Train stations in Lausanne

Lausanne station is the only mainline station you need: trains from Geneva, Bern, Zürich, Basel, Brig and Paris all stop here, on the hillside between the old town and Ouchy on the lake. The m2 metro has a stop at the station and runs up to the old town and down to the lake.

Which station to use

Lausanne station (simply "Lausanne" on tickets and departure boards) handles all long-distance trains, so there is no choice to make. The old town is up the hill from the station and the lake is down the hill, and the m2 metro links all three.

From the station to the old town and the lake

The metro stop is called Lausanne, gare. Going up, the m2 serves Flon and Riponne-M. Béjart, the stops for the old town and the cathedral. Going down, it ends at Ouchy-Olympique on the lakefront, close to the Olympic Museum. A single 2-zone ticket covering Grand Lausanne costs CHF 3.90 until 12 December 2026 and CHF 4.10 from 13 December, valid for one hour on tl buses and the metro. Buy tickets at the machines or in the tl app.

Trains to Geneva, Montreux and Lavaux

Geneva has the most trains. On weekdays four fast trains an hour (IC1, IR15, IR90 and IR95) run to Genève; the IC1 and IR90 take 42 minutes, the IR15 45 and the IR95 about 50. The EuroCity trains from Italy take 39 minutes. Genève-Aéroport is 49 minutes away without a change. Regional RE trains also call at Morges, Rolle and Nyon.

On the weekends of 7 and 8 November, 21 and 22 November and 5 and 6 December, the Geneva line runs a reduced timetable: fast trains take about 50 minutes and the IR15 ends at Lausanne. On Saturday 12 December the full pattern of four fast trains an hour runs again. From 13 December the airport takes 48 minutes. The first train to Geneva leaves at about 03:45 and the last between 23:30 and 00:30.

East along the lake, Vevey is 14 minutes away and Montreux about 20. Regional trains to Lutry and Cully, in the Lavaux vineyards, run four times an hour in the daytime.

Bern, Zürich, Basel and Lucerne

• Bern: IC1 and IR15, two an hour, 1 hour 14 minutes (1 hour 9 minutes from Bern). First train 05:40, last 23:44.
• Zürich HB: IC1 via Bern and IC5 via Neuchâtel and Biel, two an hour, 2 hours 14 minutes (2 hours 11 from Zürich). First train 05:34, last 22:34. Zürich Flughafen is 2 hours 34 minutes without a change.
• Basel SBB: IC51, hourly, 2 hours 22 minutes (2 hours 24 from Basel). First train 06:04, last 19:04 or 20:04 depending on the day.
• Lucerne: IR15, hourly, 2 hours 21 minutes. First train 05:40, last 21:40.

Brig, Zermatt and Milan

IR90 and IR95 run to Brig twice an hour via Montreux and Sion, taking about 1 hour 45 minutes; the EuroCity trains to Italy take 1 hour 31. For Zermatt, take one of them to Visp (1 hour 36 minutes) and change.

Four EuroCity trains a day in each direction link Geneva and Domodossola via Lausanne, Montreux, Sion and Brig, and go on to Milano Centrale, about 3 hours 40 minutes from Lausanne. They leave Lausanne at 06:10, 08:10, 14:10 and 19:10 and reach Domodossola in 2 hours; coming back, they reach Lausanne at 11:52, 16:52, 20:52 and 23:16.

Paris

TGV Lyria runs three trains a day each way between Lausanne and Paris Gare de Lyon, via Vallorbe, Frasne, Dole and Dijon. Until 12 December they leave Lausanne at 07:19, 12:19 and 16:19 and leave Paris at 07:56, 11:56 and 17:56; the journey takes 3 hours 43 minutes to 3 hours 49. Only these three reach Lausanne in 2026: the Paris trains that run via Geneva end at Geneva. From 13 December the Paris departures move to 07:54, 11:50 and 17:50, and the 12:19 from Lausanne reaches Paris at 16:23.

Tickets

Buy Swiss tickets in the SBB app or at station machines; they are not sold on board, and travelling without one costs a surcharge from CHF 90. TGV Lyria tickets are sold on tgv-lyria.com, sncf-connect.com and sbb.ch and go on sale up to eight months ahead.

Rail passes and reservations

Pass holders must reserve TGV Lyria (€25 in second class, €35 in first, as of November 2026) and the EuroCity trains to Italy (€13 to €17). Swiss IC trains need no reservation (an optional seat costs €4.40), and regional trains need none. A One Country Pass Switzerland does not cover the French part of the Paris journey.