What to do with kids in Lausanne this weekend
Around 40% of Lausanne is non-Swiss. Here's how English-speaking families find weekend activities that don't depend on speaking French.
Équipe Kidzvivo ·
Lausanne is around 40% non-Swiss residents. On any given weekend, a significant share of the families looking for something to do have kids whose first language is English. The city's activity offer is almost entirely in French — which is fine once you know the landscape, harder when you've just arrived or when your 5-year-old hasn't picked up the language yet.
Activities where language doesn't matter
Climbing walls, swimming pools, trampoline parks, and most sports activities work regardless of language — the instruction is mostly physical, and providers in Lausanne are used to mixed-language groups. Indoor play spaces (espaces de jeux) are language-free by nature.
Activities with English-medium options
Lausanne has several English-language playgroups for 0–5 year olds, mostly organised through expat networks (ALAS — Association of Lausanne Area Schools and associated groups). These aren't always on mainstream activity platforms but are worth finding if you have a toddler.
Some private sports academies and music schools in Lausanne offer classes in English — typically at international schools or in areas with high expat density (Ouchy, Pully, Lutry). Availability varies by season.
The International School of Lausanne and Collège Alpin Beau Soleil run community open days with English-medium activities — worth checking their calendars if you're new to the area.
What Kidzvivo offers for English-speaking families
Kidzvivo's interface runs in English (and French, German, Italian). The activity listings themselves are in French — that's the reality of the local market — but the search, filters, and booking flow work in English. For an expat family searching "swimming lesson for 6-year-old in Pully with spots available this Saturday," it returns results that French-only platforms don't surface.
Kidzvivo currently lists more than 1,850 activities across the Lausanne area, filterable by age, setting, and whether there's still availability this weekend.
For a broader guide, the Lausanne expat community maintains Facebook groups (Expat in Lausanne, English-speaking families Vaud) where weekend plans regularly get shared — a useful complement to any search tool.