Sauvabelin Tower — Attraction in Lausanne

A nice landmark to visit when in Lausanne.

Entrance is free, and the views are amazing! We did a little hike going there but the trail path is clear enough you won’t get lost even as a tourist.

How to get there is easy. We did the less walking route since it was a hot summer day when we visited. We got off on Riponne metro station and took a bus to Lac Sauvabelin and from there it’s about 5-10 mins of walking. If you don’t mind walking more, you can get off at Sallaz metro station and walk from there. It’s about 15-20mins of walking and be prepared for uphill streets/paths since it’s the norm in Lausanne.

The tower was amazing to see and the steps are said to be over 150 steps one-way, so be prepared for that as well. There’s also a mini steep hill going up to the base of the tower, before the main steps. Forgot to take photos from the observation deck because I got a little scared of the height after I saw how high I went (haha!) and only remembered to take photos when I was on the last platform on my way down. :))

Stairs go in a spiral way, too, so be careful if you get dizzy easily. Since it’s a winding staircase, it’s expected to have parts of the steps to be narrower on one side vs the other. A wooden hand rail is also available on the outer side of the steps. Felt a little more scared going down due to me being a little scared of heights, but it’s a view...

This place was 10 min drive away from where we were staying so we decided to visit. It was the first place we visited in the day and it's built in a cute little wooded park. It's a tall tower built entirely in wood - not ticketed but only about 50 odd people can go at a time. It wasn't crowded at all first thing in the morning so it was very pleasant. The stairs are built like a double helix and there are 2 such stairways. The kids took one way and we took the other. There are 151 steps one way and it's a pretty easy climb for an average family. The views from the top are great - Lausanne town and green areas on one side and the mighty Alps on the other with Lake Geneva in the foreground. Not unmissable, but surely worth a visit if you are...

I have lived in the Lausanne region for the past 30 years but this was the first time I climbed this tower, built entirely out of wood and financed by donors who can enjoy to have their names advertised on each step. There was a violent and ice cold "bise noir" blowing from NW this Sunday mid September of 2024 so I was almost alone on the viewing platform. Access and exit are via a metal gate being activated by pressing a button, something not really evident to many of the visitors. In the warm season access is possible all day till 6 p.m. There is a fantastic view over Lausanne, its suburbs and the surrounding countryside, better than photos taken in the middle of the day with...