In May we are winding our way by train from Bordeaux to Marseille to Lyon, and now looking at a stop in Switzerland as we head to Strasbourg and Paris. And as I look at the map and read different travel, blogs, etc. it looks like Lausanne might be a really nice stop. We are somewhat leisurely travelers, no hiking or kayaking, etc. we are foodies!. We would love to take a cooking class there. About how much time is reasonable to spend before heading back into France? Also, are there any recommendations for areas in which to stay? Is it reasonable to look for lodging near the train station or are there more desirable locations? Thank you so much for any answers or thought you might have for me… I keep coming back to this site because we keep changing our minds. Fortunately any reservations I have made have all been cancellable. Ha ha ha.
Posted by
Nashville, TN
429 posts
Lausanne is a very steep City where you have to take the metro to get from the train down to the lake. I’d recommend looking at staying in Montreux instead. It’s only a 20 minute train to Lausanne for anything you want to do there. The lake promenade walk to Chateau de Chillon with a boat ride back is lovely. There is also a great walk amongst the wine terraces you can do from Chexbres to Saint Saphorin. The stone terraces were built by monks 1000 years ago and they are fascinating to see. It’s an easy paved walk amongst the vines and you can combine it with wine tasting and a meal. Saint Saphorin is also a magical little village to walk through. It looks like it’s out of a movie set. There are also a couple high end Auberge restaurants in Saint Saphorin if you’re a foodie.
Posted by
464 posts
If you stay in Lausanne the Port D’Ouchy area is very nice right on Lake Geneva by the promenade. We took the metro from the train station to Port D’Ouchy to our hotel. It is like a funicular going down to the waterfront. Another town to consider is Vevey which is on the train line. We took a chocolate making class at Laederach there.
Posted by
London, England
139 posts
Nice city. I stayed at the Hotel a la Gare which is right next to the railway station but no issues with train noise or rowdiness. As other people have said, the climb up from the lakefront to the station and then to the old town is very steep if you try it on foot, but you can use the metro or bus routes.
Posted by
52 posts
We are staying in Montreux at the Hotel Suisse Majestic. It is a Marriott property and right next to the railway station. We plan to walk to Chillon and also visit the wine terraces during our time there. A half day in Lausanne is also on the agenda as we have five nights.
The hotel overlooks the lake on the other side, so best of both worlds.
It is just over an hour to the airport by train, but we have now decided to spend the last night in Geneva just so we can see that city too.