Ninety seconds on Cathedrale de Lausanne
Lausanne's Gothic cathedral still keeps a night watchman in its belfry, calling the hours over the old town, and by day you can climb that same tower and look out from where he stands.
Start outside, at the west front. Of its two towers, one carries the belfry and the other was never finished, which is why the entrance front looks lopsided. The belfry is rectangular, with two tiers of pointed-arch openings and a turret at each corner.
On the side of the nave is the painted portal, a covered side entrance lined with statues that still carry their colour. Look up as you pass through.
Until spring 2027, repairs hide the rose window from inside. It fills the end of the south transept, and its glass was made in the early thirteenth century, earlier than the roses at Chartres. Round its edge, each of the four elements is shown as a woman.
After dark, the belfry is home to the last permanent night watch in Europe, kept for more than six centuries.
From the main door, turn right to the reception desk just inside, where you buy the tower ticket. Walk the nave first while your eyes adjust to the light, then climb. The stair passes the cathedral's seven bells on the way to the top, where the view runs over the roofs of the Cité to Lake Geneva and the Alps.
The tower keeps shorter hours than the cathedral. Monday to Saturday it shuts for an hour at lunch, and on Sunday it opens only in the afternoon. The last climb goes up half an hour before the reception desk shuts, so start well before closing.
Guided visits in French run from July to the end of September, four a day except Sundays and public holidays, at 10am, 11am, 2.30pm and 3.30pm. They meet in front of the main entrance, or inside if it rains. Visits in other languages, and special outings onto the roof, close to the rose and into the catacombs, are arranged on request.
To meet the night watchman, small groups of up to about six can climb with him to the first floor of the belfry late in the evening, before midnight, at no charge. Between 10pm and 11pm, phone the watchman on the number on the cathedral's website to book a date.
Sunday mornings belong to worship: the service starts at 10am and tourist visits resume at 11am.
If you hold the Lausanne City Pass, bring it to the desk, because it covers the belfry climb. For the night watch, plan a second trip after dinner, because the cathedral doors close hours before the first call.
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