Daytrip to Lausanne from Geneva by Train

On this trip to Switzerland I really wanted to see more of the country but we wanted to base ourselves in one place and explore utilizing day trips by train. We decided to base ourselves in Geneva after falling in love with the city on our first trip, so from there, we decided to stay four nights in the city and utilize the close proximity of the train station to explore more of Switzerland. One of the cities that kept coming up in my research as an easy day trip from Geneva was Lausanne so we spent one of our days exploring the town. Here’s all we did on our day trip to Lausanne from Geneva by train!

Buy Your Train Tickets on the Day of Your Journey

There is no need to buy tickets in advance and you can buy them at the station the day of your journey. On the Intercity trains, there is no designated seating so you can just buy a ticket for the train time that works for you and the trains run every 30 minutes or so, sometimes more often. The journey to Lausanne from Geneva will take between 35-45 minutes depending on the train you get on and how many stops are on the way.

Beware, Lausanne is very hilly!

Honestly I wasn’t really aware of how hilly Lausanne is and I was definitely sore the day after! You’ll be climbing up very steep hills to get to the top of Lausanne where there are spectacular views over the city and Lake Geneva. When you arrive at the train station, you can head directly into the Old Town part of Lausanne and climb the cobblestone hills to the main area of town. At the top of the city is the Cathedral de Lausanne and the Palais de Rumine, both stunning old buildings with views for days. We mostly just wandered for the time we were there and that’s the best way to see Lausanne. From cobblestone streets to amazing views, you’ll find it all here on foot just wandering!