42 Best Sights in Vaud, Switzerland

With high-tech presentations and touching mementos, this complex pays tribute to the athletic tradition in ancient Greece, the development of the modern Games, the evolution of the individual sports, Paralympic competitions, and the athletes themselves. There are art objects—an Etruscan torch from the 6th century BC, Auguste Rodin's American Athlete—as well as archival films and videos, interactive displays, photographs, coins and stamps, and medals from various eras throughout Olympic history. A sculpture park, museum shop, and lovely café overlooking the lake complete this ambitious, world-class endeavor. Brochures and guided tours are available in English.

Graced by a statue of Caesar, the Musée Romain contains an attractively mounted collection of sumptuously detailed architectural stonework, fresco fragments, statuary, mosaics, and earthenware. The museum was built atop the foundation of a 1st-century-AD basilica; a pristine miniature model inside and an excellent trompe l'oeil palace on an outside wall evoke the remarkable original structure. A listing of the exhibits is available in English, as are guided tours.

Two Roman communities, Lousonna and Vidy, flourished near the lakefront from 15 BC into the 4th century, and excavations of their ruins have brought these ancient settlements to light. A reconstructed private home serves as the museum's headquarters, where displays include a small trove of coins, votive figures, mosaics, and objects from daily life—carved combs, toga pins, jewelry. On request, you can get guided tours in English of the museum and the vast archaeological sites. The museum is west of Ouchy, just off the Lausanne-Maladière exit from E25/A1. Bus Nos. 1 and 2 stop at Maladière; No. 25 stops at Bois-de-Vaux.

The Musée Suisse de l'Appareil Photographique displays an impressive collection of cameras, photographic equipment, and mounted work.

Just east of town, the Musée Suisse du Jeu fills a 13th-century castle. Games of strategy and chance, ranging from dice to video games, are represented in displays spanning centuries. Tours are available in English. Its excellent gift shop is stocked with puzzles and board games. The courtyard eatery, in a former gardener's cottage, serves snacks and light meals.

Obrist makes its own wines and distributes wine for several international wineries. Try Château de Chardonne or Grand Cru Chardonne, both perfect for drinking on a sunny afternoon.

Built at the turn of the last century, this enormous neo-Renaissance structure houses the Musée d'Archéologie et d'Histoire (Cantonal Archaeology and History Museum) as well as the Muséum Cantonal des Sciences Naturelles, a fusion of natural science museums now known collectively as NATUREUM. The top exhibit at the Musée d'Archéologie et d'Histoire is the gold bust of Marcus Aurelius discovered at nearby Avenches in 1939. The Musée de Géologie (Geology Museum) has an excellent fossil collection, including a mammoth skeleton. Besides its collection of regional fauna, the Musée de Zoologie (Zoology Museum) has a rare collection of comparative anatomy. Each museum has some descriptions or an abbreviated guide in English. All of these museums are free.

The stone-paved square is dominated by the massive post office and the former Franciscan Église St-François (Church of St. Francis), built during the 13th and 14th centuries. From 1783 to 1793, Edward Gibbon lived in a house on the site of the post office and there finished his work The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

About 12 km (7 miles) northeast of Nyon, the lakefront village of Rolle merits a detour for a look at its dramatic 13th-century château, built at the water's edge by a Savoyard prince. Kids will appreciate its large courtyard playground. While in town you can visit the Moinat Antiques and Decoration shop for a sample of what it takes to furnish a grand country home, or attend one of the many classical concerts hosted in the charming Temple de Rolle.

Parallel to the waterfront highway, threading through the steep-sloping vineyards between Nyon and Lausanne, the 36-km (22-mile) Route du Vignoble (Vineyard Road) unfolds a rolling green landscape high above the lake, punctuated by noble manors and vineyards.

Luins, home of the flinty, fruity white wine of the same name, is a typical pretty village. Just up the road, the village of Vinzel develops its own white wines on sunny slopes and sells them from the vin-celliers (wine cellars) that inspired its name. The route continues through Bursins, home of an 11th-century Romanesque church, and goes all the way to Morges. The road is clearly signposted throughout.

Once a separate village isolated on a natural ridge, this is now Lausanne's fashionable main shopping street. Narrow and cobblestoned, it's lined with platinum-card stores such as Hermès and Louis Vuitton. Boutiques have been built into the centuries-old buildings, though some have added fittingly modern facades.

This village, 2 km (1 mile) northwest of Morges, is known for its namesake château, a 15th-century Savoyard palace with a massive donjon and four lesser towers, all trimmed in fine Piedmont-style brickwork. It's privately owned, but the grounds are open to the public.