Neuchâtel, University town on Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Neuchâtel is a university town along the northern shore of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, backed by the Jura range and surrounded by vineyards on gentle slopes. Buildings in the old town rise in tiers of yellow limestone quarried nearby, and narrow streets climb from the waterfront promenade toward the upper neighborhoods.
Count Rudolph III of Burgundy built a castle on the hill above the shore in 1011, and the settlement formed around this stronghold. The town passed through several ruling families before joining the Swiss Confederation in 1848 and becoming the capital of its canton.
The local French dialect carries its own turns of phrase, and street signs often appear in both French and German. Market days bring vendors under the old town arcades, where regional wines and cheeses change hands in the same squares that have hosted trade for centuries.
Trolleybuses and trains link the town to Bern, Geneva and Zurich, and boats run along the shore to smaller villages. The old town sits on steep lanes, so comfortable shoes help, and most shops close on Sundays.
The Griffon, an 18th-century mechanical automaton in the art museum, actually writes sentences using a real pen. In the vineyards above town, small stone huts called cabanes mark centuries-old parcel boundaries between family estates.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
