The most beautiful parks and gardens Lausanne

What could be more pleasant in summer than a dip in the lake? Parc Bourget is the kingdom of birds and fans of nature and evening parties. The park is also the site of the execution of Major Davel, who was beheaded in 1723 for wanting to free Lausanne from the Bernese yoke and for his insurrection. The entire park is listed as a historic garden. On summer evenings and weekends, many families and groups of friends come to play volleyball, swim in the lake, picnic or barbecue

Who thought they'd find an air of Thailand? A Siamese pavilion in this park? In 1818, the owner, banker William Haldimand, turned his estate into a "landscape park". He couldn't resist indulging in the fashion of the day: building the Haldimand Tower, a neo-Gothic edifice dating from 1830. Today, the site retains the signature of an illustrious host. From 1933 to 1951, the Siamese sovereign Bhumibol stayed and studied in Lausanne. To commemorate his stay, he made a gift of a Thai pavilion. A call to the open sea!

Surprising to suggest a visit to a cemetery, but the architect Alphonse Laverrière designed it as a public park. The park is particularly well maintained, with hedges trimmed to the centimetre... Ponds, flowerbeds, beehives - a carefully considered plant decor. A brochure in the reception area lists the personalities buried here, including Pierre de Coubertin, the renovator of the Olympic Games, and Coco Chanel.

This English-style park surrounds a mansion built for wealthy financier Vincent Perdonnet (1768-1850). The family motto is inscribed on the rear façade: Toujours agité, jamais abattu!

The bourgeois residents of Rue de Bourg often owned a second home outside Lausanne, when the city was still surrounded by fortifications and vineyards (the vineyards belonged to the bishop, then were bought by private individuals, including the city of Lausanne). At the time, these residences were known as "maisons de maître", and the park surrounding them as "campagne". Thus, we also speak of the Désert countryside and the Hermitage countryside.

In front of the house, the Olympic rings on the ground evoke the original headquarters of the Olympic Committee. In 1756, the owner of the property, Philippe de Gentils, Marquis de Langallerie, had a theater built, where Voltaire presented plays during his visits to Lausanne. He also built a "folie". In the ^18th century, this was the name given to holiday homes, with their original, mixed Gothic, Baroque and medieval architectural styles, conducive to daydreaming, gallant encounters and invitations to travel, hidden away in the parks of castles or in the countryside. In fine weather, the pavilion offers light refreshments and pastries.

In summer, concerts and film screenings take place in this superb setting with waterfall, grotto, underground passage and aviary populated by superb macaws.

A real living museum at the foot of Montriond hill and a stone's throw from the Milan park and its playgrounds, the Botanical Garden cultivates more than 6,000 species of plants from all over the world in its rock gardens, water features and flowerbeds. This little corner of paradise is overflowing with colour and offers a serene and pleasant visit. The museum and the garden offer temporary botanical and artistic exhibitions to make the visit more enjoyable.