Hermitage Foundation — Attraction in Lausanne

Lovely little museum in a Lausanne park with an exhibit based on the private collection of a local family. The paintings are almost all impressionist works, and some are quite striking, and spread over four floors (one of which is a rather large basement level). Next door there is a small bistro, perfect for lunch after seeing the exhibit, but quite popular: reservations are needed at lunchtime.

Parking is challenging right now. I was with a mobility impaired individual, and he had to be dropped off about 75m from the actual entrance, then walk to the museum and bistro. They recommend parking up on top of the hill, but that lot is crowded and there are pointless concrete blocks that “guard” the entrance, making it surprising hard to access the lot. It can be done, but was stressful in the large SUV that I was driving. In retrospect, I realized that one can and should park on the trailheads adjacent to the parking lot— others are doing so, and you wouldn’t need to navigate these...

Since 2021, I have not missed any of the exhibitions. The villa is beautiful itself, and in surrounding you can enjoy a garden with a Lausanne and lake view.

I give one star less, because up to today I do not understand, why the description of the exhibition are only in French. There is plenty of space on the walls to add English or at least German. I usually help myself with a translator, but it does not work in the basement floor due to absence of mobile signal. There is a WiFi, but for password you have to go back to the cash desk, so my suggestion is to connect to WiFi when you buy tickets.

The shop is usually full of great books relevant to the exhibitions, again English or German versions are very rare.

Staff is super friendly. There are views from the villa to the lake, in one room you may sit and play chess. Same as there is a place where you can sit down with your children.

The exhibition space is large, do not underestimate time for basement level, it is...

Yesterday, my friend and I visited a beautiful exhibition of Polish painters. We both really enjoyed it. The Hermitage itself has a stunning setting – the building, the garden with views of the mountains and Lausanne Cathedral all create a lovely atmosphere. We went on a Thursday for the evening opening (6-9 PM), which we found both convenient and reasonably priced – 11 CHF per adult. On regular days, the museum closes at 6 PM, which isn’t ideal for people who work during the day. However, on other days (except Thursday), the entrance fee is 22 CHF, which I find too expensive – especially compared to other art galleries in Switzerland. The restaurant next to the museum is also...