My Dad and my brother have been visiting us in Switzerland for a few days and we’ve taken advantage of that to discover some Swiss gems. Follow us to the beautiful cities of Neuchâtel, Yverdon-les-Bains and Morges!

After visiting Cologny yesterday, today was time to head to new destinations North of Geneva. Let’s go!

Neuchâtel

Located by the Neuchâtel lake, the elegant French-speaking city of Neuchâtel was a great discovery. Heading there by train from Geneva we enjoyed wonderful views of the vineyards along the way.

Our first stop was the protestant Collegial Church of Notre-Dame de Neuchâtel (Église Collégiale), a religious building dating back to the 12th century and located on the castle hill.

Walking down from the Collegial Church you will run into the Neuchâtel Castle (Château de Neuchâtel). Also built in the 12th century, the counts of Neuchâtel  lived in this castle, which underwent several renovations. It now houses the seat of the Parliament and Government of the Neuchâtel Canton. Hence, it is a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

Further down and on the way to the central Place des Halles, a bustling square with restaurants and shops, you will find two beautiful statues decorating the fountains of Griffon and Banneret.

Right in front of the Place des Halles, you will find the Neuchâtel lake. There are some interesting Belle Époque statues along the Ostervald quay as well as elegant buildings. We even saw a circus while we were walking around that area!

Our last stop in town was the wonderful Palais du Peyrou, a mansion of the 18th century, which now houses a restaurant and is surrounded by nice gardens.

Here’s a map of Neuchâtel , where I added all the locations mentioned in this post so you can locate everything easily.

Yverdon-les-Bains

On our way from Neuchâtel to Geneva, we stopped at Yverdon -les- Bains, a small municipality in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland . We barely spent a couple of hours there since the main monuments were a short walking distance from the train station. What you can’t miss is the monumental Place Pestalozzi  (in honor of a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer) with its church and nearby castle in the middle of the city.

Again, here’s the map for Yverdon:

MORGES

Located on Lake Geneva (known as lake Léman too), also in the Swiss canton of Vaud,  Morges was the last stop of our day trip. We strolled around the lake boardwalk in the evening, admiring the breathtaking mountains in the background as well as some monuments such as the church (Temple), the Casino and the Castle.

And last but not least, here’s the map for Morges:

Trip details

Transportation:

Traveling by train with SBB is by far the best and most comfortable option in Switzerland . Even if it’s quite expensive, there are good deals such as the ‘demi- tarif‘ and other special tickets. The distance between Geneva and Neuchâtel  is around 1h-1h30, Morges and Yverdon being on the way. When arriving to Neuchâtel , take into account that the train station is on a very steep hill, the town actually laying under it. Consider taking public transportation when returning to the station (we didn’t but I wish we had).