The palm promenade
Kilometres along the water facing the Savoy Alps.
[https://www.flickr.com/people/32108725@N04 Rapha�l Thi�mard] from Belgique — CC BY 2.0 · Alain Rouiller — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Alain Rouiller — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Alain Rouiller — CC BY-SA 2.0
Ouchy is the quarter on the shore of Lake Geneva below Lausanne, the city's waterfront and its outlet: a long promenade of palms, gardens and flowers along the water, the mooring for the historic steamboats, quays where locals and students sit in the evening, and free public gardens running for kilometres east and west. The difference between Ouchy and the old town is about **a hundred and fifty metres** of altitude: the old town on the hill, the lake below, and the **m2 metro** linking them — the only metro in all Switzerland and the steepest automatic metro in the world, climbing 338 metres in all from Ouchy (373 m) to Croisettes (711 m) at the top of the city, and covering the gap in minutes. Riding it is a small pleasure in itself. From Ouchy the **lake boats** depart: scheduled services to Vevey, Montreux and Chillon Castle, and the crossing to **Évian** in France on the opposite shore (half an hour — take your passport). Walking the promenade at sunset with the Savoy mountains opposite is among the loveliest things in Lausanne, and entirely free.
Kilometres along the water facing the Savoy Alps.
About 150 vertical metres between lake and old town.
A historic Léman fleet departing from the quay.
Place de la Navigation, 1006 Lausanne
Château d'OuchyThe Château d'Ouchy is a stone building with a square tower standing directly on1 minute walk4.4
The Olympic MuseumThe Olympic Museum is the official museum of the Olympic movement, standing in a7 minutes walk4.5
Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts (MCBA)The Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts (MCBA) is the principal art museum of Lausanne 15 minutes walk4.6
Plateforme 10 (the Arts District)Plateforme 10 is Lausanne's new arts district and the most significant recent cu15 minutes walk4.4
Place de la Palud and the Old TownThe Place de la Palud is Lausanne's oldest square and the heart of its old town:18 minutes walk4.5**To Chillon Castle via Vevey and Montreux**: about ninety minutes on the water with the terraced Lavaux vineyards (UNESCO) seen from their best side — from the lake rather than the land. Some sailings use historic early-twentieth-century steamers. Swiss travel passes cover or heavily discount CGN services. The short alternative: the half-hour crossing to French **Évian** (take your passport).