Lausanne by bike

A sightseeing tour

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Infos PratiquesN’oubliez pas de télécharger la carte de l’itinéraire surwww.lesbaladeurs.ch

Thème

Histoires

DifficultéTous mollets

Durée1h-2h

ItinéraireThe esplanade of the cathedral - The cathedral - The “Place duchâteau” - The park of Mon-Repos - The "PlaceSaint-François" - The “Place de la Palud” - On the bridgeover the Flon - The esplanade of Montbenon - The “Vallée de laJeunesse” - Ouchy

Prêts de vélosPrêt de vélo gratuit 7j/7 de 7h30 à 21h30 contre caution de 20CHF et présentation d’une pièce d’identité. Lausanne Roule - sousles arches du Grand-Pont.

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Association Lausanne RouleLe projet Les Baladeurs est un projet de l'association à but nonlucratif Lausanne Roule, créée en 2004. Reconnue d'utilitépublique, elle met gratuitement des vélos à disposition à Lausanne,Renens (Ouest Roule) et Vevey (Vevey Roule). Ce projet est basésur les principes du développement durable en promouvant lamobilité douce, l'intégration sociale et la santé.

Vélo attitudeCette balade a été conçue pour s’effectuer à vélo. En utilisant cemode de déplacement, vous faites un geste pour votre santé etpour l’environnement !Le vélo en ville peut sembler un exercicepérilleux, mais tout est question d’habitude ! Prendre sa place surla route s’apprend, même lorsqu’il n’y a pas de piste cyclable. Celavaut la peine de persévérer, car plus il y aura d’usagères etd’usagers, mieux ils se feront respecter et plus les aménagementsse développeront !

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Remarques personnelles

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Règles de sécurité du cycliste urbainRoulez à droite, laissez environ 1m de distance au bord, quitte àfaire ralentir les voitures derrière vous.Portez un casque.Empruntez les pistes cyclables lorsqu’il y en a.Indiquez bien vos intentions aux automobilistes.Roulez en file indienne sur les routes.Aux feux, placez-vous de façon à ce que les voitures vousvoient, si possible à l’avant de la file.Anticipez toujours (une portière qui s'ouvre, un freinagebrusque) et réduisez votre vitesse à l’approche des intersections.Et bien sûr, soyez le plus visible possible (phares et bandesréfléchissantes).

L’utilisation de ce guide est soumise aux conditions générales disponibles surwww.lesbaladeurs.ch/conditions

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Remarques personnelles

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Lausanne by bikeA sightseeing tourThis itinerary will enable you to discover the city of Lausanne,from its old town to its lakeshore. The tour will guide you throughLausanne’s historical buildings, peaceful parks and beautifulsightings.

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Remarques personnelles

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>>>>>>>>>01>> From the Lausanne Roule stand,follow the “Rue Centrale” through thearches, and take the little flat streetnewt to the bar “La Galette”. Theesplanade of the Cathedral is at theend of the street, on your right.

1. The esplanade of the cathedral

We are currently on the hill of the“Cité” of Lausanne. This promontoryis both near the lake and flanked bytwo rivers, and is thus an auspiciousspot to become a fortified place. Itwas inhabited from 1000 B.C. byCeltic tribes. Whilst the sophisticatedRomans chose the lakeside to buildtheir villas, the tumults of the MiddleAges forced the inhabitants, in theAge of fortified towns, to retreat tothe safety of this natural hill. Marius,the archbishop of Avenches, left hisbarbarian-invaded town for Lausannein or about 590 A.D., and

