Gay Lausanne · City Guide

Lausanne

Part of the French speaking area of Switzerland and capital and largest city of the Vaud canton. Lausanne is the fourth largest city in Switzerland, part of the Geneva metropolitan area and home to around 150,000 people.

Starting life as a Roman military settlement, Lausanne came under the rulership of the Dukes of Savoy and the Bishop of Lausanne. In the 17th Century it became a place of refuge for French Huguenots and became a centre of protestanism in Europe. T.S. Elliott composed The Wasteland while staying here.

Nowadays, Lausanne is well known as a conference destination as well as being a centre for the service industry. Man tourists come to Lausanne for its varied culture, fantastic architecture, luxurious reputation and surprisingly thriving gay scene.

Gay Rights in Switzerland

For gay rights in Switzerland, please visit our Gay Zurich City Guide page.

Gay Scene

Although Zurich has the most vibrant gay scene in Switzerland, Lausanne is a close contender with a lively selection of gay bars, dance clubs and saunas catering for gay customers. The large student population gives the city a youthful vibe which makes a not out here a fun and welcoming experience.

Getting to Lausanne

By plane

Lausanne does not have an international airport of its own, however Geneva Airport (GVA) is located about 60km west of Lausanne. It is well connected to locations in Europe and offers a decent range of long-haul flights to destinations in North America, the Middle East and China. It gets busy during ski season.

From the airport, you can take a train to Lausanne from the airport train station. A one way ticket costs 27 CHF and can be purchased from a machine on the platform (you cannot buy one onboard). Journeys take around 50 minutes and leave about 4 times every hour during the day (this becomes less frequent later on in the day and earlier).

A taxi from Geneva Airport to Lausanne will be expensive, costing in the region of 200 CHF. Some hotels, however, include free airport shuttles so it is worth researching whether this applies to your hotel. Car hire is available at the airport and is a good way to get from A to B under your own steam.

By train

Lausanne is well connected to the Swiss rail network. It also offers a few international connections to Paris, Milan and Venice.

By boat

Lake ferry boats serve both the French and Swiss sides of Lake Geneva. They aren't the quickest way of getting around and are mostly popular with tourists who have time to kill. Lunch and dinner cruises are especially popular.

Getting around Lausanne

On foot

Due to Lausanne's compact size, getting around by foot is the best way to take in its sights. It is however quite a hilly city so this could potentially get tiring after a day of sightseeing.

By public transport

Lausanne has two metro lines, local train connections and a wide-ranging bus network. Tickets can be purchased from machines at stops and are priced by zone. A three stop bus ticket starts at 1.80 CHF and day passes start at 7.60 CHF within the downtown area.

The metro runs from 5am to 1am and the times do not vary much depending on what day it is. Services come close to every ten minutes during daytime hours. Buses are pretty regular during the day but there is a late night bus service from 1am to 4am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

By taxi

Taxis are expensive in Switzerland so it is only really advised to take a taxi if it is absolutely neccessary. The best deals can be found by pre-ordering through smaller local taxi firms that do not employ many drivers. There are taxi ranks across the city and Uber is available here.

Where to Stay in Lausanne

For our list of recommended hotels, please check our Gay Lausanne Hotels page.

Things to See & Do

Olympic Museum - despite Lausanne never hosting an Olympic Games itself, the International Olympic Committee is based here. This museum displays items from the modern games history, as well as providing information on the classical games and exhibiting sports related artwork.

Farmers' Market - on Saturdays and Wednesday's there is a farmers' market in the old town which provides the best way of sampling Swiss delicacies and is a good spot to buy gifts.

Palais de Rumine - despite looking as if it was built in the Renaissance, this building was actually built a lot later. Inside you will find a wide variety of museums covering everything from fine arts to zoology.

Casino de Montbenon - home to the Swiss Film Archives and a multi-genre performance and arts space. This is a great spot to take in a bit of culture.

Lausanne Cathedral - a fairytale cathedral in the Gothic style. A trip up to the tower offers some of the best views Lausanne has to offer.

Sauvabelin Forest - an area of stunning natural beauty outside the city centre. This is a great spot in the summer for a romantic stroll or a picnic on the shores of the lake.

When to Visit

Weather wise, the best time to visit Lausanne is in the summer months as temperatures float around the mid twenties without climbing too high. Lausanne does experience quite a large number of tourists in the summer and can get crowded. Winters can get very cold but the city is quieter around this time.

Lausanne has a varied programme of events held in the city throughout the year. From the end of June to the end of September, the Lausanne Festival takes place which brings a wide range of free cultural events to the city's streets. In November and December there is a popular festival of lights that transforms the city.

Visa

Switzerland is within the Schengen visa area. If travelling from outside Europe, you should check to see if you require a Schengen visa.

Money

The Swiss currency is the Swiss Frank (CHF). Prices in Switzerland are generally far higher than in other parts of Europe.