Lausanne Self-Guided Walking Tour: Riddles & Lake Views

A night watchman still calls the hours from the cathedral tower every single night.

A self-guided scavenger hunt through Lausanne using your smartphone and app-based riddles to navigate between landmarks. You start at Château St-Maire, solve trivia and photo tasks to reach the Place de la Cathédrale, the Tour Bel-Air, and the Esplanade de Montbenon overlooking Lake Geneva and the Alps. No guide meets you, no fixed start time, and the whole route takes around two hours on Lausanne's slopes and staircases. Available in 24 languages. Max 15 people per booking.

The experience

Around two hours of walking means you move through Lausanne's medieval core and down to the lake views without eating up your whole day. The app sends you riddles and trivia challenges tied to each stop: the Place de la Cathédrale wraps around Switzerland's finest Gothic cathedral, where that night watchman still climbs the tower to call the hours. Downhill sits the Tour Bel-Air, the country's first high-rise from the 1930s, and then the Esplanade de Montbenon spreads its lawns and casino across a postcard view of Lake Geneva to the Alps.

You download the Explorial app to your phone before you start, enter your game code, and the map shows you where to go. Riddles, trivia and photo tasks keep you moving from one landmark to the next: no waiting for a group, no fixed pace. Take breaks whenever you want, walk as slowly as the hills demand, and compete against your own group's score or the city's leaderboard. The app works in 24 languages, so you pick yours when you open it.

Bring a fully charged smartphone with mobile data and wear comfortable walking shoes. Lausanne does not hide its elevation. If weather or illness stops you before you start, you can reschedule for another day, switch to a different city, or request a refund. Groups larger than 15 need to split into separate bookings.

What’s included

• Free download of the Explorial app (iOS or Android).
• self-guided walking tour with interactive riddles, trivia challenges and photo tasks.
• live location map showing your position and marked landmarks.
• points and scoring system to compete within your group or against the city high score.
• access to stories, history and local legends tied to each stop.
• total flexibility to start anytime, walk at your own pace and take breaks whenever you need.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (10 to 90 years) · Child (under 10): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Cantonese, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Swedish, Turkish and Ukrainian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 15 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Explorial

Is this one for you?Two hours of walking leaves the rest of your day free for lunch, museums or the lakefront, so this works as a morning or afternoon slot rather than a full-day commitment. The self-guided format means you move at your own speed and stop whenever the hills or the views demand it, without waiting for a group or a guide's schedule.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Romanian, Danish, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, Ukrainian, Czech, Norwegian, Hungarian, Cantonese, Greek, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Finnish, Swedish, Hindi and Turkish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 10): free.

How does the app guide me if there's no human guide on this tour?

Riddles, trivia questions and photo tasks built into the Explorial app direct you from one landmark to the next. You read the clue on your phone, solve it, and the map shows you where to go. No guide talks you through it. You work it out and move at your own speed.

What happens if I get lost or can't figure out a riddle?

The app's live location map always shows where you are in the city and marks each landmark. If you get stuck on a riddle, you can skip it and move to the next one without losing points.

Do I need to pay to enter the cathedral, the Tour Bel-Air or other sites?

No entrance fees are required. All the puzzles and photo tasks relate to public areas of the sights, so you see everything from outside or from freely accessible spaces.

Can I start the tour whenever I want, or is there a set departure time?

You start whenever you want. After booking, you receive a game code by text and booking-platform message. Download the app, enter the code, and begin: no guide is waiting, no group is gathering.

What's the leaderboard and how does scoring work?

As you solve riddles and complete photo tasks, you earn points. You can compete against others in your group or try to beat Lausanne's city high score. The leaderboard appears when you finish the tour.