Esplanade de Montbenon

The Esplanade de Montbenon is a landscaped terrace in central Lausanne laid out in the late nineteenth century on a plateau above the lake. It combines formal gardens and a bandstand with the ornate Casino building, now a cultural centre and home to a film archive. Broad walks lined with plane trees give open views south across Lake Geneva to the Savoy Alps beyond. The esplanade hosts open-air cinema and concerts in summer and remains one of the pleasantest public spaces in the city for an unhurried stroll.