Switzerland » Getting to Lausanne

An approximate flight time to Lausanne from London is 1 hour and 45 minutes as Lausanne's closest airport is in Geneva. 

By Air

The nearby airport, Geneva airport is served by almost all European carriers, and by two daily trans-Atlantic flights, one from New York, JFK on Swiss and one from Newark on Continental, otherwise when flying from the U.S. you will have to change planes at your airline's hub airport. Trains between Geneva Airport and the Lausanne CFF station take about 45 minutes and run at least twice each hour, except for the wee hours (early hours) of the morning.

By Train

Taking the train is an excellent, stress-free and environmentally-friendly way to get from London to Lausanne or anywhere in Western Switzerland.  Take Eurostar from London to Paris in just 2 hours 40 minutes from £59 return, then a high-speed 'Lyria' TGV from Paris to Lausanne in only 3 hours 50 minutes, from £23 each way (or £41 in 1st class).

Lausanne is served by one of the most efficient passenger rail services in the world, the Swiss Federal Rail system. Trains run approximately each half-hour between 4:45am and 1:30am every day to and from Geneva, Zurich, Bern, Neuchatel, St. Gallen, Brig and points in between. There are four trains daily from Paris Gare de Lyon via the SNCF's TGV "High Speed Train” and 3 per day from Milan on the Swiss-Italian Cisalpino (CHEEZ-al-PEEN-o). The Italian rail service also provides twice-per-day trains to and from Milan and night trains to and from Rome and Venice.

By Bus

International buses arrive daily from Spain, France, as well as major cities in Central Europe. Many buses pass through Geneva or Basel before stopping in Lausanne.

By Boat

Boats travel regularly the Swiss and French shores of Lake Geneva with several daily ferries to Evian (passport required to enter France), Montreux, Geneva and many smaller lakeshore towns. Lunch and dinner cruises are also popular with tourists. Most of the ferries are meant as scenic trips and not the fastest way to get around. If travelling from Geneva to Lausanne, a boat trip is worth the time on a clear day.