To get this new Lausanne guided tours business to grow, we are very enthusiastically posting this article. Ilona Horvath tells us more about the business and is even offering a pair of tickets for one lucky reader.
What has been the inspiration?
I started Sincerely Switzerland because I love Lausanne. It is a historically rich town with fascinating inhabitants, today as 500 years ago. I wish to share this love with visitors so they find out how awesome this town really is.
Have you been working on this idea forever?
The idea of creating these tours came out of necessity. For four years, I did guided tours of the History Museum of Lausanne, garnering experience and information about it. My contract was not renewed but I had all this information and this love for Lausanne. Soon I realised that I had always talked about "in this place you can see this" and "in this place you can see that". Now I get to show those places, with some of the images found in the museum.
What is the biggest obstacle you have had to overcome?
As I am starting my own business, the biggest obstacle is networking and recommendation. I am working on creating a network of people in various positions able to recommend or book my tours.
What are your plans for the future?
The future for Sincerely Switzerland is to have a pool of equally trained, experienced and fun guides to provide the type of quality and entertaining tours I wish to provide to my customers.
What is your favourite part of your job?
After four years in a history museum, I have discovered that I love History. So telling visitors about the History of Lausanne, on The Mysteries of Lausanne tour, is my favourite. We get to see, in real life and on the pictures I bring on the tour, how the city has evolved and why.
History is fun. Let's create good memories together!
Ilona on one of the last freight sailboats on the Lac Léman
A recent tour participant, Orane Lecoultre, wrote, "I had the opportunity to take one of Sincerely Switzerland's guided tours recently and it was a lovely suprise. I am already familiar with the city, but I found it interesting to visit it from a historical point of view. The explanations and anecdotes punctuated the visit with a pleasant ratio of quality to quantity. I was able to uncover new aspects of the city, including historic cafés and restaurants. Ilona is completely fluent in French, English, and German, and I can also recommend this tour to people who already know Lausanne!"
Enter our competition to win a double ticket!
Ilona has kindly offered one of our readers the chance to win a pair of tickets any of her Sincerely Switzerland public tours (value Fr. 40.-/pair of tickets). Valid on any tours through 31 August 2024.
To enter the competition, just fill in this form and answer this multiple choice question: What is Ilona's favorite tour she offers?
Only one entry per person and per email is allowed. The competition closes at midnight on Tuesday, 6 February 2024. The names of all those submitting correct answers will be placed into the digital hat and the winner’s name drawn at random by Wednesday, 7 February 2024. No cash equivalent of prizes is permitted. The winner will be notified by email.
Note: Ilona works on tips (recommended tips range from Fr. 20.- to Fr. 30.-/person). She also manages group or private tours (between 2-20 people) for a fixed rate of Fr. 300.-.
U P C O M I N G E V E N T S
The Mysteries of Lausanne (all tours in English exept 9 February)
9 February 2024, 14:30 – 17:30 (in French)
17 April 2024 14h – 17h
1, 15, 29 May 2024
12, 26 June 2024
10, 24 July 2024
7, 21 August 2024
Lausanne, Pl. de la Cathédrale 4, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
It's time to find out all those fascinating secret and not so secret historical features in Vaud's Capital. How do you hide not only one but two rivers ? Why does the Cathedral have no catacombs ? Where are the remains of the medieval fortifications? Why have they all vanished?
The monuments and places of interest visited are:
- La Cathédrale
- La Louve
- Place de la Riponne
- Palais Rumine
- La Place de la Palud
- La Tour de l'Ale
- Le Pont Chauderon
- Le Casino de Montbenon
- Le Grand Pont
- La Gare
- La Ficelle (not on map)
- Le Port d'Ouchy (not on map)
- Les Ruines Romaines (not on map)
Regular stops are planned. They all take place in one of the Historic Cafés of Lausanne. Some parts of the tour will be by bus.
Duration: 3 hours (breaks included)
Distance: 3.5km
Surface: Concrete pavement
Difficulty: a bit of elevation gain, stairs
Not included: entrance to museums, day pass for public transport, drinks during breaks.
In a fairy tale...
Sunday 7, 10 April 2024
Ideal for a different sort of birthday party, this tour is specifically tailored for children, from 7 year old onward. Discover Lausanne with your children!
The route is short and easily accessible. It takes participants to regular street corners and invites them to look at regular buildings through the lens of fairy tales. With a little magic and imagination, they can be found everywhere...
Places visited will include:
- Le Pont Bessières + la Cathédrale
- Parc de Mon Repos et sa Folie Voltaire
- Promenade Derrière Bourg
- Promenade Jean Villard Gilles
- l'Opéra de Lausanne (extérieurs)
Duration: 1.5 hours
Distance: 1.5 kilometers
Difficulty: a bit of elevation gain, stairs
Culture and Nature: 14h-17h
24 April 2024
8, 22 May 2024
5, 19 June 2024
3, 24, 31 July 2024
14, 28 August 2024
Lausanne, Av. Bergières 10, 1004 Lausanne, Switzerland
Here's where you get to discover the cultural and green places of the City of Lausanne, as in the largest theater in Switzerland, 200 year old parks and a 42 meter high Vancouver pine tree.
The itinerary (some by bus) takes the visitor to all the places of tourist interest such as:
- Théâtre de Beaulieu
- Collection de l'Art Brut
- Palais de Rumine
- La Cité
- L'Opéra
- Le Parc de Mon Repos
- Le Parc de Milan
Sincerely Switzerland
Ilona Horvath
079 763 32 86
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.sincerelyswitzerland.ch
