Lausanne, Switzerland

If we were to discuss the entire history of Lausanne, our tale would begin about 25 million years ago. For the sake of space, not to mention your personal happiness, we shall begin our brief historical tour at 6000 BCE. It is around this time that bones found in Vidy are dated. You can see these in the recently discovered Roman ruins in the lakeside suburb of Lausanne.

Skipping through the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, plus a few pillages and rampages through the town, we arrive at the 12th and 13th Centuries. Lausanne at that time was a bustling place, attracting pilgrims from all over who were particularly interested in the Cathedral. Pope Gregory X came to consecrate the Cathedral on October 20, 1275.

The Cité, one of two communities in Lausanne at the time, was surrounded by a wall, built centuries earlier for defense. After the installation of 20 more gates in the wall, Lausanne expanded outwards. These gates saw much traffic, as this small town was a major throughfare for those coming and going from Bern, Italy, the Jura, the Valais and Geneva.

Passing through several more centuries of religious wars, invasions, the plague, Lausanne came into vogue in the second half of the 18th Century, thanks to the famous philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Travelers started to come to see this beautiful hilly city, with flowing rivers and pristine countryside. These newcomers included everyone from Mozart to Voltaire to Goethe. These cultured visitors were only the beginning of Lausanne's interest in the arts and in education, as the city established the world-famous Academy, with faculties devoted to Science and Law, an art school that opened in 1823, a municipal theater, a science university, and of course, the city became the headquarters for the International Olympic Committee in 1915. In this century, Lausanne continued to grow despite the serious conflicts going on all around, most notably the two world wars.

Currently a city of 125,000, Lausanne has managed to keep its history visible and accessible. With the exception of building over the major rivers and knocking down its fortified walls, most of the city's landmarks are still around. Place de la Palud, for example, where you find twice-weekly markets, has been a meeting place for commerce since the 9th Century. The Town Hall has been home to the government for five centuries. The St-François Church, once the most imposing landmark in town, is believed to have once been made of wood, and rue de Bourg, now a very fashionable upscale street, has been courting visitors since the 9th Century. Regardless of where you look in Lausanne, everywhere there is history.

Even Lake Geneva, known as Lac Léman in French, was mentioned by Julius Caesar in 58 BCE; so when you are lying on the beach or buying your bread in Place Riponne, think about all of those who have come before you and be thankful we did not start this history lesson in 25 million BCE!

For a small city of only 125,000 people, Lausanne is a pretty hip place. There are two main reasons for this, By being a big promoter of culture and the arts, Lausanne stands out from decidedly non-artsy cities like Geneva or Zurich, and secondly, there are a lot of students in town who tend to liven things up regardless of where they hang out.

Center

There are three or four absolute must-visit places in Lausanne. The most famous is probably Cave du Bleu Lézard where you will find the best live music, the coolest crowd, and fairly good food and drink with it. Don't be intimidated by the hordes of people wearing black. This is where both regulars and tourists soak up the atmosphere so jump right in. Two other famous places are Café de L'Eveche and Le Café Romand. Café de L'Eveche is where to go for pasta, vegetarian dishes and beer fondue; Romand is where people first frequent as teenagers and continue to frequent well into retirement. You must try their cheese fondue.

On a completely different price and prestige level is La Grappe d'Or, generally considered the best restaurant in town. You will spend at least CHF100 for dinner, most likely around CHF150, and that is just for one person. Well, if you are going to splurge, do so on the set dinner, and if you want the name but not the hefty price tag, visit this restaurant's little sister La Petite Grappe, which is cheaper.

Old Town

The Restaurant de l'Hôtel de Ville (Crissier) is world-renowned and obligatory for anyone who truly loves food. Also called Restaurant Girardet, it specializes in fine French cuisine for the most part, but other dishes are available, depending on what is in season.

Lausanne Moudon is another excellent dining option specializing in brasserie-style cuisine. For a late-night drink, head to L'Arlov Jazz, or get a drink at VO in the same building. Open until 4a, almost unheard of in Lausanne, order a single malt or a cocktail, sit back and hear the smooth sounds of jazz on jam night Wednesdays or DJs on the weekends. Free entry, cheap drinks, and good jazz. Hard to beat, for sure. But if you wanted to try, head to MAD or Loft Electroclub for long nights of dancing and drinking to very loud live music. 

Ouchy

For calm evenings, other highly recommended places include: Ma Jong for expensive but excellent Chinese food, Le Restaurant de la Croix d'Ouchy for delicious Swiss cuisine featuring  smoked duck and goat cheese, the White Horse Pub for laid-back pub grub, Le Café Théâtre for meat or fish dinner with the locals (plus live music at night), enjoy an omelet at The Fox Café and pre-movie fries and a cocktail at Art Zoo.

As a general rule, cafés, bars and restaurants located around Place St-François are trendy, fun, but overpriced; those situated in the Flon district or around rue Enning will be cheaper and funkier; establishments around Place de la Palud tend to attract the locals and are lower key. Finding a good meal in Lausanne is not a problem as most places take pride in serving fresh food. You are not likely to be disappointed regardless of where you head, expect perhaps by the cost, as food and drink are not cheap in this rather expensive city.