About Lausanne

Lausanne is a city in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of Vaud. The city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman, or simply Le Léman). It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west. Lausanne is located 62 kilometers (38.5 miles) northeast of Geneva.

Lausanne has a population (as of October 2015) of 141,659 making it the fourth largest city in Switzerland, with the entire agglomeration area having 402,900 inhabitants (as of December 2014). The metropolitan area of Lausanne-Geneva (including Vevey-Montreux, Yverdon-les-Bains, and foreign parts) was over 1.2 million inhabitants in 2000.

Lausanne is a focus of international sport, hosting the International Olympic Committee (which recognizes the city as the "Olympic Capital" since 1994), the Court of Arbitration for Sport and some 55 international sport associations. It lies in a noted wine-growing region. The city has a 28-station metro system, making it the smallest city in the world to have a rapid transit system.


Lausanne Airport is located at Blécherette. The city is also directly linked by train to the Geneva International Airport, four times an hour, in 42 minutes.