Getting Around Lausanne by Public Transport

The network in one minute

Lausanne is the only city in Switzerland with a metro, and it’s easy to see why once you’re there: the city climbs steeply from the shore of Lake Geneva, and the two automated metro lines save a lot of uphill walking.

• Metro, two lines, m1 and m2, connect the station, the Flon nightlife district, the university and the lakeside at Ouchy.
• Buses, cover the rest of the city and reach neighbourhoods the metro doesn’t touch.
• Lake boats, seasonal boats leave from Ouchy along the shore of Lake Geneva, including to nearby towns.

Up and down the hill

Lausanne station sits partway up the slope, with the m2 metro line running straight through it, connecting up to Flon and down to Ouchy on the lakeshore. It’s a short ride but saves a genuinely steep climb, especially with luggage.

Down to the water

Ouchy, at the bottom of the m2 line, is Lausanne’s lakefront, and it’s where the seasonal boats along Lake Geneva depart. It’s a pleasant walk back up if you don’t mind the incline, but the metro is right there if you do.

Tickets without the guesswork

Lausanne’s metro, buses and lake boats share the same zone-based ticketing as the rest of Swiss public transport. A short-hop ticket covers most single trips, and a day pass is worth it after three or four rides.

See it live

Lausanne’s metro runs frequently, but timing a bus connection or a boat departure at Ouchy still benefits from a live view. The Swiss Transport app shows real-time departures across the metro, buses and boats, so your connections actually line up.