Lausanne Cathedral

Lausanne Cathedral stands on the ridge above the old town, a thirteenth-century Gothic church of grey stone whose scale still dominates the city skyline from the lake. The painted portal on the south side keeps traces of its original colour, restored to show how medieval sculpture actually looked, and the rose window in the south transept holds its old glass in a design of seasons, elements and signs. Inside, the nave is high, bare and cold in the way that suits the architecture. From ten at night until two in the morning a watchman climbs the belfry and calls out the hour to the four directions, a duty the city has never dropped.

Highlights

• The painted portal - the south doorway with medieval sculpture restored to its colours.
• The rose window - thirteenth-century glass showing seasons, months and elements.
• The belfry climb - over two hundred steps to the tower gallery and the view to the lake.
• The night watch - the hour called aloud from the tower between ten at night and two in the morning.

When to go

Any season, as this is an indoor sight, though the tower gallery is better on a clear day for the view across Lake Geneva to the French shore. Evenings are the time to hear the watchman, standing on the square below at ten. Services, rehearsals and concerts close sections without much notice.

What to expect

The interior is austere and largely stripped of furnishing, so anyone expecting gilding will find it bare. The tower is a long climb of narrow spiral stairs with no lift and limited opening hours. The cathedral sits at the top of a steep city: reaching it on foot from the lakeside means a serious ascent or the metro.

Nearby

Lausanne's old town falls away below, and the lakeside at Ouchy is a short metro ride down.

Key facts