Neuchatel Tourist Attractions

From Rue de l'Ecluse, on the edge of Neuchâtel's old town, a funicular ascends to the Cret du Plan (598 m/1,962ft), from which there are extensive views of the lake and the Alps.

Monument of the Counts of Neuchâtel

In the very dark Romanesque choir of Neuchâtel's Collegiate Church is the monument of the Counts of Neuchâtel (1372). It has 15 painted effigies and is the finest Gothic memorial in the whole of Switzerland.

Boat services

Motorboats ply between Neuchâtel and the other towns along Lake Neuchâtel. The trip around the three lakes (Lac de neuchâtel, Bieler See and Murtensee) is highly recommended.

Château

From Rue de Château a stepped lane and a street lead up to the château, which belonged to the Counts and Princes of Neuchâtel and is now occupied by cantonal government offices. The west wing dates from the 12th C., the remainder from the 15th to the 17th C.; the interior has undergone much alteration.

Tips

To view the interior, inquire at the porter's lodge, door No. 1.

Collegiate Church

Neuchâtel's Collegiate church was built in the 12th-13th C. (west towers 1867-75). Until 1530, when it was taken over by the Reformed faith, it was the Catholic Collégiale Notre-Dame.

On the north side of the church is a Romanesque cloister (restored). Outside the west front of the church stands a statue of the Reformer Guillaume Farel (1489-1565); from the terrace there are extensive views.

Collège Latin (municipal library)

On the long quays which extend on either side of Neuchâtel's harbor are a series of fine late 19th C. buildings. In Place du Port is the Post Office and in Place Nume Droz (to the south) the Collège Latin (1835), with the Municipal Library.

Festival

This annual three-day festival takes place in late September and includes a street parade, food stalls and processions of residents in traditional costumes.

Lake Neuchâtel - Boat excursions

The shipping company of Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Morat operate principally on Lake Neuchâtel; numerous round trips are organized however, on Lake Morat and Lake Bienne.

Address

Société de Navigation sur les Lacs de Neuchâtel et Morat SA
Port
CP 2001
CH-1460 Neuchâtel
Switzerland

http://www.navig.ch

Museum of Art and History

Collections of the art and history of the Neuchâtel region, including works by artists: Giacometti; Corot; Bonnard; Degas; Marquet; Pissarro; Renoir; and Sisley. The museum offers ceramic, toy, gold and furniture exhibits. Complete French Revolutionary weapons and uniforms plus the famous automatons of Jaquet-Droz and Leschot can be seen. Seasonal harpsichord demonstrations are available.

Address

Neuchâtel Musée d'Art et d'Histoire
1 quai Leopold-Robert
CP 2001
CH-2001 Neuchâtel
Switzerland

Hours

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Open	Closed	10:00	10:00	10:00	10:00	10:00	10:00
Close		18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00

Always closed on:

New Year's Day (January 1)
Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24)

Museum of Ethnography

Southwest of the park in Rue St Nicolas, is Neuchâtel's Museum of Ethnography, with an excellent permanent collection and occasional special exhibitions from Asia, Africa and Oceania.

Address

Neuchâtel Musée d'Ethnographie
Rue Saint-Nicolas 4
CH-2000 Neuchâtel
Switzerland

Hours

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Open	Closed	10:00	10:00	10:00	10:00	10:00	10:00
Close		18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00

Always closed on:

Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24)
Christmas - Christian (December 25)

Cost

Adult	CHF 7.00
Students	CHF 4.00
Group discounts	CHF 4.00

All values are in Switzerland Francs

Tips

Free Admission on Wednesday.

Neuchâtel Canton - Folklore Festival

This annual folk dance festival takes place in late August and usually lasts three days.

Address

Centre CIOFF Suisse
CH-1783 Cormagens
Switzerland

University and Library

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) memorabilia is housed in the Neuchâtel library including correspondence, portraits, engravings and paintings.

Address

Neuchâtel Bibliothèque Publique et Universitaire
Place Numa-Droz 3
CP 2001
CH-2000 Neuchâtel
Switzerland

http://bpun.unine.ch

Hours

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Open	Closed	Closed	14:00	Closed	Closed	14:00	Closed
Close			17:00			17:00

Always closed on:

New Year's Day (January 1)
May Day / Labor Day (May 1)
Swiss National Day (August 1)
Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Ash Wednesday - Christian (Feb 22)

Tips

Also open by appointment. Closed during school summer holidays.

Chaumont

5km/3mi northeast of Neuchâtel, in La Coudre, is a funicular to the summit of Chaumont (1,177 m/3,862ft), which can also be reached on a steep road from Neuchâtel. From the top there are far-ranging views of the Mittelland with its lakes, and a panorama of the Alps from Saints to Mont Blanc.

Papillorama (butterfly garden)

Butterflies and tropical birds in a natural environment plus a simulated nocturnal environment, and those mammals attuned to it.

Address

Fondation Papiliorama - Nocturama MARIN
Box 160
CH-3210 Kerzers
Switzerland

http://www.papiliorama.ch

Hours

Always closed on:

New Year's Day (January 1)
Christmas - Christian (December 25)

Cost

Adult	CHF 17.00
Students	CHF 14.00
Child 15 & under	CHF 8.00
Child 3 & under	FREE

All values are in Switzerland Francs

Tips

Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in winter. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in summer.

Guides

Guided tour available as optional extra.

