Use the train! It's the best way. . . this is, after all, Switzerland! If you come from Geneva, it’s only a half hour ride in a comfortable Swiss train. If you, on other hand, have an opportunity to arrive from Bern or Zurich, you…Read More

Use the train! It's the best way. . . this is, after all, Switzerland! If you come from Geneva, it’s only a half hour ride in a comfortable Swiss train. If you, on other hand, have an opportunity to arrive from Bern or Zurich, you will be rewarded by spectacular views of Lake Geneva as you approach the city. You will pass through a region of lovely vineyards on steep mountain slopes with hundreds of old stone houses scattered around. On a clear day, the lake has magnificent deep blue colour with reflections of high mountains on far French side. The sight is breathtaking.

The main railway station is situated in center of the city, offering easy access to all main spots. Be careful, though, because Lausanne is a city of a hundred hills. To reach the city center directly, you will be forced to climb incredibly steep Rue d'Petit-Chain. If you have your bags with you, use the metro! It is just across the street and goes directly to Place de Flon and main city hub.

Don't ever let anyone tell you that the Swiss are boring. Stoic, often, but not boring. While I lived in Lausanne, I found that the Swiss have quite a sense of humor when it came to bachelor and bachelorette parties. Over the…Read More

Don't ever let anyone tell you that the Swiss are boring. Stoic, often, but not boring. While I lived in Lausanne, I found that the Swiss have quite a sense of humor when it came to bachelor and bachelorette parties. Over the summer, I encountered brides-to-be forced to walk around kissing men and wig-wearing, thong-baring men galore. However, there was one incident that I believe I will remember forever.

I had made a habit of going for an evening stroll down by the Ouchy shore, and one evening, I encountered a band of guys hazing their unfortunate friend. As part of their joke, they forced him to get into full SCUBA gear (he was a regular diver) and told him to swim around in the fountain by the shore. Naturally, the fountain was barely calf-deep, and for 20 minutes, he swam back and forth with the kids wading to avoid the heat. But that wasn't the end of it. Post-kiddie pool dive, his friends handed him a bucket of fish. Naturally, they wanted him to sell each of them in full gear. It was perhaps the most amusing public display of humiliation I have ever had the honor of witnessing.

I sure hope that she was worth it.

Lausanne’s lovely position and its liberalism has for centuries attracted writers and artists. In 1750s Voltaire staged his plays at his home, to which the recently arrived Edward Gibbon was invited. Here Gibbon wrote the final words of the most celebrated historical work in…Read More

Lausanne’s lovely position and its liberalism has for centuries attracted writers and artists. In 1750s Voltaire staged his plays at his home, to which the recently arrived Edward Gibbon was invited. Here Gibbon wrote the final words of the most celebrated historical work in the English language, "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire". Charles Dickens wrote "Dombey and Son" and "The Battle of Life" during six months in a villa overlooking the lake during 1846, where the family was visited by Tennyson, Thackeray amongst many others. Arnold Bennet wrote part of "Clayhanger" here in 1910. The final part of "The Waste Land" was written here in 1922 when T.S. Eliot came to convalesce after a breakdown.

Other famous people who chose to live in this area have included the writers Honore de Balzac and Andre Gide, the composers Richard Wagner and Franz Listz; and more recently, the actors Charlie Chaplin, Yul Brynner, Audrey Hepburn, James Mason, Noel Coward, William Holden, David Nivwen, and Sophia Loren.