Echallens lies at an altitude of 617 metres and is a regional centre of commerce and administration at the heart of the fertile agricultural region of Gros de Vaud. The village’s good road and rail access has seen its attractiveness to commuters rise in recent decades. Public transport includes the narrow-gauge regional railway LEB running from Lausanne-Flon to Echallens and further to Bercher; a modern railway popular with commuters. Public steam train rides also run on the LEB tracks on selected Sundays in summer.

Echallens has a castle which was built on a small elevation in the second half of the 13th century and razed to the ground in 1475 by the Swiss Confederates. Only a round turret of the mediaeval castle remains today, the current north wing wasn’t added until 1719. In the centre of Echallens are some well-preserved bourgeois and patrician houses dating from the 17th to 19th centuries, including the Maison Bezenson and the Hôtel des Balances. The Hôtel de Ville (town hall) was built in 1781. There are no remains left of the town’s former perimeter wall.

As befits its location in the Gros de Vaud (granary of Canton Vaud), Echallens is home to the Musée du Blé et du Pain (grain and bread museum) with a «from grain to bread» exhibition. The museum also has a themed interactive exhibition for children.

The Chemin des Blés (grain trail) leads through the rolling hills of the Gros de Vaud, past fields and through shady woodland. There are several paths to choose from – suitable for both hikers and mountain bikers – with a total of 80km length linking Echallens with Granges-Marnand (on the railway line Lausanne-Moudon-Payerne). There are several opportunities to visit farmhouses, mills and bakeries etc. along the trail.