Lausanne is the smallest of Switzerland's biggest towns. It is easy to reach from anywhere: by road (the A1/E25 and A9/E27 motorways), by rail (both the Swiss Federal Railway network and the French TGV Paris-Milan line), by air (just 40 miles from Geneva-Cointrin International Airport) and even by water with the Compagnie générale de navigation ferries plying Lake Geneva.

Lausanne is also close to many popular excursion destinations such as Montreux and Chillon Castle, Zermatt and the Matterhorn, the Jungfrau and Lucerne, the historical hamlet of Gruyères, the Les Diablerets Glacier, the Vaud Alps and the famous French resort of Chamonix.

Lausanne, the historical crossroads

This town, which is the provincial capital of the Canton of Vaud also has a very rich history, from Lousonna of the Roman era to Lausanne, the modern European city. It has always been a key point on the North-South route from the North Sea to the Mediterranean.

Its "city", dominated by the 13th century Gothic cathedral (4 spires and 105 stained-glass windows), was built in the Middle Ages. To this day, it remains a magnificent architectural and artistic heritage with its paved roads and period houses sporting their shop signs and housing craftsmen's workshops and cosy pubs.