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Ouchy

There are only two distinct neighborhoods in Lausanne: the shorelin of Lake Geneva and the city. Like most lake or seaside cities, the beach is where the city people head as often as possible. Lausanne's closest beach is in a district called Ouchy. It is where you will find open-air movie theaters, rollerbladers, ice skaters, cyclists, walkers (Self-guided tours), swimmers (Bellerive), visitors to the Olympic museum, long stretches of boardwalk, sunsets over Lake Geneva, French tourists, and sailors (Ciels Bleus). The activities on the largest freshwater lake in Europe are practically endless. You can sail, fish, swim, water-ski, wakeboard, windsurf, or all of the above. Summer is short in Switzerland, so once the temperatures warm up, the inhibitions come off: this is playtime and the Swiss and tourists alike take to the water in droves. But don't worry, there is plenty to go around, literally: The lake is 72.3 kilometers (45 miles) long. Although it sounds pretty unbelievable, spending time along this lake in the summer beats hanging out in the more famous places like Nice. No faux glamor, no polluted noisy streets nearby, no pretentiousness.