Lausanne by motorhome: Ouchy, the old town and the hills between

Look at a map of Lausanne and you might expect an easy lakeside stroll. Then you notice the contours: Ouchy and the cathedral are at quite different heights. If you arrive by motorhome, I’d sort out somewhere suitable to park, then split the day between Ouchy and the old town. Édouard can wait while we let the metro do part of the work.

Most of our own footage from Lake Geneva was filmed around Montreux. For Lausanne, I suggest a practical route, with the places to see and a campsite listed by the tourist office, I’m not going to turn an unconfirmed overnight stop or meal into a personal recommendation.

This video tells the story of our arrival in Switzerland, our search for water and the first kilometres of the trip. It does not show a visit to Lausanne.

Things to do in Lausanne: split the day between the Cité and Ouchy

Lausanne is located on the northern shore of Lake Geneva, in the canton of Vaud. It’s easy to put all the sights on a list and forget how steep the city is. The Ouchy district is by the lake; the Cité and its cathedral dominate the city. You can combine both in one day, but allow time to get between them.

I would keep the morning for the upper town, with Place de la Palud and the Escaliers du Marché, then the afternoon for Ouchy. You can also reverse according to your arrival or the weather. What matters is to group visits by neighbourhood: going up, coming back down to the lake, then going back up for a museum, that’s a plan that ends up resembling a workout. We already do enough around the motorhome.

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame and the Escaliers du Marché

The Cathedral of Lausanne was built in the 12th and 13th centuries, and consecrated in 1275. It became Protestant during the Reformation, in 1536. That gives you a useful starting point for the visit: a medieval building whose use changed and which has undergone major restoration work.

Look at the painted portal and the rose window rather than heading straight for the panorama. The visit can continue through the alleys of the Cité; the Escaliers du Marché connect this area to Place de la Palud. To climb the bell tower, check the access and the day’s hours. A stroll around the cathedral and the ascent of its tower do not require the same time or effort.

The Palud provides a good starting point on foot. The Justice fountain and the automaton clock provide two details to look for in this small square, before continuing towards the cathedral. There’s no need to turn this neighbourhood into a race for monuments: save time for the streets between stops.

Ouchy and the Lake Geneva waterfront

In Ouchy, the promenade follows the lake, the port, and the gardens. You can walk by the Olympic park or extend towards the spaces of Vidy. The lake opens the landscape towards the Alps; the upper town will remain behind you. It’s this difference that makes both parts of the day interesting.

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The landscape of Lake Geneva above is a photograph by Olive Sun, already present in our media library, and not a photo from our trip. For a crossing or a cruise, check the day’s schedule: not all boats stop everywhere and the season changes the choice of departures. I would keep this outing as a real activity, with its schedule, rather than as an improvised link between two visits.

The Olympic Museum, if you want an indoor visit

The Olympic Museum is located on the Ouchy quay. Its collections cover the Games, their objects, and their stories; the sculpture park complements the walk by the lake. The museum indicates about an hour and a half for the visit. Add the journey and a margin if you like to read the explanations: reserving something else right after would be a bit optimistic.

You can prepare the entry conditions on the official Olympic Museum ticketing site. The ticket, any possible discounts, and the outdoor walk are distinct things. Choose according to your interest in the Games, not because you absolutely need to fill a list.

Where to sleep in Lausanne by motorhome? The Vidy campsite option

The Camping de Vidy, on chemin du Camping, is an address listed by the tourist office. It is located near the lake and lists a motorhome service point and washing machines among its facilities. Contact the campsite to check availability, vehicle dimensions and which facilities will be open for your stay.

I won’t give you a personal opinion on a night here: this is a practical campsite suggestion for planning Lausanne. Before booking, specify the length of the vehicle, the number of people, and your need for electricity. Also, ask about the arrival conditions if you expect to arrive late. A spot that seems free on a map is not necessarily an available pitch when you reach reception.

