Lausanne

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ABOVE: Le Château de l'Ouchy (background) and the Beau-Rivage Palace are two of Lausanne's classic lakefront hotels.

Hotels and other accommodations

When picking a hotel in Lausanne, your first challenge is to decide where to stay. Ouchy is convenient to the lake, the Olympic Museum, and steamers that run to other towns along Lac Léman. The Haute-Ville, or Upper Town, is more convenient to the railroad station, sightseeing, and the Flon nightlife district. (Normally the Métro makes it easy to shuttle between the lake and higher elevations, but until the rebuilt line opens in 2008, visitors must rely on buses, taxis, and their own feet for transportation up and down the hill.)

In Ouchy, the Beau-Rivage Palace is the crème de la crème of the city's 5-star luxury hotels, with a private 10-acre park facing the lake. Nearby are the Angleterre & Residence (4 stars), which is spread out over six pavilions, and Le Château d'Ouchy (3 stars) at the Place du Pu Port, which resembles a French castle.

Uphill from Ouchy is the modern Continental (4 stars), which lies directly opposite the railroad station. It's a practical choice if you've got heavy luggage or an early train. The Elite (3 stars) occupies a refurbished building between the station and the old town.

In the Haute-Ville above the railroad station, the Alpha-Palmiers (4 stars) is an ultramodern glass structure whose rooms overlook a landscaped courtyard. The hotel, which was built in 2002 at a cost of CHF 40 million, is mostly hidden behind traditional façades on the Rue du Petit-Chiène.

The reception staff were friendly during my stay, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover a jar of peanut butter at the breakfast buffet, but my glass-walled room was a bit stuffy on a sunny day in late October when the air conditioning was off for the season. The management of the Alpha-Palmiers also runs the City (3 stars), which is close to the cathedral and the Flon entertainment quarter.

Farther up the hill on the rue du Grand-Chène (slightly west of the Place Saint-François) is the Edwardian-era Lausanne Palace & Spa (5 stars), which is the place to stay if you need quasi-royal accommodation in the city center.

For simplicity in a romantic setting, consider the Du Raisin (telephone +41 21 312 27 56), which has seven rooms above a café on the Place de la Palud in the pedestrian zone.

For more hotel options, or for discount rates at several of the hotels listed above, see the Lausanne hotel listings from our booking partner, Venere. Lausanne Tourism also has accommodation listings for hotels, campgrounds, and B&Bs. Finally, the Lausanne Youth Hostel is a modern, well-equipped lakeside establishment for travelers on a budget. More than half of its rooms are singles or doubles with private WC, toilet, and TV, and parking is free.

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