Lausanne (French pronunciation: [loˈzan]) is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, situated on the shores of Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman), and facing Évian-les-Bains (France) and with the Jura mountains to its north-west. Lausanne is located 62 km (39 mi) northeast of Geneva. It is the capital of the canton of Vaud and of the district of Lausanne.

The headquarters of the International Olympic Committee are located in Lausanne and the IOC officially recognises the city as the Capitale Olympique, and the headquarters of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It lies in the middle of a wine region.

Ouchy is a commune, port, and popular lakeside resort located south of the city of Lausanne in Switzerland at the edge of the Lake Léman (Lake Geneva). Very popular with tourists for the views of nearby France (Évian-les-Bains, Thonon), Ouchy is also a favorite area for rollerskating (Lausanne is considered a capital) and for skateboarding.

The incredible views of the lake and the Alps, and the cooler air in summer have made Ouchy a popular place especially in the summer months. There is a major cluster of hotels and restaurants around the port.

Geneva, (French: Genève, German: Genf, Italian: Ginevra, Romansh: Genevra) is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandie (the French-speaking part of Switzerland). Situated where the Rhône River exits Lake Geneva (in French also known as Lac Léman), it is the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva.

The city proper had a population of 186,825 in June 2008, and the metropolitan area had 812,000 residents, according to a 2007 census. The Geneva metropolitan area extends partly over Switzerland (517,000 inhabitants) and partly over France(293,000 inhabitants).

Geneva is a worldwide centre for diplomacy and international co-operation, and is widely regarded as a global city, mainly because of the presence of numerous international organisations, including the headquarters of many of the agencies of the United Nations and the Red Cross. It is also the place where the Geneva Conventions were signed, which chiefly concern the treatment of wartime non-combatants and prisoners of war.

Geneva has been described as the world's sixth most important financial centre by the Global Financial Centres Index, ahead of Tokyo, Chicago, Frankfurt and Sydney, and a 2009 survey by Mercer found Geneva to have the third-highest quality of life in the world (narrowly outranked by Zürich). The city has been referred to as the world's most compact metropolis and the "Peace Capital".