Must-sees for the whole family

Why not take to the skies? Climb the 224 or so steps up to the Cathedral’s famous belfry or to the top of the  Sauvabelin Tower for a breathtaking view of Lausanne! Would you rather keep your feet firmly on the ground? Then pit your wits against  the mysterious Detective Trail enigmas, which will guide you through the narrow streets of the city.  Those who are curious about nature will enjoy a visit to the Botanical Gardens or the Zoology Museum.  And if it rains? Discover Switzerland’s largest freshwater aquarium and vivarium!

Travel Journal

to keep them busy while you visit the city’s must-sees. Bonus: if you show your Carnet along the way, you’ll receive some great surprises! Plus: Practical and responsible, the Carnet de Voyage comes with a 100% cotton rucksack and coloured pencils.

You can obtain it at the Tourist Office or in most Lausanne hotels.

The Cathedral, AQUATIS, the Place de la Palud, the market, the Olympic Museum… Each location has its own activity!  Plenty to keep them interested  while you visit the the city’s must-sees. Bonus: if you show your  Journal along the way, you’ll receive some great surprises! Plus: practical and responsible, the Travel Journal comes with a 100% cotton rucksack and coloured pencils.

You can obtain it at the Tourist Office or in most Lausanne hotels.

Family activities by theme

In Lausanne,  families are spoilt for choice: museums, nautical pastimes, treasure hunts, shows, indoor sports or outdoor activities… Great moments to share as a family and memories to create for a lifetime!

Explore

The choice is yours: walks in the city, by the lake, in the forest or in the vineyards. The town and its surroundings are full of sights, panoramas and spectacular landscapes to discover. “The Coulée Verte” promenade, for example, is surprisingly green. Linking the station to Ouchy, it follows the route of the old rack railway, now replaced by the metro, while the Panorama Stroll reveals the ten most beautiful viewpoints from Lausanne.

With Foxtrail treasure hunts, participants set off to discover the mysteries of the city, above and under ground. The two Lausanne trails, available in three languages, are suitable for families with children aged eight and over.

For the little ones, the animal parks in the Lausanne region are a good option. At Sauvabelin, above the town, sheep, goats, rabbits and woolly pigs can be found alongside a charming little lake. A real paradise for families. Not far away, the  Sauvabelin Tower, a magnificent 35-metre-high wooden building, offers a spectacular 360-degree view over the whole of the Lake Geneva basin.

Highlights

The “Lausanne Must-sees” guide lists a number of activities and walks to discover the Olympic capital and appreciate all its treasures. It is available in pdf format on the Lausanne Tourisme website or from the tourist information offices (train station and Cathedral).

Enjoying the outdoors

Lausanne lives up to its reputation as a green city: nature is everywhere. There are plenty of playgrounds for children, fully equipped sports facilities for teenagers and places for parents to relax between meals and shopping sprees.

Lausanne’s fifteen or parks and public gardens are a welcome respite when visiting the city. Some are perfect for sports enthusiasts and families, while others offer more of a landscape, botanical or even ornithological interest.

The Mon Repos park has some lovely surprises in store, including an aviary of exotic birds, a grotto with a waterfall and a fake medieval tower. La Folie Voltaire – a delightful little open-air café – offers an organic menu and weekend brunches next to a playground.

Parc Bourget, to the south-west of the city, is one of the liveliest spots on the shores of the lake in fine weather. It also harbours some more secret areas, such as its bird sanctuary. And on warm summer evenings, a nocturnal enchantment is offered to walkers who know how to be discreet: the spectacle of fireflies that light up the pond.

For a fun family day out, head to the Vidy miniature golf course, a stone’s throw from the Bellerive swimming pool. If the less adept don’t excel, they can console themselves with an ice cream or a cold drink.

Another family destination in Lausanne, the Vallée de la Jeunesse is a great place for inline skaters and skateboarders, with a one-kilometre route that doesn’t involve crossing a road. Other highlights include a particularly ingenious playground, a magnificent rose garden and the Espace des Inventions, an interactive science museum, as well asmeeting and play area for children and their carers.

Making the most of gloomy weather

When the weather isn’t on your side, there are plenty of opportunities for family fun: bowling in Le Flon and Vidy, laser tag, climbing walls and multi-activity areas.

And why not take on an Escape Game, a life-size game in which you and your family are the heroes? You’ll be in for a thrilling experience, and you’ll have to work as a team to solve the riddles and decipher the mysteries, before – perhaps – regaining your freedom after an hour’s investigation. Thrills guaranteed!

Water games

What could be more delightful on a hot summer’s day than a dip in the cool waters of Lake Geneva or in of the city’s swimming pools? For more than 75 years, Bellerive has held the record for outdoor swimming pools. Right next to the lake and in the heart of a breathtaking natural setting, the Bellerive-Plage site offers quality facilities for young and old alike.

The Pully-Plage pool also offers direct access to the lake, while the Montchoisi has a 50-metre pool with artificial waves, and the Aquasplash in Renens has slides and games for children of all ages.

More of fan of outings on the water? Why not hire a pedalo, kayak or motorboat? The must on the lake at the moment? Stand-up paddling! Standing on a board with an oar in your hand, your mind wanders as you discover the shores of Lausanne from the lake.