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Remarques personnelles

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established it as the seat of thediocese. Marius founded his bishopricin Lausanne as well as the firstchurch. In the Carolingian Era andthat of the great Burgundy, theimportance of trade grew, andcraftsmen started to build their shopsoutside of the walls of the old town,in the two valleys created by therivers “Louve” and “Flon”. Lausannebecomes the “city of the three hills”.The burg is constituted from theninth century onward. It was situatedat the crossroads of trading routesleading to Germany, Italy, France andProvence. Merchants thereforeestablished their shops there toattract international trade. In thethirteenth and fourteenth centuries,Lausanne had become a flourishingand attractive town. Its populationamounted to 7’000 to 9’000 people, anumber which reached the capacityof the medieval town, and would notincrease until the eighteenth century.The medieval town was divided intwo. The “Cité”, or upper town, wasthe fortified town of the bishop withits castle and church. It was the heartof

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Crédits des illustrationsPauline Roy et Carole Desponts

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the administrative, judicial andecclesiastical life. The “ville basse”, orlower town, was principally inhabitedby burghers and merchants. It wasvisited by the peasants, who tradedtheir products on the market. Onecould go from one part of the townto the other by using the street calledthe “Rue de la Mercerie” or thepicturesque and very steep stairsgoing down from the main entranceof the cathedral.

>>>>>>>>>02>> The next stop is the cathedral, sotake the time to turn around it,pushing your bicycle by your side.

2. The cathedralOne cannot talk about Lausannewithout discoursing at length on thisunique witness of the past,overlooking the city. Its history iscomplex. The work for the cathedralwas begun at the very end of thetwelfth century. The

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(Tourist offices located in Ouchy andat the Lausanne railway station).

>>>>>>>>>11>> To come back up: The Metro andsome buses stop regularly on theplace d’Ouchy (Ouchy square) and willbring you to the city centre in nosweat and no time!

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cathedral soon acquiredcharacteristics of the gothic style invogue at that time in Europe: it isrecognizable in the ribbed vaultswhich establish the cathedral as themost beautiful gothic building ofSwitzerland. One may follow thecathedral’s development beginningfrom the East, all the way to theWest. Inside the cathedral,explanatory panels show thedifferent steps of the building’sconstruction, from the first elementsin Romanesque style in 1170, to theaddition of the painted gatenoticeable on the southern wall ofthe building. The cathedral wasconsecrated in 1275 by Pope GregoryX and the Emperor Rodolph of theHabsbourg family that will have apowerful influence on Europe until1918. The cathedral had thisparticularity that the street wentstraight through it. Indeed, a spacewas excavated between the porchand the belfry to permit thecirculation of people. This was calledthe “Grande Travée”. This exemplifieswell the way in which ecclesiasticallife, and the cathedral itself, wereorganically linked

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gothic style. If you wish to continuetowards the east, along the lake, youwill see on your left after about twohundred meters the Beau-RivagePalace (1860) and the OlympicMuseum (1993), a must see for sportsbuffs. A little later, you will encounterthe century-old trees of theDenantous park, where you will seethe Haldimand tower. This tower isthe result of a very peculiararchitectural contest: in 1825, threefriends influenced by the romanticpassion for medieval ruins, bet onwho of the three would be able tobuild the most convincing imitationof a ruin, and the Haldimand towerwas the best project. This is thefinishing point of our tour. By now,you have seen the historical side ofLausanne, you are experts on itstopography, aware of its history, andprobably charmed by its attractions.If you wish to extend this experience,you have several opportunities to doso: Lausanne Roule offers diversethematic itineraries and the cityabounds with cultural spots whichthe tourist office will help youuncover

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with the lay medieval city: in a way,the secular cut straight through thehouse of God. The “Grande Travée”was filled in shortly before theBernese invasion, in the sixteenthcentury,. When looking up from thedoor, the passer-by can observe theasymmetry of the building, whichcontributes to the cathedral’s charm.Indeed, only one of the two belfriesoriginally planned was finally built.The watchman of Lausanne stands ontop of the belfry. His purpose is towarn the inhabitants in case of fire,and announce each hour on the dotfrom 10 PM to 2 AM. This tradition isrespected to this day! The “rosace”can be seen on the South-Easternwall of the Cathedral. It is a stainedglass window created before 1220. Itcontains a hundred and five glassmedallions, organized on thegeometrical principle of thebissection of the square, figuring theearthly world and of the circle,symbolizing the universe created byGod, the whole of which isintersected by the Cross.

