Lausanne Travel Guide, Switzerland

Lausanne Travel Guide – Geographical Position

Lausanne is the second largest city in Switzerland and, as you will find from this Lausanne travel guide, it has much more than that to boast about. It is located in the French speaking part of the country (Romandy) and it functions as the capital of the Province of Lausanne and the Canton of Vaud. Geographically Lausanne is a wonder, as it faces both the shores of Lake Geneva and of the Jura Mountains. Given the fact that it is built on the southern part of the Swiss Plateau it has a difference in elevation of approximately 500 meters and therefore offers an incredible view both of Lake Geneva and of the Alps. Lausanne is also known for its position in between two of the most appreciated wine growing regions in Switzerland, Lavaux to the east and La Cote to the west.

Lausanne Travel Guide – Urban Traits

The most important urban trait of Lausanne is its difference in elevation which makes it quite hard to get around when you are in the city for the first time (you might find yourself ten meters below the street where you wanted to go). The city also displays the site of a river which has been dried out since the 19th century. It is crossed by many bridges and if forms a nice green area that passes through the entire city centre. Transportation in the city is done by bus and metro, but most of the town surface is covered by trolleybuses. All public transportation as well as local trains and boats are under French administration. The A1 motorway links the city to Geneva and Zurich, while A9 assures connections with Italy and France.

Lausanne Travel Guide – Sporting City

Lausanne can pride itself with being an important centre for higher education in Switzerland and with the connected fact that some 38% of the population are of foreign origin. The city is also known in most Lausanne travel guides by the fact that it is home to the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee and to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The International Hockey Federation and the International Table Tennis Federation are also located in Lausanne, which makes the city an even more important sports centre. Due to its geographical position sport is highly appreciated in Lausanne and you can find everything there from water sports on Lake Geneva to mountaineering, cycling on the vineyard routes being a popular pastime among the locals.