Lausanne, Switzerland: The picturesque city where most Swiss would like to live

Two gorges cleave Lausanne in two, and the city tumbles down hillsides in a tangle of steps and rooftops and bridges. Old-town streets hunker under arcades and huddle around the cathedral.

You could spend a lot of time looking downwards and inwards in Lausanne, but look up and you'll be thrilled by its setting. Below, Lake Geneva is a mirror of beaten silver, across which the fangs of the French Alps bite the horizon.

Lausanne is self-confident enough to almost turn away from its alpine panorama, which becomes more fabulously in-your-face when you drive into surrounding vineyards. As you should: the Route des Vignerons starts just beyond the suburbs and is one of Europe's great scenic drives. There's good reason, though, to linger in the city on your way along Lake Geneva's shores.

Only Swiss modesty prevents Lausanne from being more celebrated, because its splendid setting is matched by its sweep of history. Founded by the Romans, then a powerful medieval bishopric and retreat for Enlightenment writers, this is a cultured, graceful destination whose large university-student population adds edge and youthful enthusiasms. Many French-speaking Swiss cite it as the place in which they'd most like to live.

You'll be mighty pleased if you make a start at the summit of the city at Switzerland's grandest Gothic cathedral, from whose terraces you can eyeball France's borrowed alpine scenery. Statues of saints congregate around the cathedral entrance like tourists waiting for their tour coach – except that here there's scarcely a tourist in sight.

This quiet, austere corner of Lausanne's old town is hung with old-fashioned wrought-iron shop signs spruiking antiques and leather-bound books. A trim castle – more a mansion – cascades with geraniums. Trek just beyond into the newer surrounds for the Collection de l'Art Brut, a fascinating museum featuring the works of the deranged, depressed and criminally insane, many on a travel theme.

It's hard not to be hooked by this mixture of madness, travel and art, especially as it erupts so unexpectedly in the middle of such a well-ordered Swiss city. For me, this is the city's must-see, though Lausanne has several other excellent museums. Musee de l'Elysee displays contemporary photography, some of which also startles and challenges.