A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Lausanne vs. Calais for Attractions, Food, Nightlife, and Families

Should you visit Lausanne or Calais?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

If you're trying to decide where to visit between Lausanne or Calais, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.

Lausanne

Lausanne is a diverse, vibrant, and cultural city. It offers plenty of beauty for visitors. Other popular activities here include shopping, museums, and nightlife.

Calais

Calais is a coastal, authentic, and undiscovered city. Because this is such a big city, visitors will find many sights and attractions around town. Other popular activities here include museums, nightlife, and food.

Lausanne and Calais: Pros and Cons

Is there more to do in Lausanne or Calais?

Visitors will generally find more to do in Calais than Lausanne. While Lausanne is larger than Calais, Calais has more sights, attractions, and activities for tourists. Calais is very popular for its beaches and big city activities, while Lausanne attracts visitors for its museums, food, historical sights, shopping, and impressive beauty. Lausanne is famous for being the home of the International Olympic Committee headquarters. Calais is famous for being a gateway for travelers to France. It is also well known for The Town Hall.

How is Lausanne different from Calais?

Which is Better for a Holiday?

Let's take a look at the differences and similarities between Calais and Lausanne. Then, you can decide for yourself which place is better for your next trip.

Are the Museums and Historical Sights Better in Lausanne or Calais?

Lausanne is well known for its museums and landmarks. Also, Calais is still popular, but not quite as popular for its historical sights.

Lausanne offers many unique museums, sights, and landmarks that will make for a memorable trip. You'll find many great museums around town that cover a range of topics. The Olympic Museum is very interesting. You should also check out the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, and the Hermitage Foundation.

Calais is a good place to visit if you're interested in museums or other recognizable sights. It's a port city with a few good museums and landmarks to see. Check out the Town Hall, Burghers of Calais, La Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode, and Musée de la Guerre de Calais, as well as the Calais Lighthouse.

Is the Food Better in Lausanne or Calais? Which Destination has the Best Restaurants?

Lausanne is well known for its restaurant scene. Also, Calais is still popular, but not quite as popular for its local flavors and cuisine.

Dining out in Lausanne is an experience not to be missed. The city is filled with delicious chocolate, cheese, and wine. Fondue is a favorite, but you'll also find cured meats on most menus. While food can be expensive, it's also high quality and usually locally produced.

There are plenty of up and coming restaurants around Calais. The region is known for its mackerel, andouillette sausage, and endive and ham gratin. If you're passing through, this is also a good place to stock up on wine and cheese.

Is Lausanne or Calais Better for Nightlife?

Party-goers will find similar levels of energy in Lausanne and Calais.

Lausanne has an active nightlife scene for those who seek it out. There are a surprising number of clubs around town and it's not hard to find somewhere to party. The large student population and the international vibe make this a fascinating place for nightlife.

If you're looking for night time activities Calais has a few options to choose from. You'll find bars and pubs around town as well as a few clubs. Places range from trendy and high end to local dive bars.

Is Lausanne or Calais Better for Beaches?

Calais is a nice place to visit for the beach. However, Lausanne is not a beach destination.

Calais has a beach worth visiting. There are some sandy beaches near town that have nice stretches of sand and plenty of sand dunes. Many locals enjoy sunbathing at the beaches.

Lausanne is not a beach destination.

Is Lausanne or Calais Better for its Old Town?

Lausanne is a popular place for its historic old town charm. However, Calais does not have a historic old town.

Lausanne offers a nice historic old town area. There's a relatively large historic section that has a Gothic cathedral and many quaint shops.

Calais does not have a historic old town.

Is the Shopping Better in Lausanne or Calais?

Lausanne is well known for its shopping areas. Also, Calais is still popular, but not quite as popular for shopping.

Browsing through shops is a popular activity in Lausanne. You'll find luxury Swiss watch brands, jewelry, chocolate, and many other interesting things to buy. Prices can be high, but so is the quality. It's fun to look, even if you're not planning to purchase.

Plenty of visitors enjoy shopping while in Calais. Many visitors stock up on wine and cheese when they're passing through. It's common to head straight to Auchan or Carrefour to stock up on some items.

Is Lausanne or Calais Better for Families?

Lausanne and Calais are both nice destinations for the whole family.

You'll find plenty of kid-friendly things to do in Lausanne. There are kid-friendly museums, petting zoos, and other fun activities in town. You can also take a boat ride or let the kids run around one of the parks in town.

Calais offers lots of family activities. There's the Nausicaa Aquarium, the Museum of the Atlantic Wall, and the Second World War Museum. There are also beaches and parks to explore as well as some nice playgrounds.

