Backpack & Budget : Sports-Conscious Lausanne

Jeunotel, a new facility that’s a cross between a youth hostel and a hotel, opened in this city in June, offering budget accommodations for young travelers.

The two-story building adjoins a large lakeside park that is packed with sporting activities. It can accommodate up to 300 visitors in rooms with one to four beds, or in large dormitories.

French-speaking Lausanne (population 128,000) sits on the shore of Lake Geneva, surrounded by mountains and vineyards. You can reach it from Paris by TGV train in less than four hours. Travelers with Eurail or Swiss passes can also hop aboard lake steamers at no extra charge to reach neighboring villages and cities. Geneva is about a three-hour drive away; Evian, France, is only 35 minutes.

Lausanne is divided into two sections--the upper city, including the older medieval quarter, and the waterfront area, known as Ouchy. The two sections are connected by a five-stop Metro that can be used free of charge by travelers holding Eurail or Swiss passes.

Take the Metro to the Ouchy stop, then walk east for five minutes along the waterfront and you’ll find yourself at another new attraction, the Olympic Museum, world’s largest information center for the Olympic movement.

Lausanne has been the unofficial capital of international sport since 1915, when the Comite International Olympique, presided over by the Baron Pierre de Coubertin, established its headquarters here.

The entrance charge is a hefty $8.25, $6.25 for students. Inside the Greek-style building (the white marble was donated by the Greek government), you’ll find displays ranging from the Olympics of ancient Greece to the modern-day games, and including art, coins, stamps and mementos such as skier Jean-Claude Killy’s helmet and sprinter Carl Lewis’ running shoes. Interactive audiovisual machines enable visitors to replay special events and search out information. There is also a 15,000-volume library, a 200,000-piece photographic collection, and a 7,000-hour film/video archive.

Visitors can relax and enjoy the gardens or the view from the cafeteria deck without having to pay an entrance fee.

Those in search of budget accommodations can head for the youth hostel (1 Ch. du Muguet, telephone from the United States 011-41-21-626-5782), or try the Jeunotel (Ch. 36 du Bois de Vaux, tel. 011-41-21-626-0222, fax 011-41-21-626-0226). You can reach Jeunotel by taking bus No. 2 from the Ouchy Metro stop.

The rate for a bed in the Jeunotel’s dormitory is about $12.50 U.S. per night, or $17.75 with breakfast. A bed in a triple or quad room is $14, or $18 with breakfast. A bed in a twin room is $17.25, or $21.50 with breakfast. At these rates, expect to walk down the hall for a shower. Rooms with private washroom facilities are slightly more expensive.

The facility is clean and serviceable, but a few more plants and colorful pictures on the walls would give it a warmer and more welcoming feeling. It has a self-service restaurant and parking, and is built around three courtyards featuring a giant chess game, volleyball and Ping-Pong.

Vidy, the waterfront park area surrounding Jeunotel, is a popular place for a variety of sports, from windsurfing to cycling. You’ll also find a campground, Gallo-Roman ruins and the home of the International Olympic Committee.

Lausanne has long been a magnet for well-known personalities. Coco Chanel is buried here. Charles Dickens stayed awhile to write. In the upper section by St. Francois Square, Edward Gibbon completed “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.”

The best time to visit St. Francois Square is a Wednesday or Saturday morning when the flower, food and flea markets are operating. It’s a good idea to shop for picnic lunches because you’ll find restaurant prices often double those at home.

Work your way through the streets to the Town Hall, where Mozart performed at the age of 10. Across the Town Hall square is the Museum of Archeology and History (free admission), which exhibits Roman relics and even the remains of a mammoth found in the region. Don’t miss the cathedral, which dates to 1165. A town crier still reports his watch from the tower each night at 10 p.m. and 3 a.m.

For more information, visit the tourist information office at the rail station or at 2 Ave. de Rhodanie in Ouchy, or contact the Swiss National Tourist Office, 222 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 1570, El Segundo 90245; tel. (310) 335-5980.