Life
Lausanne city life
Lausanne has a vast cultural history and tradition dating back from the Antiquity, which has ensured it a rich heritage, with many landmarks and tourist attractions:
- Notre-Dame Cathedral
- Beaulieu Castle
- The Roman ruins at Vicus of Vidy
- Château Saint-Maire
- Olympic Museum
The city is well known as the capital of international sport, housing the International Sports Arbitration Tribunal (Tass). Lausanne has a rich cultural life, with a tradition of classical music. The city is home to the Swiss Film Archive and the municipality organises regular film festivals and underground performance events. Besides the Lausanne Opera, you can also find a local ballet, called the Béjart Ballet.
For sports enthusiasts, Lausanne has local football (soccer), hockey, rowing and rugby teams, which participate in national and international professional competitions. The city’s proximity to Lake Geneva means that there are many nature retreats and wild parks on the outskirts of Lausanne, ideal for hiking, biking and other outdoor activities.
International atmosphere in Lausanne
Lausanne is, like most of Switzerland, a very cosmopolitan city, with around 42% of the population being from another country. Most of the population speak French, followed by German and Italian. Other languages spoken widely in the local communities are Spanish, Portuguese, Albanian and Turkish. While many of the locals speak more than one language, English is also widely spoken by the large young population. International students arriving to the city also increase the diversity and international outlook of Lausanne.
Weather Lausanne
Lausanne has a fairly humid weather, with an average of 1,153 mm (45.39 inches) of precipitation annually. Due to its geographic position, Lausanne has cool and wet summers, with an average of 20.3 °C (68.5 °F) in July. The winters are cold, but usually above freezing, with an average temperature of 1.2 °C (34.2 °F) in January.