Is Lausanne or Calais Better for Couples?

Lausanne and Calais are both nice to visit as a couple.

Lausanne is a good city for couples to visit. The medieval old city is fun to explore. The lakefront setting also offers fun activities like boating. There are also a number of museums in town to explore.

Calais is a nice destination for couples. Couples can picnic with wine and cheese or eat their way through the town's great restaurants. There are also some nice beaches where people enjoy sunbathing or relaxing.

Is Lausanne or Calais Better for Students?

Lausanne is well known for students. However, Calais is not popular with students.

Lausanne is a very popular city for students and younger travelers. There are 11 institutes for higher learning in town, so students make up a significant percentage of the population. The city is also full of culture, making it a very livable city.

Calais is not popular with students.

Is Lausanne or Calais Better for Public Transit? Which Is Easier to Get Around Without a Car?

You'll find somewhat comparable public transit options in both Lausanne and Calais.

You'll find some public transit in Lausanne, but it may not be enough to take you everywhere. There is a comprehensive network of transportation options available in town including buses and boats.

While Calais offers some public transit options, it might not be your first choice. The city has 13 bus lines that run through town and into the surrounding areas. If you're arriving by ferry from the UK, there are shuttle buses that connect the ferry terminal to the train station.

Is Lausanne or Calais a more walkable city?

Lausanne and Calais both are nice when exploring on foot.

Lausanne is a somewhat walkable city. Many parts of the city, including the historic sections, and relatively easy to explore on foot.

Calais is somewhat walkable. Parts of the town are more walkable than others.

For even more information, also check out Is Lausanne Worth Visiting? and Is Calais Worth Visiting?.

Should I spend more time in Calais or Lausanne?

How long in Lausanne or Calais?

Visitors can find plenty of fun things to do in both Lausanne and Calais. With generally more activities and things to do, visitors tend to spend more time in Calais than in Lausanne. Usually, 1-2 days is a good amount of time for Lausanne, and 1-3 days is enough time in Calais.

Families should spend more time in Lausanne than Calais. Because of the many family-friendly attractions and fun things to do for kids in Lausanne, it's a great place to visit with the whole family.

Couples should spend more time in Lausanne than Calais. You'll find plenty of romantic sights and fun activities in Lausanne that are great for a weekend getaway or a longer couple's trip.

Backpackers and budget travelers should spend more time in Lausanne than Calais if your budget allows for it. With a larger number of budget-friendly sights, good nightlife, and active things to do, anyone traveling on a budget would have a good time in Lausanne.

One day in Lausanne or Calais?

Many travelers enjoy the museums and nightlife when visiting the destination of Lausanne. One day is often enough time to do most activities.

The city of Calais offers food and shopping. With all of its activities, you can easily fill one day here. It will give you the chance to have new experiences.

A weekend in Lausanne or Calais?

Lausanne is a great place to explore. It is common to spend a weekend here. With all of its activities, you can easily fill a weekend here. Your budget might influence how long you stay.

Calais is a popular place that is full of things to see and experience. If you have a weekend, this city makes for a great vacation. While some people choose to spend more or less time in Calais, a weekend is sufficent for most. Take your pick from the many activities offered here.

Five days in Lausanne or Calais?

It's hard to know how much time to spend in Lausanne. Five days may feel like too much time unless you plan to do a lot of relaxing. It has many unique tourist attractions and fascinating things to do.

Calais is a popular choice for travelers. Five days is usually plenty of time to spend here with extra days to spare. With this much time, visitors often visit nearby destinations or take day trips. The entire region has so many activities, and you'll want time to do everything.

A week in Lausanne or Calais?

Travelers enjoy the shopping and museums when visiting the vibrant destination of Lausanne. This city offers a variety of activities to choose from. Most people find that one week is more than enough time to see everything.

Calais is a great place to explore. One week is more than enough time to enjoy everything. Take some day trips to nearby places to fill the extra days. This city offers something for everyone.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Luxury Tours to Switzerland, The Best Tours for Seniors to Switzerland, The Best Budget Tours to France, and The Best Tours for Seniors to France.

When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Lausanne and Calais, we can see that Lausanne is more expensive. And not only is Calais much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Calais would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Calais and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Lausanne would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Lausanne than you might in Calais.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Lausanne Expensive? and Is Calais Expensive?.

Which is Bigger, Lausanne or Calais?

Lausanne has a larger population, and is about 57% larger than the population of Calais. When comparing the sizes of Lausanne and Calais, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.