Art Brut Museum
The Art Brut museum doesn’t feature your “typical”
art; rather this gallery contains art from loners,
psychotics and people deemed criminally insane.
Cost: 5 francs for students
Getting there: Take bus line 2 from St. Francois
toward “Desert” and get off at the stop “Beaulieu”
Lausanne Cathedral
The cathedral of Lausanne sticks out as a dominant feature
of the city. The cathedral, built in the 13th century, is an
impressive site and well worth a visit to the top. For 2
francs you can climb the tower steps for excellent views of
the city. It is one of the only cathedrals in Europe that still
has a night “watchman.” From 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. a man with
a lantern will shout the hour from the tower, which is
hard to miss, as there are numerous bars in the area.
Services still take place here every Sunday.
Getting there: Take the metro line 2 in the direction of
“Croisettes” and get off at “Bessieres”
Lac Sauvabelin
Lac Sauvabelin is a nice place for views of all of the
city or to take a walk. The lake itself is a bit ordinary
in comparison to lake Geneva but what stands out
here is the tower that overlooks the city and the lake.
Entry to the tower is free but can occasionally close
during windy days.
Getting there: Take bus 16 toward “Grand-Vennes”
and get off at “Lac Sauvabelin”
FC Lausanne-Sport
“ICI C’EST LAUSANNE” is a common chant at FC
Lausanne-Sport soccer matches. If you like soccer, the
club’s matches are fun and exciting and offer a different
atmosphere from American soccer. After the team went
bankrupt in 2003 they were moved down to a lower
division until the start of the 2011 seaon. Since they won
the division 2 championship, they once again play in the
first division the Swiss Super League. The beautiful
stadium located in the northern part of the city has
views of the surrounding mountains.
Price: Tickets for the standing section cost 10 francs.
This is where you want to be, not sitting. Season ticket
packages are also available
http://www.lausanne-sport.ch
Getting there: Take bus 1 towards “Blecherette” and get
off at “Stade Olympique”
Video: Final match to win division 2 (away game)
Travel by Boat
Lausanne’s lakefront location offers the opportunity
to travel by boat. Possible places to travel include
Evian, Montreux and Morges; all of which make for
nice day trips. Other options include dinner and sight
seeing cruises.
Prices: Roundtrip Lausanne to Morges 14 francs
One way Lausanne to Montreux 16 francs
Roundtrip Lausanne to Evian 17 francs
(all prices are with ½ fare card)
Getting to the boat dock: Take the metro line 2 to
Ouchy and cross the street and following the sidewalk
with the lake on your rightside until you see the large
boats. There is a small ticket window before you
reach the docks.
http://www.cgn.ch/
Chateau de Chillon
Switzerland’s most famous castle lies just a short
train ride from Lausanne. Situated on Lake Geneva,
Chateau de Chillon is one of Switzerland’s great sites
to visit. The lake served as a natural moat for the
castle and past occupants used a navy for defense.
This castle has been well preserved since it has never
been damaged.
Price: 10 CHF with student ID
Getting there: Take train to Montreux 5.70 CHF, 20
min. (with ½ fare card), exit Montreux train station
and cross Avenue des Alpes and go down the stairs to
the next street. Take bus #1 (3.20 CHF) towards
“Villeneuve” and get off at the stop “Chillon.”
Music Festivals
There are several music festivals that take place
during the spring and summer months. Some of the
biggest include: Cully Jazz Festival, Balelec and
Montreux Jazz Festival. Even if you don’t particularly
like the style of music featured at a festival, the
ambiance can make attendance worthwhile,
especially if you get a group of friends together to go.
Cully Jazz Festival: While lesser known than the
Montreux Jazz Festival, Cully offers a great
experience and ambiance of its own. This festival
takes place in the lakeside village of Cully and is only
a 10 minute train ride from Lausanne (2.50 CHF). It
lasts for a week during March or April. While some
concerts require a ticket, several do not. A list of free
concerts can be found on the website and on a
billboard in the main square meaning little planning
is required. http://www.cullyjazz.ch/
Music Festivals cont.
Balelec: Balelec is a music festival bringing in a wide
variety of music styles from rock to regae to techno.
Most of the groups are from Switzerland or France.
The festival takes place at the EPFL, another
university in Lausanne, in May. Tickets cost 25 CHF if
bought in advance. Nobody has actually heard of any
of these groups but get a group together and this
student festival can be memorable.
http://www.balelec.ch/
Montreux Jazz Festival: This world renowned festival
taking place in July is worth visit and a great way to
spend an evening. Much like Cully, there are concerts
that require tickets and other that are free. Santana
and B.B. King are some notable past artists.
http://www.montreuxjazz.com/