Facilities

Gift shop
Restaurant or food service

Bevaix (Gorgier - Castle)

From Boudry the road leads, with beautiful views, to Bevaix (476 m/1,562ft), which has a Gothic church and a 1722 mansion house. Gorgier (518 m/1,700ft) has a castle of the 14th and 16th C., restored in Romantic style in the 19th C. (view).

Boudry, Switzerland

Boudry (470 m/1,542ft; pop. 3,000) is a picturesque little town at the mouth of the Gorges de l'Areuse with a 16th C. castle which houses a museum of viticulture (opening times given). Boudry was the birthplace of the French politician Jean-Paul Marat (1743-93) and of Philippe Suchard.

Address

Boudry Castle
Société du musée de la vigne et du vin
c/o Office du Tourisme, Neuchâtel
CH-2017 Boudry
Switzerland

Hours

September 1 to July 31

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Open	14:00	14:00	14:00	14:00	14:00	14:00	14:00
Close	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00

Boudry - Areuse Museum

(In Boudry, Switzerland)

This local pre-history collection also features indigenous birds and mammals.

Address

Boudry Musée de l'Areuse
Pierre-Henry Béguin
chemin du Vivier 1
CH-2022 Bevaix
Switzerland

Hours

May 1 to September 30

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Open	14:00	14:00	14:00	14:00	14:00	14:00	14:00
Close	18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00

Tips

Also open by appointment.

Facilities

Gift shop

Boudry Castle

(In Boudry, Switzerland)

The chateau dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. and contains historical items from the Neuchâtel region.

Address

Boudry Castle
Société du musée de la vigne et du vin
c/o Office du Tourisme, Neuchâtel
CH-2017 Boudry
Switzerland

Hours

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Open	Closed	Closed	14:00	14:00	14:00	14:00	14:00
Close			17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00

Tips

Closed December 24 - January 5. Also open on Sundays by appointment.

Facilities

Restaurant or food service

Coffrane - Agricultural Museum, Switzerland

The Coffrane Agricultural Museum highlights country life on a typical 18th century farm.

Address

Coffrane Musée agricole
Rue de Musee 30
CH-2207 Coffrane
Switzerland

http://www.rpn.ch/epcoffrane/musee

Tips

Open only by appointment.

Colombier - 12th C. Castle, Switzerland

Colombier (alt. 460 m/ 1,509ft; pop. 4,000) has a massive castle, built in the 12th C. on Roman foundations and rebuilt and enlarged in the 14th and 16th C. From 1754 it was occasionally used as a residence by the Prussian governor of Neuchâtel. It now contains a military museum and a collection of pictures.

Address

Musée Militaire et des toiles peintes
Château de Colombier
CH-2013 Colombier
Switzerland

http://www.military.ch/EIM/default.html

Hours

March 1 to October 31

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Open	14:00	14:00	14:00	14:00	14:00	14:00	14:00
Close	15:30	15:30	15:30	15:30	15:30	15:30	15:30

Tips

Also open the first Sunday of each month from March to October. Guided tours at 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.

Guides

Guided tour included with admission.

Colombier - Military Museum

(In 12th C. Castle, Switzerland)

Armour, uniforms and flags from the Neuchâtel region are on display in this military museum.

Address

Musée Militaire et des toiles peintes
Château de Colombier
CH-2013 Colombier
Switzerland

http://www.military.ch/EIM/default.html

Hours

March 1 to October 31

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Open
Close

Tips

Guided tours Monday to Wednesday at 3 p.m., and on the first Sunday of the month at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Guides

Guided tour included with admission.

La Sagne - Regional Museum, Switzerland

The Regional Museum in La Sagne has exhibits of 20th-century objects and fauna of the region and highlights on local history.

Address

La Sagne Musée Régional
Crêt 103a
CH-2314 La Sagne
Switzerland

Tips

Open on first Sunday of month, between 1:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. Also open by appointment for groups.

La Tène

Near St-Blaise, at the end of Lake Neuchâtel, in the hamlet of La Tène, is a famous Late Iron Age site first excavated in 1858.

St Aubin - Vaumarcus Castle, Switzerland

St-Aubin (474 m/1,555ft) is the most important town in the district of La Béroche which lies on the slopes of the Montagne de Boudry with many picturesque villages and country houses.

Beyond this, to the right, stands the castle of Vaumarcus, and on the left the former Carthusian house of La Lance, with a beautiful Late Gothic cloister.

The road continues via Grandson to Yverdon, at the southwest end of the lake.

Travers - La Banderette Museum, Switzerland

La Banderette Museum has local and natural history as well as ethnography displays. Highlights are flora and fauna of the area.

Address

La Banderette Musée
Chemin des Polonais 16
CH-2016 Cortaillod
Switzerland

Hours

May 1 to October 1

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Open	9:00	9:00	9:00	9:00	9:00	9:00	9:00
Close	18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00	18:00

Disabled

Full facilities for persons with disabilities.

Valangin - Castle, Switzerland

Valangin Castle was completed in the 13th century and added to on several occasions. The present structure was fully restored in 1772. The castle and museum at Valangin is furnished as it was in the 16th century.

Address

Valangin Château
Le Champey 26
CH-2057 Villiers
Switzerland

http://www.chateau-de-valangin.ch

Hours

March 1 to October 31

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Open	11:00	11:00	11:00	11:00	11:00	11:00	11:00
Close	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00	17:00

Cost

Adult	CHF 5.00
Students	CHF 3.00
Senior	CHF 3.00
Child	CHF 1.00

All values are in Switzerland Francs

Neuchatel Attractions

Neuchatel Surroundings