And if you prefer to enjoy the pleasures of the water while keeping your feet dry, why not walk, scoot, rollerblade or cycle along the lakeshore? The four kilometres or so of shoreline with views of the Alps are particularly popular with locals and visitors alike.

To explore the expanse of Western Europe’s largest lake and admire its most beautiful landscapes, opt for a cruise aboard one of the boats of the Compagnie Générale de Navigation (CGN), which has the largest Belle Époque fleet in the world.

Discover

Museums to visit with the family

•  The only one of its kind in the world, the Olympic Museum is dedicated to the Olympic movement, and children love to slip into the shoes of an athlete thanks to the many interactive activities on offer;
•  AQUATIS, Europe’s largest aquarium and vivarium, takes you on an exploration of the most fascinating freshwater environments on our planet;
• Devoted entirely to photography, the museum Photo Élysée has created the “Studio”, a discovery area for young visitors and families;
• The Collection de l’Art Brut, which presents the surprising creations of self-taught artists, offers workshops for children, as well as a game album and coloured pencils to guide youngsters aged six to twelve through each temporary exhibition;
•  In the Vallée de la Jeunesse, the Inventions Space offers exhibitions on subjects as diverse as mechanics, how our brains work and energy. In this place designed just for them, children are allowed to touch, experiment and ask questions;
•  The ArchéoLab is a place of discovery for curious kids: fun puzzles, clever games, an experience to share with the whole family… let’s set off on a journey back to Roman times!

Garden Parties

Music, dance, theatre, street art, storytelling and circus acts: that’s what’s on the menu at Lausanne’s Garden Parties. Over five summer weekends and in five city parks, a rich and original programme of cultural events is on offer. On Saturday afternoons, the Garden Parties are often dedicated to family discovery, with workshops, treasure hunts, walks and storytelling for children.

Festivals

Every July, the Festival de la Cité is undoubtedly Lausanne’s favourite free event. Unexpected, quirky and friendly, children, teenagers, adults, locals and tourists alike flock to the festival, and there’s something for everyone in a programme that combines theatre and music, performance and dance, circus  acts and street art. BDFIL, the Swiss and international comics festival, takes place every September in the heart of Lausanne. Exhibitions, competitions, screenings and events for children and adults alike are all on the programme for this back-to-school cultural event.

Physical activities

As well as nautical activities, families can enjoy a range of sports during their stay in Lausanne. In good weather, the vast plain of Mauvernay and its forests in the north of the city offer a wide range of sporting possibilities: running, mountain biking, horse riding, golf or the VITA trail, a sports trail punctuated by physical activities that is very popular with the Swiss. In bad weather, you can choose between badminton at Malley, tennis at Montchoisi or la Pontaise, or squash at Renens. All the facilities can be hired for an hour, a day or a holiday.

A special mention that will appeal to teenagers is the Skatepark Sévelin 36 or HS36, one of Europe’s first indoor venues, with a bowl, modular street area, quarters, fun boxes, slide bars and ramps available to skateboarders, skaters and other trial cyclists from the age of 10. For the outdoor version, head for the lakeside and the Bowl de Vidy, a structure comprising several bowls that is the largest of its kind in Switzerland.

Snow games

Lausanne may be on the shores of a lake, but it’s also a great place to enjoy the pleasures of winter! Make the most of the snow, head to Chalet-à-Gobet, the highest point of the city at 872 metres above sea level. Here you can enjoy a family toboggan or introduce the little ones to the pleasures of skiing on the magic carpet installed at Mauvernay.

There are several skating rinks to choose from: the big ones in Malley, Pontaise and Montchoisi, and smaller temporary ones, you prefer the urban atmosphere of Flon or the more bucolic lakeside setting of Lutry.

Christmas enchantment

Lausanne’s Christmas market – dubbed “Bô Noël” – brings the city centre to life during the four weeks of Advent with a myriad of small themed markets. The atmosphere is friendly, and the chalets showcase local creations. You’ll be able to sample local products, including wines from the region, delicious fondues and Malakoff (cheese fritters), not forgetting the inevitable mulled wine and Glühmost.

The Children’s Village, in the heart of the historic Cité district, awaits children for story readings, games and, of course, the long-awaited arrival of Santa Claus. And because Christmas isn’t complete without a nativity scene, real farm animals will be waiting patiently on the Cathedral esplanade every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

Fun in the area

Lausanne is an ideal starting point for energising day trips to one of the many nearby theme parks.

• -At the end of the lake, on the Valais side, Aquaparc is a veritable tropical oasis where more than 1,000 metres of slides converge in pools heated to 32°C. Fun, thrills and relaxation for all the family.

•  Not far away, the miniature steam trains of the Swiss Vapeur Parc take you on a journey of discovery through a Lilliputian world of amazing replicas of the finest Swiss buildings;

•  Watch a pack of wolves, a family of bears and a herd of bison from a footbridge: this astonishing spectacle awaits you at the Juraparc animal park;

•  Closer to Lausanne, the Pré-Vert leisure park offers a myriad of activities that will easily keep you busy for a day: slides, swings, carousels, mazes, miniature golf, 18-hole golf course,high rope course in the forest, children’s shows, beach volleyball, table tennis, farm and covered playroom in case of bad weather.