The Best Luxury Hotels in Lausanne, Honestly Ranked
The grandest palace hotel on Lake Geneva, Vevey's Daisy Miller hotel and Nabokov's Montreux palace: the Olympic capital and its Riviera, decoded.
By Biirdee Travel, Luxury Travel Concierge · Updated September 23, 2026
Lausanne holds one of Europe's great unsung hotel trios: all LHW members, all under the radar of travelers who stop at Geneva. The Beau-Rivage Palace at Ouchy is the headline: an 1861 lakefront palace in four hectares of gardens, with Anne-Sophie Pic's two-Michelin-star flagship and the Alps across the water. Above it, the Lausanne Palace anchors the city center, and the Royal Savoy's turreted silhouette hides a rooftop spa pool with the lake panorama. Follow the shore east through the Lavaux vineyards and the Riviera adds two grand hotels worth the trip on their own: the Trois Couronnes at Vevey, twenty minutes away, and the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace ten minutes beyond it; Évian's Hôtel Royal waits across the water by ferry.
The Short Answers
- Best overall: Beau-Rivage Palace, Lake Geneva's definitive palace hotel; lake-view rooms are mandatory.
- Best in-town: Lausanne Palace, Belle Époque grandeur over the old city.
- Best spa-and-views value: Royal Savoy; the rooftop pool deck is the city's best vantage point.
- Best on the Riviera: the Trois Couronnes in Vevey for literary grandeur, the Montreux Palace for Belle Époque scale and July's jazz festival.
- Lavaux's UNESCO vineyard terraces start 15 minutes east; the lake drive is half the reason to come.
- Lausanne prices ~20% under Geneva for comparable luxury; Leaders Club benefits attach at the four LHW members.
The Top Tier, With Our Honest Take
Beau-Rivage Palace Lausanne
Ouchy lakefront
9.5Exceptional · 481 guest reviewsThe 1861 palace in four hectares of lakeside gardens at Ouchy: Anne-Sophie Pic's two stars, a full spa and Alps-across-the-water rooms that define Lake Geneva luxury; LHW member
Guests praiseLocationServiceAmenities
from ~CHF 600–900/night
Lausanne Palace
City center, above the old town
9.2Excellent · 2,243 guest reviewsThe urban grande dame above the old town: Belle Époque salons, a serious spa, lake views from the upper floors and cathedral-quarter walks from the door; LHW member
Guests praiseFriendly staffGreat locationGood breakfast
from ~CHF 450–650/night
Royal Savoy Hotel & Spa
Between center and lake
9.2Excellent · 3,470 guest reviewsThe turreted 1909 landmark: rooftop Sky Lounge pool with the full lake panorama; LHW member
Guests praiseHospitalityLocationAmenities
from ~CHF 400–600/night
Hôtel des Trois Couronnes
Vevey lakefront (20 min east)
9.4Excellent · 46 guest reviewsVevey's grand hotel since 1842, where Henry James set Daisy Miller: a galleried atrium, lake-facing balconies, a full spa and a terrace on the quay; the Beau-Rivage's closest rival in character; LHW member
Guests praiseExcellent serviceStunning property
from ~CHF 450–700/night
Fairmont Le Montreux Palace
Montreux lakefront (30 min east)
The 1906 Belle Époque palace on the Montreux shore, Vladimir Nabokov's home for his last 16 years: lake-view balconies, a large spa with an indoor pool, and the Montreux Jazz Festival on the doorstep each July
from ~CHF 350–600/night
Smart-Value Lakefront Classics
A notch below the palaces in polish, a long way below them in price, and every bit as close to the water.
Hôtel Angleterre & Résidence
Ouchy quay, Lausanne
The Ouchy inn where Lord Byron wrote The Prisoner of Chillon in 1816, now a cluster of historic lakefront houses: lake-view rooms, the Ouchy promenade outside, and the Beau-Rivage's neighborhood at a fraction of its rate
from ~CHF 280–420/night
Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic, Autograph Collection
Montreux, above the lake quay
Montreux's 19th-century grand hotel between the station and the flower-lined quay: Belle Époque public rooms, lake-view balconies and Marriott Bonvoy points; the smart-value base for the Riviera and Chillon
from ~CHF 250–400/night
Across the Lake (35 min by ferry)
Hôtel Royal, Évian Resort
Évian-les-Bains, France (35 min by ferry from Ouchy)
The 1909 Belle Époque palace in parkland above Évian: frescoed salons, a big spa, views back across the water to Lausanne and serious family infrastructure; the lake's grandest crossing, and a different country for dinner
from ~€450–750/night
How to Choose
The Beau-Rivage is the destination in itself; take a lake-facing balcony room, dine at Pic once, and let the Ouchy promenade do the rest. The Lausanne Palace suits city-first stays and conference traffic; the Royal Savoy is the smart-money pick whose rooftop outdoes both pricier rivals, and the Angleterre down on the quay is the budget-conscious lakefront answer. Push east for the Riviera: the Trois Couronnes for Vevey's quieter, literary grandeur, the Montreux Palace for Belle Époque scale and July's jazz festival, the Suisse Majestic for Montreux at a gentler rate. The region is the real luxury: Lavaux's terraced vineyards (UNESCO), the Olympic Museum, the ferry to Évian and its Hôtel Royal, and Geneva forty minutes down the shore. We build the Léman arc (Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux) as a single lake itinerary.
Lausanne Hotel FAQs
What is the best hotel in Lausanne?
The Beau-Rivage Palace, by a comfortable margin; it's among the best lake hotels in Europe, full stop. The Royal Savoy is the value surprise; the Lausanne Palace the city-center classic. Along the Riviera, the Trois Couronnes in Vevey is the Beau-Rivage's closest rival in character.
How much do Lausanne's best hotels cost?
Entry rooms ~CHF 400–900 at the palaces, roughly 20% under Geneva equivalents; the Angleterre and the Suisse Majestic open the lakefront from ~CHF 250. Summer lake season, Art Basel spillover and the Montreux Jazz Festival (July) peak; winter weekdays run softest.
Lausanne, Vevey or Montreux?
Lausanne for a real city with the Beau-Rivage on its shore; Vevey and Montreux for the postcard Riviera, Chillon castle and a slower pace. They sit 20–30 minutes apart by train or along the lake road, so many clients split the stay between the two.
Lausanne or Geneva?
Geneva for business and the Jet d'Eau postcard; Lausanne for the better lake resort experience and Lavaux's vineyards. Forty minutes apart; the discerning answer is the Beau-Rivage with Geneva day-tripped.
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