Transportation

HOW TO GET TO LAUSANNE

!! All recent information regarding the current measures against corona/covid in Lausanne can be found here:

https://www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/en/coronavirus-situation-a-lausanne

(Click on the canton of Vaud)

Lausanne, synonymous with the Olympic capital, is a sporty and human-sized city built on 3 hills, so take your sneakers or rely on public transport! It is the only Swiss city where you will find a subway. A look at the website of Lausanne tourisme and you will see that public transport is fast and efficient.
https://www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/en/lausanne-in-short

For your travels in Lausanne and if you wish to extend your stay, all the practical information:
https://www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/en/getting-around-in-lausanne

Access to Lausanne

Lausanne is easily accessible:
- by road (A1/E25 and A9/E27 freeways)
- by rail with the Swiss SBB CFF network (www.sbb.ch), with direct EC trains and with the TGV (https://www.tgv-lyria.com/ch/fr) at 3 hours from Paris and 3h30 from Milan
- by air (60 km from Geneva International Airport in 45 minutes by car or train)
- and even by water, thanks to the boats of the Compagnie Générale de Navigation (CGN) on Lake Geneva from Evian/Vevey and Montreux for example

BY TRAIN

The Lausanne train station is well served by international connections. You will find all the timetables and connections on: https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html.

SBB stands for Schweizerische Bundesbahnen and is the German translation of "CFF", Swiss Federal Railways. (FFS for the Italian version).  You will find all the timetables there. In airports and cities you will find this logo which indicates the direction of the station:

The site of the TGV lyria for the participants who come from France will give you all the schedules and tariffs:
https://www.tgv-lyria.com/ch/en

When you arrive at the Lausanne train station (https://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/at-the-station/railway-stations/lausanne-station.html), you can do some shopping and find all the necessary information at the SBB counter.

North of the station, you can take the bus or the metro (M1 or M2), making sure you have a ticket, which you can buy at the distributor or on the “mobile cff” application which will give you all the timetables in Switzerland and in the city of Lausanne.

 Or: "Tl" (https://www.t-l.ch/) to your hotel or the Beaulieu Congress Center.

If you are staying in an accommodation in Lausanne, a "Lausanne Transport Card" is issued to each visitor by the accommodation establishment on arrival at their place of stay. It is valid for the duration of the reservation, including arrival and departure days (maximum 15 days). In case of control, an identity document must be presented. With your Lausanne Transport Card, you can use public transport in the agglomeration (bus, train, metro) freely throughout your stay: https://www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/fr/lausanne-transport-card-and-more/

On the "mobile cff" application you will find "discounted" tickets for certain schedules.

From the train station, you can also take a taxi.
Lausanne Gare Taxi station at Pl. de la Gare 7 - 0844 814 814
Taxi Lausanne Av. de la Gare 18 - 00 41 (0) 76 608 01 93
Taxi Budget Lausanne Av. de Morges 31 - 00 41 (0)21 802 40 61

 

BY car

If you arrive by car in Switzerland, it is compulsory to buy the Vignette, at CHF 40.00, available in post offices or gas stations as well as at customs.

Seat belts must be worn in the front and back of the vehicle.

Speed limits
In town: between 30 and 50 km/h
Outside the city: 70 to 80 km/h
Highways: 120 km/h

Parking lots

Near Beaulieu, you will find a parking lot which is indicated from the highway exit. (see the link below to get to Beaulieu)

You can also park on the outskirts of the city in the park-and-ride lots and finish your journey by public transport (cheaper than in the city center). The Velodrome parking lot is located near Beaulieu.

https://www.lausanne.ch/vie-pratique/mobilite/parkings-stationnement/parking-relais.html

BY plane

 

The 2 main airports in Switzerland are served by EasyJet and other companies.

It is located 45 minutes by car from Lausanne depending on traffic, or 35 minutes by train (and serves the city of Geneva in passing).

It is located at about 2h20 by train from Lausanne with connections every 30 minutes (it also serves the cities of Bern / Fribourg). Being farther from Lausanne than Geneva, it is necessary to count on a rather expensive train ticket from Zurich to Lausanne, without any discount).

In each airport you will find car rental companies, taxis and of course the rail and SBB stations.  

The easiest way to get to Lausanne from Geneva and Zurich airports is to use public transport and the train. All your timetables can be found on the “cff mobile” application. Or: https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html

There are season tickets for tourists living abroad who can benefit from a general season ticket for all transport in Switzerland. This subscription can be particularly useful if you want to visit Switzerland for 3 days or more and if you arrive via Zurich airport (which is further away and therefore the train ticket is more expensive).
https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/inspiration/international-guests.html

A card with a preferential rate that allows you to come/return from Geneva airport and visit for 5 days, if you wish to extend your stay in the Lake Geneva Region!
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/planning/transport-accommodation/tickets-public-transport/regional-passes/regional-pass-lake-geneva-alps/

By boat

With the CGN, general navigation company you can reach Lausanne by Lake Geneva:
https://www.cgn.ch/en/horaires-billets

Towards or to the Lausanne-Ouchy landing stages you can reach the towns of Morges, Rolle, Nyon, Geneva, Montreux, Vevey ... as well as other localities along the lake beyond the French-Swiss border.

The 2 lines N1 and N2 offer numerous round trips all year round between Evian-Lausanne and Thonon-Lausanne.

 transportation to the congress venue beaulieu

Your access to the congress venue "Beaulieu"
https://beaulieu-lausanne.com/

If you come by car, take the freeway exit "Blécherette" and reach the Beaulieu parking in 5 minutes. All information on the following link:
https://beaulieu-lausanne.com/congres-beaulieu/parking/#parking

Parking rates:
https://www.parking.ch/fr/parkings/lausanne/parking-beaulieu
https://www.lausanne.ch/vie-pratique/mobilite/parkings-stationnement/parkings-couverts/parking-de-beaulieu.html
https://beaulieu-lausanne.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/BL_brochure_plan-situation_A5_FR_LD.pdf

3 lines of transport in Lausanne serve the congress center directly
Bus TL 2 (stop Beaulieu) (direct from the Ouchy pier)
Bus TL 3 (stop Beaulien Jomini) and Bus TL 21 (stop Beaulieu) serve the Beaulieu Congress Center from the Lausanne SBB train station in 10 minutes.

 

Jean-Luc Monnier