Geneva and Lausanne- what are they like?

[sallycinamon]

DH is about to turn 40 and mad on anything related to the Olympic Games. I was thinking of taking him to visit the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. There is no airport in Lausanne so we would need to fly to Geneva.

Wasn't sure whether to stay in Geneva and then get the train to Lausanne just for the day or whether to stay in Lausanne for the whole weekend. Hotels are cheaper in Lausanne but is there enough to do?? what exactly is Lausanne like?

Is Geneva worth a visit so would it actually be better to spend a bit extra and base ourselves there?

Any advice gratefully received!

Maybe you need to ping MmeLindt who I think lives in or near Geneva.

I've been to the olympic museum and it can be covered in half a day so maybe it would be better to stay somewhere else (Geneva, Montreux, Morges, Nyon etc) where there are other great things to do and you might find a better choice of hotels. The Swiss Tourism website has loads of ideas www.myswitzerland.com/

I hope you have a lovely time!

Hello, just noticed this thread.

Applesandcider is right, the Olympic Museum can be covered in 1/2 day. We went there with the DC and spent a couple of hours, but a lot of that was wandering around the gardens. You could spend more time there if you were going to look at things in more detail.

The restaurant in the museum is lovely. We only had coffee and cake there, but the menu looked great. It overlooks the lake, with the mountains beyond.

Lausanne is built on a big hill. The city centre is at the top of the hill, the lake where the museum is quite a distance away. It is all very well connected though.

I think you would probably struggle to spend the whole weekend in Lausanne, depending on your other interests.

Geneva is definitely worth a visit. I would base myself there and take the train (or perhaps even the boat) to Lausanne. That will depend on when you travel, as the boat to Lausanne only runs in Summer, I think. Or you take the train there, and boat back.

There is a lot to do in Geneva. Museums, galleries, bit of window shopping. There are often concerts or fêtes going on. Or farmers markets.

What time of year were you planning to go?

Hi MmeLindt

Thanks for your reply. We are going in early May.

We are staying in Lausanne for the three nights. I'm afraid I booked it before I read your post. If you think this is a big a mistake we could probably cancel.

We will have two whole days in Lausanne. I thought we could spend one in the Olympic Museum and exploring Lausanne itself and the other around the lake (boat trip??) or possibly going to Geneva for the day.

We are staying in the Ibis-Lausanne-Centre. Not exactly traditionally Swiss, I know, but it was cheap and had good reviews on Trip Advisor and is really only a base.

Having visited Switzerland as a child I am keen to have Fondue and make the most of a weekend break from our young dcs!

If you have any other tips I'd love to hear from you.

Across the lake from Lausanne is a lovely little village called Yvoire. If you could get a boat across, its well worth a visit.

Evian across the lake is great, we went for a weekend with friends and caught a boat across to Lausanne and the Olympic museum. Never stayed in Geneva, just spent days there before boarding a plane.