architecture buffs will find the best preserved Gothic cathedral in Switzerland at the top of the town.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Lausanne
See
- Collection de l'Art Brut
- Palais de Rumine
- Musée d'archéologie et d'histoire
- Musée des Beaux-Arts
- Musée Historique de Lausanne
- Mudac
- Musée de l'Elysée
- Espace Arlaud
- La Tour d'Ale
- Fondation de l'Hermitage
- Musée Romain Lausanne-Vidy
- Notre Dame cathedral
Do
- Explore The Old Town
- Explore the Sauvabelin Forest
- Enjoy the lakefront of Ouchy
- Climb up the Cathedral Tower
- Métropole
- Espace de Terreaux
- Arsenic
- Théâtre de Vidy
- Théâtre Boulimie
- Théâtre 2.21
- Les Docks
- Le Romandie
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Places to stay in Lausanne
3 places to stay from the chains this guide covers, each linked to its own website.
| Place to stay | Rooms |
|---|---|
| Chemin des Epinettes 11 aparthotel | 59 |
| Route de Vallaire 2 aparthotel | 45 |
| Rue Caroline 23 aparthotel | 53 |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
Which part of Lausanne to stay in
Most of the hotels in Lausanne are in the mid-price range, though there are also a number of luxury hotels as you would expect in the city which hosts the International Olympic Committee. There are also a few cheapies.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
More hotels in Lausanne
60 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata; the 40 best known are shown, by the number of Wikipedia editions that cover them. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Beau-Rivage Palace | 1861 | 2.8 km |
| Former hostel de la Croix-Blanche, Morges | 10.7 km | |
| Royal Savoy Hotel and entrance portal | 1909 | 2.5 km |
| Former Hôtel du Cerf | 13.1 km | |
| Hôtel Lausanne-Palace | 1915 | 1.6 km |
| Agora Swiss Night by Fassbind | 2.0 km | |
| Alpha-Palmiers by Fassbind | 1.7 km | |
| Apart'Hotel 46a | 2.7 km | |
| Aquatis Hotel | 2.1 km | |
| Au Major Davel | 9.1 km | |
| Auberge Aux Deux Sapins | 21.0 km | |
| Auberge de la Gare | 7.9 km | |
| Auberge des Grands Bois | 18.6 km | |
| Auberge du Raisin | 9.0 km | |
| Beausite | 4.2 km | |
| Best Western Mirabeau | 1.8 km | |
| Best Western Plus Hotel Mirabeau | 1.8 km | |
| Boutique Hotel Le Bourg 7 | 5.3 km | |
| Carlton Lausanne Boutique Hôtel | 2.4 km | |
| Château d'Ouchy | 3.0 km | |
| Château Rochefort | 19.5 km | |
| Continental Hotel Lausanne | 1.8 km | |
| Discovery Hotel | 4.8 km | |
| Elite | 1.7 km | |
| Galion Hôtel & Restaurant - Le Restaurant est Ouvert | 6.0 km | |
| Hostellerie Le Petit Manoir | 11.1 km | |
| Hotel AlaGare | 1.9 km | |
| Hotel Angleterre & Résidence | 2.9 km | |
| Hôtel Bellerive | 2.4 km | |
| Hôtel Crystal | 1.2 km | |
| Hôtel de la Nouvelle Couronne | 10.8 km | |
| Hôtel de la Paix Lausanne | 1.6 km | |
| Hotel de Savoie | 10.5 km | |
| Hôtel des Mosaiques | 23.7 km | |
| Hôtel des Patients | 0.9 km | |
| Hôtel des Voyageurs Boutique | 1.3 km | |
| Hôtel du Marché | 1.0 km | |
| Hôtel du Port | 2.9 km | |
| Hotel La Longeraie | 11.9 km | |
| Hotel Lake View le Rivage | 5.3 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Lausanne
Lausanne has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23 °C; August is the wettest, with about 116 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Lausanne: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Geneva International Airport (GVA), about 52 km from the city centre in a straight line; Bern Airport (BRN, 78 km) and Annecy Meythet airport (NCY, 79 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
The closest airport, Geneva airport (GVA) is served by almost all European carriers, and by four daily trans-Atlantic flights, one from Washington-Dulles on Continental, one from New York, JFK on Swiss, one from Newark on Continental and one from Montreal on Air Canada; otherwise when flying from the US you will have to change planes at your airline's hub airport. Trains between Geneva Airport and the Lausanne CFF station take about 45 min and run at least twice each hour, except for the wee hours of the morning. A full fare from Geneva-Airport to Lausanne is Fr. 27.
Getting around
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 car-free streets beginning right across the street with Rue du Petit-Chêne, which leads up to Place St. François in the old town. From there, more pedestrian streets lead to the Flon quarter with many bars, clubs and restaurants, to the shopping streets between Place St. François and Place de la Riponne, and to the old city near the cathedral.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
GVA · Geneva International Airport
BRN · Bern Airport
NCY · Annecy Meythet airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Lausanne
Eat
The usual tricks for budget travel dining work in Lausanne as well. There are three grocery stores inside the train station which are open every day until midnight (a bit expensive), Aldi is in the back of the station below track 9, and it represents a good alternative. There are plenty of great places to take your picnic: for instance, you might try the Crêt de Montriond. To get there go below the railways, take the stairs and go to the main avenue, then turn to the left. After the turn you should see a green hill around the size of a five-storey building directly in front of you.
Drink
The sheer number of nightlife spots makes it hard to choose which ones to list. As a general rule they tend to be clustered into nightlife districts, like the Flon, Place du Tunnel, Place de la Gare, and Rue Marterey. This list tries to present one or two individual establishments from each of those clusters, plus a few which are a bit more off the beaten path. The city's official website has surprisingly good music listings, so if you would like to see what's going on during your visit give it a try.
Stay safe
Lausanne by day is quite safe for a city of its size. By night, however, it does take on a bit of an edge. Due to the number of clubbers and migrants in the city there are a few bad apples amongst them. Begging is becoming a problem in the old town. New organized groups have started to appear, as well as the occasional lone begging child. The most affected areas are Lausanne-Flon and Saint-François during daytime. Common sense in most cases: if the beggar is offensive or impolite, it's organized begging. Legitimate beggars are generally passive and silent. Do not encourage organized begging and immediately report cases of begging children to the nearest policeman or security guard.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Good to know
Accessibility, parking and families in Lausanne
How many places to stay in this guide offer each, in their operators' own words.
of 3 places
of 3 places
of 3 places
of 3 places
of 3 places
of 3 places
Questions
Lausanne: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Lausanne?
Lausanne has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23 °C; August is the wettest, with about 116 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Lausanne?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Geneva International Airport (GVA), about 52 km from the city centre in a straight line; Bern Airport (BRN, 78 km) and Annecy Meythet airport (NCY, 79 km) are also within reach.
Are there accessible hotels in Lausanne?
2 places in this guide list accessible rooms.
What currency is used in Lausanne?
Swiss franc (CHF).
Nearby
Destinations near Lausanne
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.