Transportation in Lausanne

Lausanne runs on a tight, well-integrated public network that rewards visitors who treat the city vertically. It is vertical, tumbling from the railway station down to Lake Geneva at Ouchy. The spine of the system is the Metro m2, a fully automated line that climbs the steep hillside between the lakefront and the upper city. This makes it far more practical than attempting those gradients on foot. The m1 line extends the reach westward toward the university campus. Both lines are operated by TL (Transports Lausannois). A single validated ticket covers transfers between metro, bus, and even some regional connections within the zone. This is far cheaper than taxis for any trip that fits the network. For first-time visitors, the key insight is that Lausanne is more manageable by transit than by car. Parking is expensive. Streets in the old town are medieval in scale. The metro drops you exactly where you want to be. The city centre's Flon district and the main SBB/CFF railway station are your two natural transfer hubs. Orient around those and the network clicks into place quickly. Resist the instinct to walk from the lake up to the cathedral. It sounds romantic until the gradient wins. The m2 does it in minutes. Getting in from Geneva Airport is straightforward by direct train on the SBB/CFF network. The journey typically takes under an hour and costs a fraction of a taxi or private transfer. The train deposits you at Lausanne's central station. This connects directly to the metro and bus lines. Taxis from the airport are a significant splurge. They are rarely justified unless you have unusual luggage or an unreachable arrival time. Check current connections via the SBB app or official timetable before booking anything pricier.