Things to Do

Neuchâtel rewards careful exploration. The medieval old town, watchmaking heritage, excellent museums, and the lakefront make it one of the most satisfying small cities in Switzerland.

Guide

Things to Do

01

Musée d'Art et d'Histoire

The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire is Neuchâtel's main museum and home to three objects that alone justify a visit: the Jaquet-Droz automata. Created in …

Museum
02

Musée d'Ethnographie de Neuchâtel

The Musée d'Ethnographie de Neuchâtel, known as MEN, occupies a nineteenth-century villa on the western edge of the city and has built an international …

Museum
03

Valangin Castle

Valangin Castle sits on a rocky outcrop above the village of Valangin, about 7 km north of Neuchâtel, commanding the gorge that leads into …

Sight
04

Neuchâtel Castle

Neuchâtel Castle dominates the city from the hillside above the old town, a compact ensemble of towers and walls that dates from the twelfth …

Sight
05

Le Laténium - Parc et Musée d'Archéologie

Lakeside archaeology museum and park tracing human settlement around Neuchatel

Museum
06

Chaumont Funicular

The Chaumont funicular climbs steeply from the edge of Neuchâtel toward the forested heights above the city. At the top, a viewing tower gives …

Sight
07

Lake Neuchâtel

Lake Neuchâtel is the largest lake lying entirely within Switzerland — a long, narrow body of water running southwest to northeast along the foot …

Sight
08

Centre Dürrenmatt

Mario Botta-designed museum in Neuchatel devoted to writer and painter Friedrich Durrenmatt.

Museum
09

Musée d'Histoire naturelle

Musée d'Histoire naturelle is Neuchâtel's natural history museum, with Swiss animals, insects, geology, fossils, and a terrarium in its permanent displays. Temporary exhibitions, a …

Museum
10

Jardin Botanique de Neuchâtel

Botanical garden above Neuchâtel with regional flora, greenhouses, and lake views.

Sight
11

Hôtel DuPeyrou

The Hôtel DuPeyrou is Neuchâtel's finest example of late Baroque civil architecture — a grand sandstone mansion built in the 1760s at the top …

Sight
12

Église Rouge

Neuchâtel’s red-brick Catholic basilica, a bold late-19th-century landmark just above the lakeside city centre.

Architecture
13

Tour des Prisons

The Tour des Prisons is an old prison tower above Neuchatel's historic centre. The cells are no longer the draw; the reason to climb …

Sight
14

Le Jardin des Senteurs

Le Jardin des Senteurs is a sight worth considering while exploring Neuchatel.

Sight
15

Le Gor de Vauseyon

Le Gor de Vauseyon is a small educational park around the remains of a 17th-century water mill. It sits at the edge of Neuchatel …
16

Neuchâtel Observatory

The Neuchâtel Observatory was established in 1858 on a hill east of the city and played a central role in Swiss timekeeping for over …

Sight
17

Les Galeries de l'Histoire

Les Galeries de l'Histoire is a small city-history museum in Neuchatel. Its displays trace the town from the Middle Ages to the present, making …

Museum
18

Les Galeries de l'Histoire

Les Galeries de l'Histoire is a small city-history gallery covering Neuchatel from the Middle Ages to the present. It is best treated as a …

Museum