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The port town of Ouchy wasseparated from Lausanne byvineyards up to the construction ofthe railway station in 1857. As beforementioned, at that time a cable-car(“la ficelle”, lit. “the string”) linkingthe Flon to Ouchy via the railwaystation was built for industrial as wellas touristic reasons. Around 1900,the little village of fishermen iscaught in the expansion of the city.This was appreciated by some pirates,who have written on a house inOuchy “Commune libre d’Ouchy”, or“Independent village of Ouchy”, toremind the passer-by of theindependence of the little town. Thecastle of Ouchy, undergoingextensive repair at the moment, datesback to the Middle Ages (twelfthcentury). The old archbishopric is soldby the Vaud state to Jean-JacquesMercier (the entrepreneur of theLausanne-Ouchy Company), whodemolishes everything but the tower.It was formally stated that the newhotel which would spring up fromthe castle’s ashes should spare thetower, so the architect built allaround it in a colourful Burgundian

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>>>>>>>>>03>> From the cathedral, take thedirection of the North, and cyclealongside the little streets runningslowly down the hill of the “Cité” allthe way to the castle.

3. The “Place du château” (Castlesquare)On the north-hand side of the hill ofthe “Cité”, the “St-Maire” castle washome to the bishop. The monumentwas built in or about 1400 A.D., andis very defensive in character. This ishardly surprising, when one considersthat the upper and lower parts of thetown had diverging interests, andthat the bishop needed a strongholdto enforce his authority. Indeed, the“Cité” is the town of the Lord, andembodies tradition and power as it isthe administrative, judicial andecclesiastical center. The lower townon the contrary houses burghers,craftsmen and merchants,

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roller-blading, and after a whilecontests were organised. The Valléede la Jeunesse is part of the itineraryfor the vertiginous descent event.Once you have left the Vallée de laJeunesse and crossed the Maladièreroundabout, you will find yourself inthe woody area of Vidy. You will pass,on your way to Ouchy, through theruins of the Roman town ofLousonna and protected areas, oftenhome to migrating birds.

>>>>>>>>>10>> Once at the bottom of the Valléede la Jeunesse, pass under the twobridges which permit to cross underthe big Maladière roundabout. Gostraight to the lake, and then turn left.When following alongside the lakewill not be possible anymore, go backto the main road, and use the bicylclepath all the way to Ouchy.

10. Last stop: Ouchy

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subject-citizens whosepreoccupations clashed with that ofthe residents of the “Cité” and wholonged for more freedom. Thisconflict, mostly latent, becamesometimes critical, especially whenrival powers claimed thearchbishopric for themselves. TheBernese invaded Lausanne in 1535,imposed the Reformation to itsinhabitants, and installed their baillifin the castle. In addition, they builtthe Academy of Lausanne, the firstFrench speaking higher educationschool of theology. Since the Vaudoisreclaimed their freedom in 1803, thecastle is the seat of the governmentof the Canton of Vaud. This is thereason why most of the publicmanifestations mark a stop at thisspot when demonstrating theirdiscontentment. On the square canbe seen the statue of the majorDavel, facing in the oppositedirection to the casle. Davel was aVaudois officer in the Bernese army,and is famous for marching onLausanne with his troups in 1723.There he pronounced a homily toexhort the people of Lausanne torebel against Bernese

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journalists, was gratified with thevisit of as much as twelve millionpeople. The Vallée de la Jeunesse wascreated for the young visitors of theexposition, and necessitated thefilling up of the Flon river! Today, thepark features an “Espace desInventions” (a space devoted toinventions), a kind of little interactivemuseum for the sciences, (a verygood idea for children who will beable to play and make experiments).It also comprises thousands offlowers, including beautifulrose-bushes. The rose garden canboast of 10’000 plants as well as of acollection of miniature conifers.While wandering about, you will beable to see numerous playgroundsincluding bumps, attractions andfantastic slides, a children’s theaterunder a dome made out of concreteand a park designed to teachteenagers the basic rules of the road.A peculiar sort of competition isorganised every August in Lausanne:the “Roller & In Line Contest”. Indeed,the steepness of the Lausanne slopeslends itself perfectly to suicidaldownhill

