There are many places around Switzerland from which to appreciate the glory of autumn, but there’s something particularly special about spending it in Lausanne. This always-beautiful region takes on an especially appealing autumnal hue as summer slowly fades away, and as if to celebrate this, the city comes alive with events and activities.
We’ve picked out five of our favourite things to do in Lausanne to make the most of this unique season, so go forth and begin owning autumn in this welcoming city. And for more inspiration, simply click here and start planning your perfect autumn calendar.
Perhaps the best way to truly get a feel for the season is simply to take a step back and the array of yellows, oranges, browns and greens all around you. Lausanne is blessed with lots of excellent spots in which to find prime autumn colours, including beautiful Denantou Park and its 16-metre-high pavilion (a present from Thailand) and the luscious Lavaux vineyards.
There are few things more comforting than retreating to a warm cafe on a crisp autumn day and treating yourself to a coffee and an indulgent snack. Lausanne has plenty of charming cafes to pick from, but a few favourites include Ordinary Man (a hip coffee hotspot serving first-rate specialty brews), L’Académie (another top spot known for its breakfasts) and Coffee Page, a homely venue serving locally roasted coffee and offering books to browse and read, inviting long and lingering visits. Find more autumnal cafe bliss by clicking through below.
Lausanne’s annual autumn marathon celebrates its 30th edition this year, and you can be a part of it by cheering along the thousands of brave runners who’ll be hitting the streets. The course takes in the best of Lausanne’s autumnal beauty, passing by shimmering Lake Geneva and through the stunning Lavaux vineyards (designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site), amongst other picturesque spots. All that scenery means that it’s just as much fun to spectate the event as it is to run it, and a little easier on the legs, too. So, pick your spot along the course and go get involved.
Autumn is the perfect time to get stuck-in to Lausanne’s wide selection of galleries and museums, with lots of great new exhibitions opening during the season. Go and contemplate the wonders of the universe at MUDAC (the Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts), where you’ll find the much-acclaimed Space is the Place exhibition, browse the colourful and insightful pop art of Émilienne Farny at Musée d'art de Pully or immerse yourself in Belle Époque glamour via the work of Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen at Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts/Lausanne (MCBA).
If things do a little get a little chilly in autumn, Lausanne has the perfect solution for you: a choice of premium spas in which to kick back, warm up and rejuvenate. Grand venues like Lausanne Palace and the Royal Savoy have their own spas to add a further sense of luxury to the experience, as does the elegant Beau-Rivage Palace, where you’ll find the sleek Spa Cinq Mondes, featuring two heated pools for raising that temperature, plus a hammam, sauna and yoga studio.
