Travel information

Switzerland is situated at the heart of Europe. Lausanne is located in the french part of Switzerland, not far from Geneva.

Visa

Depending on your nationality, a Visa might be required to enter Switzerland, please apply early enough. Further information can be found on this site. Note that Switzerland is not part of the European Union and Schengen Visa are not valid to enter the country.

Weather

Over the last few years Lausanne has enjoyed extremely nice weather in autumn, with average temperature around 20 degrees Celsius. Due to the proximity of the Alps, the weather can however change rapidly and you may want to pack a jumper and a water-proof. Latest weather information can be found on the website of the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology.

Arriving to Switzerland by plane

Geneva International Airport connects directly with many capitals worldwide or via the European hub of major companies (London, Paris, Frankfurt). Budget airlines also serve Geneva from numerous European cities. Lausanne is only a short train ride from Geneva International Airport.

Additional airports (Basel and Zurich) are also well connected to Lausanne via the Swiss Federal Railways.

Getting to Lausanne by train

The Swiss Federal Railways are quite efficient, there is usually one train every 30 minutes between major cities.

From Geneva airport, the journey takes 40 minutes and from Basel or Zurich airport just under 3 hours. To organize your journey and check the timetable, please use the website of the Swiss Federal Railways.

Every airport has a railway station. If you come late and the station is not manned, blue ticketing machines (speaking English and taking major credit cards) are available. Be aware of the limited validity of return tickets from Geneva Airport to Lausanne: if you take your ticket at the machine it will only be valid for one day and it is better to take a single; however at the counter you can obtain a return with extended validity.

There is only one train station in Lausanne. Disembark there and reach your hotel using the local transport system (Transports Lausannois) or take a taxi from in front of the north side of the railway station (towards platform 1).

Arriving by car

In Switzerland, motorways are indicated with green road signs (not blue like the rest of Europe). If you come from abroad, you must buy a CHF 40.- sticker at the border to use Swiss motorways. If you rent a car, this tax is included in the rental agreement.

• From Geneva airport, take motorway A1 to Lausanne.
• From Zurich airport, take motorway A1 to Bern, then follow motorways A12 – A9 to Lausanne.
• From Basel airport, follow motorway A3 to Basel, then A2 – A1 to Bern and finally A12 – A9 to Lausanne.

When you get to Lausanne, stay on the motorway, take the direction Lausanne-sud and use the exit marked Université-EPFL. The entrance to the campus is approximately 1km after this exit. Use the visitor parking located under the General Information EPFL (see the map on the venue section). Please note that parking is not free, daily tickets can be bought at the General Information EPFL.

If you are arriving from another location, we recommend that you use the Mappy or the Via Michelin web site to plan your journey.

Public transportation in Lausanne