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authority, but this without muchsuccess: he was betrayed by hispeers, was condemned and beheaded,after pronouncing these lastmemorable words: “This is the mostexcellent day of my life”. In thenineteenth century, Davel was turnedinto a hero of the Canton of Vaud’sindependence, although historiansagree that Lausanne remained underBernese authority until theRevolution (1798-1802).

>>>>>>>>>04>> To continue your bicycle ride, takethe street going down in the northerndirection and then take the first right.At the roundabout, follow the “RuePierreViret” which rises slowly andruns along the wall of the “Cité”. Thencross the “Pont Bessière”, take the“Rue de Langallerie” and cross to the“Avenue du Tribunal federal” on yourleft. Follow this street for about 100meters. You will then reach the parkwhich will be on your right hand side.

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left and pass under the bridge. Follwthe green signs indicating “Vallée dela Jeunesse”.

9. The “Vallée de la Jeunesse” (theValley of Youth)This very imposing park was designedin 1964, within the larger scheme ofthe National Exposition. In fact, sixNational Expositions have alreadybeen organised in Switzerland since1883. Lausanne organised that of1964. The goal of these momentousand very expensive events is topromote a feeling of national unityfor the different cantons andlinguistic areas of the country. This isachieved in representing Switzerlandin its technological, economic, artisticand cultural realisations. The NationalExpositions are often the opportunityfor big works, and thus often givemomentum to the regional economyof the town chosen to organize it.The Lausanne Exposition, to thesurprise of a couple of Swiss-German

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4. The park of Mon-ReposThis park was an ancient piece ofland belonging to a local baron,originally covered in vineyards. Thiskind of idyllic domain can beparalleled with that of “Sans-Souci”in Postdam: an English garden,sensual statues and Romanticextravagencies (an imitation of a ruinwas built there circa 1800). The parkwas a place of culture during theEnlightenment period: Voltairehimself stayed there. The domaincomprises large stables, aviarieshousing exotic birds and andorangery (north of the “avenue duTribunal Federal”). The mansion itselfis built in a refined Neoclassical style.The motto of the manor’s owner isinscribed on its northern wall: “plieau vent mais jamais ne casse” (bendin the wind, but never break). Themotto is accompanied by the symbolof a wheat ear. A stone panel on theright pillar indicates that Voltairestaged several of his plays in thedrawing rooms of this house. Next toa playground appears a pavilion.

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which accompanied by theperformance of a pianist: a very good(and quite inexpensive) idea to passan agreable evening in Lausanne. Theitinerary for the next part of theguided tour requires to take thedirection of the Pont Chaudron (builtin the Art Nouveau style) to slowlybegin the descent to the lakeside. Ifyou do not want to go back up again,you should stop here. Otherwise, thetour continues and ends in the areaof Ouchy, from where one can takethe “Metro-bus” with one’s bike. Thebus will bring you back up toSaint-François.

>>>>>>>>>09>> Leave the park by going back upagain, and take the first road you willencounter on your left. You will passon your right the Pont Chaudron, alsocrossing the Flon valley. Follow thisstreet on the bicycle path runningalongside the underground rails. Oncyou see on your right theunderground stop called “Provence”,cross the street, continue about ahundred meters on your

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It is converted in the summertimeinto a very nice outdoor bar: the“Folie Voltaire”.

>>>>>>>>>05>> Ride back up the “AvenueMon-Repos”, turn left into the“Avenue Benjamin Constant” whichleads direclty to the Saint-FrançoisSquare. The Square is on your left,behind the church.

