Murten
Murten (German: Murten, French: Morat) is a predominately German speaking town located on the German/French language barrier in the Three Lakes area of Switzerland.
Understand
It is a small town with approximately 8,000 inhabitants. Murten is noted as being one of the most attractive Swiss towns, especially for the extensive intact defensive walls that surround the old town. The Battle of Morat which put an end to Burgundian against the Swiss took place here in 1476, and cannonballs can still be seen in the town walls.
Get in
By train
Murten is a minor station and thus is only served by regional trains. There are hourly direct connections from Neuchatel (25 min), Fribourg (30 min) and Berne (35 min).
By boat
During summer a boat service connects Murten to Neuchatel and Biel.
Get around
Murten is small enough to walk around and see the sights easily.
See
The old town and the walls.
- 1 Museum Murten, Ryf 4, ☏ +41 26 670 31 00, kontakt@museummurten.ch. March - December Tu-Sa 14:00-17:00, Su 10:00-17:00. Recounts the history of Murten from the Celts and Romans to today. Fr. 6/2.
- 2 Löwenberg Castle (Château de la Motte). A chateau dating to the 15th or 16th century.
Do
Buy
Eat
- 1 Freiburger Falle, Hauptgasse 43, ☏ +41 26 672 12 22, info@ff-murten.ch. Serves meat on slate but also local dishes such as fondue. Fr. 40 for meats, Fr. 30 for fondue.
Drink
Sleep
- 1 Hotel Murtenhof & Krone, Rathausgasse 1-3, ☏ +41 26 672 90 30, info@murtenhof.ch. Fr. 120/160.
Nearby
In nearby Kerzers is the papiliorama:
- 3 Papiliorama, Moosmatte 1, 3210 Kerzers (Has its own railway station: Kerzers Papiliorama), ☏ +41 31 756 04 60. Summer 09:00-18:00, winter 10:00-16:00. A small zoo featuring an indoor butterfly habitat, and bird and monkey habitats simulating the jungles of Belize both during the day and at night. Kids love it, and parents too, though the extensive playground might take more parental energy than one wants to expend when travelling. Fr. 18/9.
Go next
- Bern
- Neuchatel
- Avenches - A mere 9km away with easy train and road links. This French speaking village filled with Roman ruins provides a very different experience to Murten. It is highly recommended to combine them when visiting the area.