Parks and gardens
Numerous gardens and parks offer a wealth of discoveries. Highlights include the Port d'Ouchy, Sauvabelin forest, Parc Mon-Repos, Chemin de la Vuachère, Parc de Milan, Crêt de Montriand, Parc Olympique and Parc de la Plage Saint-Sulpice. The botanical garden, spread over several levels, offers splendid views. A true haven of peace, it is first and foremost a place dedicated to species conservation and research, as well as the dissemination of knowledge. You'll never tire of strolling along the shores of Lake Geneva. The Mauvernay plain is ideal for visitors looking for a forest getaway or a sporting trail. The Jorat peri-urban nature park, located in the city of Lausanne, is a dynamic and dynamic area. Its mission? To preserve the biodiversity of the only contiguous forest on the Swiss plateau, to promote its cultural heritage, to support the timber industry, and to welcome and educate the general public. https://jorat.org
Lausanne is heavily involved in ecotourism, so you can visit wine estates, sample local produce in ecotourism-oriented inns or enjoy the ephemeral terraces and lakeside bars. The latter, set up on the shores of the lake, offer a sublime setting and are open every summer from June to September. Horseback riders, hikers and cyclists will be delighted by the marked trails. The trail from Lausanne to Montreux, along the Lavaux vineyards, is an absolute must, in the heart of an exceptional setting, with visits to wine cellars as part of the itinerary.
Gentle mobility
The city is served by the Swiss and European rail networks. There are direct connections between Paris and Lausanne. The public transport network is well developed (metro, electric and natural gas buses). Payment of the tourist tax entitles you to use the Lausanne Transport Card & More (LTC) free of charge. As well as walking, it's easy to get around the city by bicycle, with a self-service bike system. You can also cycle around the lake, which is itself connected to European cycle routes (notably EuroVélo 17).
Reduce, reuse, recycle
In Lausanne, selective waste collection is carried out door-to-door, as well as at voluntary drop-off points and mobile waste collection centers. Household waste that cannot be recycled is collected using taxed bags, i.e. purchased by residents. This measure encourages better sorting and waste reduction. In terms of prevention, a campaign was run in 2020 to raise awareness of plastic pollution in Lake Geneva, which represents around 55 t of waste per year. Litter left in public spaces (cigarette butts, food packaging, etc.) accounted for 4.5 t of waste in 2017. To combat this situation, the city has organized an awareness-raising day, which consists of displaying the litter collected in one day. It has also introduced a fine system to crack down on this kind of practice. In the zero-waste spirit, Lausanne has seen the emergence of retailers promoting bulk products, stores selling second-hand goods, and donation boxes (books, etc.). And let's not forget the Festival des Ressources in September. Its aim is to give new life to objects. There are repair workshops for broken objects, a dress-up sale, workshops led by salvage artists, a toy and bike market, not to mention "vide-frigos" and screen-printing workshops for old T-shirts. Children can even make their own objects from recycled materials. An excellent idea.
Participatory approaches and festivals
Lausanne boasts some twenty allotment gardens and "community plantations", which enable residents to grow their own vegetables. Several environmental festivals are held throughout the city. These include the Festival de la Terre, the Fête de la Forêt, and Lausanne Jardins, some of whose installations have been perpetuated in the city, such as the planted façade on Rue de Genève and the urban vegetable garden. On the soft mobility front, we should also mention Cap sur l'Ouest lausannois and the Voyage à vélo festival in French-speaking Switzerland.
Objective
Trees, trees and more trees! Make way for nature: this is the new strategy of the Lausanne authorities. In concrete terms? Giving more "rights to trees". After all, we've had to wait thousands of years for the unique effect of trees on the climate to be recognized. 25,000 trees will be added to the existing plant cover, with 1,500 planted each year. Trees have an undeniable natural air-conditioning effect: in the city, they help to reduce the temperature by five degrees. They will be planted in every conceivable space, from swimming pools to schools. Cars beware! We've decided to give them a hard time, and more and more spaces will be dedicated to two-wheelers. In fact, Lausanne has been awarded the "Green City" label for 2021. As a result, the city is once again giving way to an increasingly "wild" natural environment. Alleys of wild flowers, hedges along sidewalks, dry stone walls, green roofs, wildlife refuges, planted tree roots, traditional orchards, vegetable gardens and ponds are all being created. Sheep have been assigned a new mission: they act as "lawnmowers" for green spaces, as you'll see, for example, in the Hermitage Museum park. We've thought of everything! Lausanne now boasts 350 hectares of parks and forests, giving nature pride of place and a breath of fresh air in a city where life is good. Lausanne is dedicated to sustainable development and, as one of its tourist slogans puts it, it's "a city in green to see life in pink". So make way for natural colors!