5. The “Place Saint-François” (StFrancis Square)The Saint-François square was thesouthern limit of the medieval town.Only fields and vineyards could beseen beyond this point. TheSaint-François church constitutes theonly remains of a Franciscan conventfounded at the end of the thirteenthcentury. South of this building, in lieuof the modern road, were the cloisterand the buildings where the officetook place. The

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extremity of the lake, is Geneva, andthe beginning of the Jura mountainchain. Eastwards, you can see theValais and the entrance to the Valaisvalley, which is illumined by the firstrays of light every morning. The viewyou have of the city from herepermits you to notice, near the lake,the Royal-Savoy hotel, resembling acastle as it would be represented inan opera production. This grandiosearchitecture is a testimony of thetouristic tradition of Lausanne. Theground cable-car liaising the Flon toOuchy via the railway station wasvery practical for the tourists to visitthe city from its lakeside toSaint-François, and the luxury hotelswere thus built alongside its line.Leaving the breathtaking view of thealps in front of you, and turningaround, you can witness anothersymbol of the nineteen hundreds’tourism: the Casino of Montbenon,built in the style of the Florentineschool. It houses the film archivesince 1948. The film archive regroups70’000 films and offers about 600projections a year, some of

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whole was flanked by thefortification walls. The monasterywas razed in 1895, when theauthorities decided to turn thesquare into the administrative seat ofthe city, due to the demographicboom as well as the wealth of thecountry. All the imposing buildings ofthe square, as well as a tramway,were built within a period of tenyears. The “Grand Pont” (lit. BigBridge), closing the square ofSaint-François on its western side,was completed in 1844. The roadconnects the square with the railwaystation, already under construction in1856. These rearrangements radicallytransformed the architecturallandscape of Lausanne. South of thechurch, the buildings house theCantonal Bank, the Post Office, theUnion of Swiss Banks, and the officesof the Zurich Insurance Company.The architects designed them in thestyle of the Renaissance and that ofLouis XVII. Luxury stores occupy thenorthern part of the square. Theirbuildings are in the Art Nouveau andVerticalism styles, in an attempt toimpress the onlooker with their

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popular at the end of the nineteenthcentury. Indeed, at this period, thismingling of styles signified luxuryand wealth.

>>>>>>>>>08>> Continue to cycle on the glassbridge to its and, and take the littleconcrete bridge right of theunderground building. You will thenarrive on a street. Cross it with youbike by your side, and then take rightand follow the pedestrian lanebordered with trees, up to the park ofMonbenon.

8. The esplanade of Montbenon

The green lawn of Montbenon is theperfect spot from which to admirethe lake and the mountains. In frontof us, on the other side of the lake, isFrance, with the city of Evian and theSavoyard mountains (as they appearon the still water bottles). At the farright

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modern identity. In between grandbanks looking like Greek temples andexpensive department stores, the“place Saint-François” symbolizes thegreat expansion of Lausanne at theturn of the twentieth century.

>>>>>>>>>06>> You need to take the little streetnamed “rue Pépinet”, which you willfind on the western side of the PlaceSaint-François. This street goes downvery steeply, and leads to the RueCentrale, the first street which cutsacross it. Follow it about 30m on yourright and take the little paved streetto the left to go back up to the placede la Palud.

6. The “Place de la Palud” (PaludSquare)We are arriving at the heart of thelower town, that of the merchantsand burghers. The “Hôtel de Ville” orcity hall (1673-1675), is

