After a quick 40-minute ride from Geneva we hopped off the train and headed out into a rainy Lausanne! The combination of rain, my heavy backpack, and jet-lag made the hills of Lausanne seem like an impossible climb to me as we searched for our hotel. Luckily my husband is unfailingly calm, never jet-lagged, and always willing to kindly remind me to take a deep breath and look around at the new city we’re in! That’s how you know you have found a great travel partner–when they can see you’re fading and step in to lead the way (and maybe carry your backpack) for a bit.
We were rewarded for persevering through the rainy trek into Lausanne as soon as we found our temporary home: Hotel des Voyageurs. Recently remodeled, our hotel room was modern and spacious with all of the amenities that someone soaked from the rain and suffering from jet lag could want (more specifically: a teapot and a shower).
We unpacked a bit and planned the rest of our afternoon in Lausanne, beginning with a walk to see the Cathedrale de Lausanne.
From here we took advantage of Lausanne’s public transportation and our hotel’s hospitality by using the metro card provided by our hotel to ride down to the Ouchy district. The lakefront area was lively and active as people enjoyed the parks, wandered around the grounds of the historic hotels, and rushed to catch ferries. The jet lag was hitting me hard at this point so we slowly wandered from bench to bench along the lakefront, stopping to rest and take photos along the way.
Before we knew it we were standing at the base of the Olympic Museum and no matter how bad the jet lag was, nothing was going to keep us from climbing those stairs to see the Olympic flame! The museum was getting ready to close so we made plans to come back the next day when our Swiss Travel Pass would be active, granting us free entrance to the museum!
As the sun started to go down and the cold temperatures set in, we hopped back on the metro and made our way back to the old town neighborhood for dinner. We settled on a place near our hotel named Pinte Besson. The space was small and cozy (Josh barely fit at our table if we’re being honest) and the food was incredible! We had the traditional cheese fondue–the first of many–and a delicious seasonal ravioli. This was one of our favorite meals of the trip and we would definitely recommend a visit to this historic restaurant!
Day Two
The next morning we woke up early and enjoyed breakfast at the hotel before catching the train that would take us to one of my new favorite places on earth: the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces. The setting could not be more beautiful and the wines–made mainly from the Chasselas grape–were lovely! You can read more about our time in the Lavaux here.
A few hours (and a thousand pictures) later we made our way back to Lausanne’s Ouchy district for our visit to the Olympic Museum. If you are—or have ever been—a fan of the Olympics, this is a must-visit place! Over three floors, the Museum provides a historical look at the Olympics—ancient and modern—with different interactive options and famous items from over the years placed throughout. There are famous skis, ice skates, gymnastics uniforms and my favorite, Olympic torches and medals from every year. With short video clips replaying famous moments in Olympic history on each floor, you’ll leave the Museum counting down the days until the next Opening Ceremonies!
After our visit to the Olympic Museum we bought a bottle of wine made with Chasselas grapes from one of the vineyards we walked through earlier. We wandered past the historic hotels in the Ouchy district and enjoyed our wine lakeside as we planned our next stop: Lauterbrunnen.
