Visiting the Olympic Museum in Lausanne

It was a really rainy and overcast day in Lucerne and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to visit a museum.  Unfortunately, the museum that I had wanted to visit the most was located all the way in Lausanne, which is about a 2.5 hour train ride away.  Seeing as the alternative was to find a café or somewhere else indoors, I thought it would be worth the trek to Lausanne.

I arrived at Lausanne in the early afternoon and as soon as I stepped out of the metro station, I knew reminded of the strong Olympic presence.  Everywhere I looked was a reminder that I was in the Olympic Capital, whether it be souvenir shops, or flag that lined Lake Geneva, or statues and sculptures that appeared every few feet, everything was linked to the Olympics in some way or another.

Another thing I noticed right away was that Lausanne seemed much more laid back than Lucerne.  The French architecture of the shops and cafes that lined the street were a very relaxing sight and I loved how it was so different from Lucerne, even though it was just a couple of hours away.

From Ouchy -Olympique metro station, it was about a 10 minute walk to Parc Olympic, which is at the base of the Olympic Museum.  Climbing the stairs through Parc Olympic, you are treated with information about the Olympics and statues signifying different sports.  I arrived quite late in the day and only had about an hour to explore the museum.  Usually, when people say they need an hour to see something, I’m the type that can get through it in half the time.  However, the Olympic Museum was different in that I think I probably could have spent a good 2-3 hours there.

The first exhibition was dedicated to the history of the Olympics and the important people who contributed to them.  From there, we are led into an exhibition area displaying mascots, torches, and architectural wonders related to the games.

The last floor was dedicated to the Olympic Village where the athletes stay in and a whole array of interactive games to test your physical and emotional ability to see if you have what it takes to be an Olympian. Unfortunately, as I only had about an hour at the museum, I couldn’t quite make it through to see this part, but if it is anything like the rest of the museum, I would be pretty impressed.