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time new and modern buildings wereimplanted in the area. Theconstruction work is now wellunderway… you are the judge as toits results. Let us stay a few moreminutes on the bridge, to look at theBel-Air tower (1929-1931). This beigebuilding is overlooking the Flonvalley, on its right. The tower hasbecome an emblem of Lausanne,although many opposed its creation.People were anxious that this squaretower might overshadow thecathedral, and thus symbolicallyreligion itself. Some even detected inthis building the attack of capitalismon regional identity. The Bel-Airtower was also called the firstsky-scraper of Switzerland, as it is infact the first tower of Switzerlandthat was so high and could boast of asteel structure. Finally, let us turnaround and look to the south. Youwill see a beautiful house, whichlooks like an old mansion. It is theseat of the Mercier Company(1898-1900). Its glazed roof tiles, iitspediments, as well as its Gothicgables are all witnesses of thesurprising mixing of styles

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probably the most beautiful buildingof the seventeenth century in theCanton of Vaud. Its architecture iscomparable to that of Italian andNorth European communal palaces.The townspeople would meet anddiscuss current affairs under thearches of its ground floor. Themeeting room of the “Conseil” wassituated on the first floor,unattainable in case of a revolt. Thebelfry has a more symbolic thanmilitary role: it is a testimony oftemporal power. Another symbol ofthe town’s political powerembellishes the square: the fountainof the Justice, embodied by a youngblindfolded woman, sword and scalein her hands. At her feet, submissiveto her authority, are represented thePope, the Sultan, the Emperor andthe “Avoyer” (a chief magistrate inthe Bernese period). Looking right,from the city hall, is the famous clockof the Palud. Every hours from 9 A.M.to 7 P.M, the tourist can hear its bellstoll the popular song of the“Vigneron” (the wine-maker). Puppetsthen appear and walk along thismelody, while a narrator

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Lausanne-Ouchy Company to changeits line of business, and concentratefrom then on on the management ofthe valley. The Flon burgeons into acommercial, artisanal, and sooncultural neighbourhood. In the 1980s,the surrounding area becomes quiteradically “underground”. It is verydynamic and houses differentnightclubs which bring party peopleall the way from Geneva andneighbouring France! The MAD, a wellknown spot for techno musicenthusiasts and the EJMA (theCantonal School of Jazz andContemporary Music) also have theirheadquarters in the Flon. Severalprojects for the architecturalredevelopment of the Flon have beensubmitted since the 1950s. One ofthese was finally accepted in 1991.Indeed, the Flon valley has acquiredin the past decades some sort ofcachet with the romantic quality ofan industrial area built in thenineteen hundreds, as well as itsorthogonal plan, its square buildingsand its bohemian atmosphere. Thecultural inheritance of theneighbourhood was therefore to beretained, while at the same

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recounts the story of Major Daveland the important moments of theindependence of the Canton of Vaud.

>>>>>>>>>07>> On the West hand side of thePlade de la Palud departs a little streetcalled St Laurent. Ride up this street.You will arrive to the eponymoussquare, the Place St Laurent, with achurch. Take the street in the southerndirection. You will then see in front ofyou the glass bridge taking its originfrom the Grand-Pont and overlookingthe Flon valley. Get on it.

7. On the bridge over the Flon

A little glass bridge connects theGrand Pont with the building housingthe departure of the undergroundand cable car, on the other side ofthe Flon valley. It offers a privilegedview of the Flon valley

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and its neighbouring buildings. TheFlon valley situated below us wasmodelled by the currents of itseponymous river, as well as that ofits feeder, the “Louve”. Up to thenineteenth Century, this valley wascovered with fields and vineyards.The history of the Flon is peculiar: itwas bought in the middle of thenineteenth century by a privateCompany. Indeed, in the context ofindustrialization and of thedevelopment of the railways, Mercier,an entrepreneur, offers the city adeal: in exchange for endorsing allthe costs for the creation of a newtunnel linking the Flon to the railwaystation and the Ouchy harbour, hisCompany, the “Lausanne-OuchyCompany”, receives the Flon valleyfor exploitation purposes. The rubblefrom the piercing of the tunnel wasused to level up the valley (the firstlevel of the “Grand Pont” arches is infact buried). A railway track was thenbuilt on top of the rubble, and largewarehouses placed alongside it. Thedevelopment of transport by roadinstead of by train compel the