For the visit, leaving the motorhome parked and reaching the neighbourhoods on foot or by transport avoids searching for multiple parking spots during the day. Check your route from the chosen site: Vidy and Ouchy run along the same lake, but they are not two names for the same place.

Our apps used in the motorhome can help you plan service stops and routes. Recent comments are useful for spotting modified access; confirm your booking directly with the campsite.

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Check whether your stay includes a Lausanne Transport Card

Partner accommodations, including eligible campsites, offer the Lausanne Transport Card. It provides access to transport in the designated Mobilis zones and discounts with certain partners. Ask your accommodation if they issue it and how to receive it before paying for separate trips.

The m2 metro connects Ouchy to the centre. For a day with the upper town and the lake, it offers a solution when the legs start negotiating the next steps. Check the station that suits your itinerary: getting off “at the centre” does not always mean arriving in front of the intended monument.

Budget and meals: leave some room in the Lausanne budget

At the beginning of our Swiss trip, our concerns were very down-to-earth: getting a connection to work, finding water, and manageing the road with Édouard. We had spotted a service area, but its exit was closed for work. The water point existed on the map; when we needed it, we couldn’t get to it. Since then, I prefer to have a second option before heading out to visit.

In Lausanne, plan separately for the night, transport, visits, and meals. The walks in Ouchy and the old town can make up a good part of the day without a museum ticket. For eating, buying something for a picnic avoids planning a restaurant at every break. Keep the quays clean and look at the local customs before settling down.

If you want to taste a Vaud dish, papet vaudois combines leeks and potatoes with a cabbage sausage. It’s a specialty to look for on the menus, without assuming it will be served everywhere or all year round. Choose your restaurant based on the current menu, the listed price, and your return route.

The widget below concerns Lausanne. If it does not provide data, directly compare your expected expenses; a travel budget cannot be deduced from an absent average.

Quota RapidAPI dépassé (limite par minute/mois). Réessayez plus tard.

For a hotel stay, you can compare availability in Lausanne here. These are accommodations to book, distinct from our motorhome trip.

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Arriving in Lausanne and choosing the season

If you’re travelling from the UK in your own motorhome, plan the Channel crossing and the onward journey through France separately from your day in Lausanne. If you’re flying, compare your arrival options at Geneva and the train connection to Lausanne. Neither option requires you to drive the motorhome between the lakeside and the old town.

If you take the Swiss motorways with a vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes, the vignette currently costs 40 CHF. The OFDF specifies the rules, including differences for heavier vehicles. During our trip, we had the sticker version; there is also an electronic version. Check your vehicle’s regime before purchasing it.

To enjoy the lake, mild days provide more outdoor possibilities. In case of rain, keep indoor visits and transport as support. Our passage on the Riviera was partly cut short by bad weather: a plan with a bit of flexibility withstands better than a collection of tight reservations.

Continuing on Lake Geneva: Montreux and Caroline’s memories

Around Montreux and its musical promenade, the guide takes a more personal turn. Caroline lived there for almost three years and worked at the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace. We returned to the hotel frontage after seeing her former colleagues, then followed the quays towards Freddie Mercury and the casino.

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These two images show Montreux, not Lausanne. If you have several days by the lake, you can choose a base and reach the other city by train. If you only have one day, I would keep Lausanne and its neighbourhoods: adding Montreux, a museum and a boat trip can leave you spending more time checking timetables than looking around.

The Lake Lucerne and our hikes around Lucerne require another stop on the road trip. It’s another lake, another region, and additional driving time.

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A map for planning Lausanne

The pins show Ouchy, the old town, the museum and Camping de Vidy, so you can work out the journeys between them.

For a UK mobile plan, check Switzerland explicitly in your provider’s roaming list and check the allowance attached to your particular tariff. Don’t assume that a European roaming offer includes Switzerland. Download the maps you need before leaving reliable Wi-Fi.

PS: the lake is almost flat. For the rest of Lausanne, I would still keep a pair of comfortable shoes.