Things to do around the Lausanne/Morges area

As Chase gets older, we are finding more fun things in the area to do with him, so I am chronicling these things here to remember and to maybe help others who are in the area. This list is not exhaustive, but consists of activities for which we have pictures and which are more memorable. These are activities we've done in the last 6 months or so, during which Chase was 3-3.5 years old. 

1. Museums in Lausanne and Morges, including:

Cantonal Zoology Museum in Lausanne

This is the top floor of the Rumine Palace near the Riponne metro stop. It was started in 1818 and has such cool relics. Chase really enjoyed it when we went as there are multiple exhibits and lots of (old) animals.

Olympic Museum in Lausanne



2. Lake & parks in Morges

Obviously, we spend a lot of time in Morges, but even if we didn't live here, it still is a great place to visit as there are parks all along the lake. Chase loves watching the boats near the castle, going to the three main playgrounds around Morges, and riding his bike or trotinette all around.

3. Wine tasting

While this is not an activity for the kids specifically, we have found kids are more than welcome to be around. We have many wine tastings in the Morges/Lausanne region. Every May/June there is an event when the wineries open their doors and you can get a passport (for only 20 CHF) to visit 50+ of them over two-three days. We have gone with friends for the last few years (last year we went to Fechy which was particularly nice and quiet) and have been enjoyed it a lot. There are also other events set up in the area as the one below which was in a tent at the park near our apartment.

4. Short Day Trips

Thanks to friends who have a car, we've been able to do a few kid-friendly day trips. Even without a car, there are many places we can easily visit, but these are the ones we did recently:

Les Paccots
This is mostly a ski resort but has a fun "train" ride and short hikes, perfect for kids in the summer.

Fort de Pré-Giroud 

This was an awesome visit of a decommissioned Swiss Army fort. It was really cool to learn the history and check it out. 

Désalpe in St. Cergue
The Désalpe is an event when the cows come down from the mountains in the fall. They dress the cows up and parade them through the town while they have food and activities set up for kids.

(photo credit to Yordan)

5. Ouchy

Boat to Evian
From Ouchy (which is Lausanne's lake front), you take the boat across the lake to France - specifically to Evian. We went there with Bridget when she visited in March. We also went there previously with Nate's parents and possibly on our own.

(photo credit to Bridget)

(photo credit to Bridget)

Merry-Go-Round and Playground/Park
Ouchy itself actually has an amazing playground for kids to play on, along with a nice park and a merry-go-round.

Another Solo Trip to San Diego

This has been an odd year as I made solo trips to San Diego twice! This was mostly because Chase is older and can stand to be away from me for a few days, and Nate has a bit of flexibility in his schedule. In October, I took a few days to fly to LA to visit Sakina and meet Sophie! I then drove down to San Diego to go to Liz and Jack's wedding, which was super fun and felt like an awesome HMC reunion!

I spent the rest of the time with my parents. My mom and I had the chance to do a Wild Animal Park caravan tour and were able to feed the giraffes and feed (and pet!!) the rhinos! It was an awesome tour as we went at sunset and all the animals were super active after a hot day and were putting on an awesome show for us! My mom's birthday fell in the days I was visiting, so it was also nice to celebrate her. 

Other than seeing my parents, I also spent some time with my cousin (who was visibly absent from our Ukraine trip this summer as she was working in London this summer before returning back to San Diego to finish her senior year). However, when my parents and cousin were at work/school, I enjoyed a burrito and some beach time in the best place in the world.