Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Aarberg

We collect you at Zurich airport and take you (90 mins) to pick up your bikes en-route to Christophe and Astrid Muller’s half-timbered hotel in Aarberg. Time to explore the pretty town before dinner .

Day 2 Aarberg to Neuchatel 35km/22mi

Rumble over Aarberg’s old moat on the 300 year old covered bridge and you soon pass farmers threshing fields of wheat. On reaching Lake Biel, dive in for a swim, then enjoy lunch under shady poplars on St Petersinsel. Pass below Erlach’s pretty castle, stopping off perhaps at one of the chic cafés lining shimmering Lac Neuchatel below the Jura Mountains. Enjoy a drink on the hotel terrace this evening, watching streamlined yachts moor up for the
night below you.

Hotel Beaulac  ****
Neuchatel  Days 2+3
The Hotel Beaulac is a modern waterfront building located directly on the Neuchatel marina. Recently renovated with a range of fanciful and colorful furnishings in the lobby and with very elegant accessories in the restaurant, it makes the most of this position with massive floor to ceiling windows throughout the ground floor. The 90 bedrooms have great views either over the city or Lac Neuchatel, and a wooden terrace runs along the front of the property so you can watch yachts sailing in to moor up for the night with a drink from the glass and chrome bar. All rooms are equipped with high-speed and wireless internet, flat screen TVs, a new air conditioning system, in-room safe and mini bar. The hotel position is excellent for exploring Neuchatel. The Tourist Information Office is only 200m away and all the main sights are within walking distance. If you don’t wish to eat in the hotel there are dozens of local options in the city centre just a stroll from the front door.

Further details on the hotel website.

Day 3 In Neuchatel

Famous for its fountains (140 of them!) and Louis XIV architecture, Neuchatel is a real pleasure to explore. You can see antique mechanical figures – the ancestors of Swiss watch making – in the local museum, or visit genuine craftsmen and antique timepieces at the Watch Making Museum in nearby La Chaux de Fonds. For views to the Eiger and Mont Blanc, ride the funicular from La Coudre to Chaumont summit (1180m), or sail to Cudrefin on the opposite shore to pedal back along cycle trails through lakeside cornfields.

Day 4 Neuchatel to Yverdon des Bains 42km/26mi

What a contrast! You can almost reach out to pick grapes as you sail through the sea of vines that lap Lac Neuchatel’s western shore. Sample Jocelyn and Cinzia Vouga’s zesty wines in Cortaillod, then after a short ascent through cool, fragrant pinewoods, pick a village café for lunch with distant Alpine views. Drop into Grandson Château to see weapons, armour and Greta Garbo’s Rolls Royce before reaching Yverdon - a spa town where soothing hot springs await, and in whose medieval streets you will dine out for the next two nights.

Hotel du Theatre  ***
Yverdon des Bains  Days 4+5

The Hotel du Theatre is a typical C19 townhouse in Yverdon, a short bike ride from the lakeshore. It is located a stones throw from the Grand Benno Besson theatre in Yverdon (itself next to the station), and is handily placed just a 3 minute walk from the centre of the town. Artistically decorated using natural stone and attractive lighting, the lobby leads through to a stone terraced area at the back where you can take breakfast on sunny days. The bedrooms upstairs come with minibars, phones, flat screen TVs and are compact, but are well equipped with en suite ‘wet room’ style bathrooms and flat screen TVs. Breakfast can be taken inside or out either in a light, bright room on the first floor with a continental breakfast buffet, or you can take breakfast outside.

Further details on the hotel website.

Day 5 In Yverdon

Quirky wooden sailors’ huts and open parks line Yverdon’s waterfront, and well-mapped and signposted cycling excursions lace local country lanes. Apart from lake or hot spa swimming, the town is packed with history! The marketplace is dominated by a C13 château –visit the Swiss Fashion Museum housing 200 years of vintage clothing, browse 6000 years of regional history in Yverdon’s Museum, and appreciate artwork decorating the walls of the old town granary vaults!

Day 6 Yverdon des Bains to Murten 21km/13mi or 49km/30mi

Look out for white egret, purple heron and honey buzzard as you coast through shady forest along Lake Neuchatel’s eastern shore – much of it protected nature reserves linked by sun dappled bike trails. Reach Estevayer’s warren of tangled streets in time for lunch - you can shorten the day by hopping on the train here, or tackle Montmagny Hill. Spin down the other side for a splash in the Murtensee, then pedal into Murten village, so pretty it could be a medieval film set!

Hotel Murtenhof and Krone  ***
Murten  Days 6+7

The Murtenhof and Krone Hotels are two enterprises that have been merged into one by the Joachim Family, long time hoteliers in Murten who have been in the village for generations. Located in the centre of town on a high bluff overlooking the Murtensee, the hotel has incredible panoramic views from the breakfast room and the light and airy restaurant, and it is only one street back from the arcaded main street that bustles with cafes, shops and bars. The charm of the hotels is immense – the buildings used to be grand patrician houses and are almost castle-like in some areas where low stone doorways lead up spiral corkscrew staircases. Public lounges are tastefully decorated with panelled wooden walls, comfortable antique furniture and wood floors and rugs. The bedrooms are all different shapes and sizes, many with whitewashed stone walls and reproduction antique furniture. Rooms have minibar, telephones and TVs.

Further details on the hotel website.

Day 7 In Murten

Cycle around Murtensee lake today, stopping for lunch below the vines on Mt Vully, or cycle 7km/4mi to nearby Avanches – once the Roman city of Aventicum! Packed with Roman ruins including an impressive amphitheatre, it makes a perfect day trip. Alternatively, hop on the train (36 minutes) to Switzerland’s UNESCO capital Berne, to explore miles of lauben, (medieval arcaded shops), visit Einstein’s old home, and watch the animated puppets on the Zytglogge, the historic city clock.

Day 8 Murten to Aarberg 26km/16mi

The area between Murten and Aarberg is known as the Grosse Moos - the market garden of Switzerland! Your route meanders between sleepy villages dotted amid immaculate fields of summer vegetables and sunflowers, cobwebbed with irrigation canals full of egrets chasing turquoise dragonflies. Picnic in the shade of a hay bale, framed by views of the High Bernese Alps, then coast back into Aarberg’s bustling town square for a final atmospheric al fresco dinner .

Day 9 Leave Aarberg

A private transfer takes you back to the airport for flights home.

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