Olympic Museum – Step Into Olympic History on Lausanne’s Lakeshore

Last updated: 10 October 2026

Overview

The Olympic Museum stands in an 8,000 square metre park of 43 sculptures, above the water at Ouchy in Lausanne. The park costs nothing to enter and stays open to anyone walking the lakeshore. A 100-metre interactive sprint track cuts across it. Inside, three floors and 3,000 square metres hold over 1,500 objects. Torches, medals and the kit athletes actually competed in fill the cases. Meanwhile, the eternal Olympic flame burns at the park entrance.

We climbed from the lake through the terraces, which is the approach the architects intended. The building steps back into the hillside, so each floor opens onto a different view. On the first floor, the ancient Games give way to Athens 1896 and the modern era. Afterwards, the second floor turns to the athletes themselves. Screens replay finishes you half remember, at a scale that makes the margins visible. Meanwhile, children head straight for the simulators and the sprint track outside. The TOM Cafe terrace faces Lake Geneva and the Savoy Alps beyond.

Practical Information

Admission to the Olympic Museum starts at CHF 20 for adults. The ticket covers the permanent collection, the temporary exhibitions and an audio guide in nine languages. Seniors, students, apprentices and visitors with disabilities pay a reduced rate. Carers enter free. The Lausanne Transport Card takes 20 per cent off. Opening hours are 09:00 to 18:00, Tuesday to Sunday, with last entry at 17:00. The museum closes on Mondays outside public holidays, and on 23, 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January. Allow two hours for the three floors, and longer if you stop in the park.

Metro line M2 from Lausanne station reaches Ouchy in about five minutes. From there the walk along the quay takes ten. Alternatively, CGN lake boats dock at Ouchy, a few minutes from the entrance. Drivers will find paid parking at Ouchy rather than at the museum itself. Book online at olympics.com or buy at the desk, since entry needs no timed slot. Lifts serve all three floors and the park paths stay level. The address is Quai d’Ouchy 1, 1006 Lausanne, and the museum answers on +41 21 621 67 20.

Also called The Olympic Museum, Le Musée Olympique in French and Das Olympische Museum in German.