LAUSANNE WITH LITTLE ONES!

When looking at a map of Switzerland, there are so many well-known cities on a tourist’s radar! Zermatt, Geneva, Zurich, etc. are always high up on any visitors list. But, there are so many other great cities to visit in Switzerland. Lausanne has been on our radar for awhile so we could not wait to visit! We had a rainy but great visit to Lausanne with little ones!

Lausanne is in the French-speaking region in the canton of Vaud. It is situated along Lake Geneva and is home to the International Olympic Committee headquarters, which is the reason it is nicknamed the Olympic Capital. It is also the only city in Switzerland with a subway system (metro)!

Lausanne’s Tourism board (The Lausanner) offers a great children’s travel journal for free at its’ tourism office. With this travel journal, your children can learn about the different sights that they are visiting, as well as get free items along the way. These free gifts include hot or cold chocolate, gelato, a vegetable/fruit, free entry to climb the cathedral steps, and more! The journal came in a purse along with colored pencils, a glue stick, an eraser, and a sharpener. The girls were so excited with their gift and they could not wait to see the sights! There are a few tourist offices including one at the Ouchy metro station. One can also be found at the train station.

Due to the weather, we did not get to all of the spots on our list! But, we’re excited that it gives us an excuse to come back to Lausanne! Some of the places that we did not make it to include the aquarium, the ferry from Lausanne to Evian (in France), and the Flon Quarter. We were able to experience the Old Town, Port d’Ouchy, and the Olympic Museum. These were all amazing for kids, and the girls really enjoyed each of these areas/sights.

3. Old Town (Lausanne Cathedral, Place de la Palud) – Our first stop in Lausanne was to walk around the Old Town area and visit the Lausanne Cathedral. The Cathedral was built between the 12th and 13th centuries, and it became a Protestant cathedral in 1536. Entry into the Cathedral is free, and it is worth the climb up the Escaliers du Marché (covered wooden stairs) of the giant hill overlooking the city. If you want to go up more stairs, you can head up to the observation deck in the tower to get a beautiful view of Lausanne.

We then headed back down to the Place de la Palud, which is a beautiful cobbled-stone square. The square also contains Lausanne’s oldest fountain. Behind the fountain is an animated clock representing the history of Vaud. The clock displays the animated show every hour from 9:00 to 19:00. There is also a clock on the Town Hall. Don’t make the same mistake we did, and make sure to watch the clock behind the fountain NOT on Town Hall.

2. Port d’Ouchy – On Sunday morning, we hopped on the Metro and headed to the Ouchy stop. The Ouchy area has a beautiful walkway along Lake Geneva covered in flowers. There is a carousel by the port, lots of delicious restaurants, neat playgrounds, and amazing views. The carousel was 4 CHF for one ride or 4 for 14 CHF. The ferry boat that takes you to Evian also leaves from this port.

3. Olympic Museum – Our favorite stop of the trip to Lausanne was the Olympic Museum. The Museum has three floors filled with historical information, interactive exhibits, and a great shop! We are an Olympic-loving family so this museum pumped us up for Tokyo this summer! The girls enjoyed seeing Miraitowa, who is the mascot for this summer’s Olympics. Entry to the admission is 20 CHF per adult and free for children under 15. We were able to enter for free with our Swiss Museum pass.

Check out our Youtube video below to see more about our trip to Lausanne!

Will you be visiting Lausanne when you come to Switzerland? Thank you so much for wandering along with us!