Ouchy promenade

Lausanne’s outdoor playground is this stretch of lakefront at the bottom end of the M2 metro line. Looking out over the lake and the mountains on the French side, the promenade stretches along the waterfront, taking in the newly renovated Olympic Museum, the port from where the CGN passenger ferries leave for destinations around the lake, a children’s playground, a pedalo hire shop, a harbour and sailing club, several of Lausanne’s fanciest hotels (including the Beau Rivage and the newly renovated Royal Savoy) and a number of bars and restaurants sporting lakefront terraces. The Place de la Navigation in front of the harbour hosts regular markets and music festivals. The promenade is particularly animated on a Sunday, when it feels like the whole of Lausanne deserts the streets of the city centre above to come and lounge, play and people-watch down at Ouchy.