The ultimate “Estavayer-le-Lac” guide shows you the best places in and around Estavayer as well as its restaurants & campings.

Text and Photo by Marc Gottwald

Estavayer-Le-Lac – the romantic town on Lake Neuchâtel

Beautiful lake view and promenade, a romantic medieval town and delicious Estavayer restaurants – that’s Estavayer le Lac, a small Swiss city of canton of Fribourg. It is located on the south-east shores of Lake Neuchâtel and a great destination from Yverdon, Neuchâtel and Bern.

The medieval town of Estavayer is full of history with its buildings and monuments and has a wide range of recreational activities to enjoy. Let us look now in this “Ultimate Estavayer Le Lac Guide” and get to the 5 best things to do.

1. Walking along the lake Neuchâtel (Lac Neuchâtel)

If you are in “Estavayer le Lac”, then you absolutely have to go to Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerlands biggest lake. If you are a nature enthusiast you can walk along the shores of the lake and enjoy in the evening romantic sunsets. You have almost unlimited possibilities for walking and hiking along the Lac Neuchâtel. Of course, you can also go in one of the restaurants.

One of my favorites is the lake walk in direction of Cheyres or if you are motivated even up to Yvonand. The almost uninterrupted panoramic lake view and the many ducks and swans are definitely a highlight. In addition, there are various seating possibilities, where you can also relax and enjoy the moment. That’s the great thing about “Estavayer le Lac” and Lac Neuchâtel.

And we all know: walking and hiking is a good way to boost health. It strengthens bones, improves muscle power and lowers excess fat. Additionally, the lake Neuchâtel is a good place to relax, meditate, read a book, sun bath, watch sunset, watch birds, and hang out with family. It’s a huge privilege to be in Estavayer le Lac and enjoy the leisure time here.

As you walk along the lake, there are stunning landscapes with small hills and the view over the Swiss alps and the lake Neuchâtel. After the lake walk you can also discover the small town of Estavayer with beautiful buildings, mostly from the Middle Ages.

2. Water sport activities in Estavayer-Le-Lac

Estavayer-le-Lac with the “Lake Neuchâtel” is a perfect place for outdoor lovers. Sports enthusiasts get a chance to enjoy a huge variety of extreme sport activities. For instance:

• Windsurfing: Windsurfers can head to the Lac Neuchâtel in specific months when there are strong winds.
• Kitesurfing: it has also become a popular and a dream sport for many people. Enjoy the strong winds lifting your body above the water.
• Swimming: the beaches in Estavayer offers the best setting for swimming in shallow areas.
• Rowing: the water stretches to neighboring areas full of nature. Rowers experience flora and fauna while respecting the natural reserves.
• Diving: You can also dive in the “Lake Neuchâtel”, doesn’t matter the season.
• Driving boat: you can hire a boat to navigate softly through the water of Lac Neuchâtel and see other lake towns and great views. You can also rent a pedalo.
• Water skiing: board sport lovers can go on the southern side to cable skiing for which is Estavayer le Lac very known.
• Stand up paddle: you only need a paddle and board then head towards the sun set.
• Kayaking: hire a kayak and navigate through the clear water of Lac Neuchâtel.

What would you like to do from all those activities?
Btw: One of the greatest things to do is to combine the water sport with the “Estavayer le Lac camping”.

3. Grande Caricaie

“Grande Caricaie” is the largest lake based nature reserve in Switzerland. It is found at Cheseaux-Noréaz along the south shores of Lake Neuchâtel near Yverdon and around 15 minutes by train from Estavayer-le-Lac. “Grande Caricaie” features woodland, wetlands and shallow areas. Moreover, it is a home of over 10,000 animal species and 800 plant species.  The place deserves a visit especially for nature lovers.

The “Grande Caricaie” has a total of 8 nature reserves lying on 3000ha of land.  These reserves can be accessed by walking or riding a bicycle.  As you walk through the reserve, you will discover frogs singing, unique wildlife, preserved landscapes, clean beaches, flora and fauna. On the left side of the reserve, there is a hiking trail to hike on a path. The cool thing is that “Grande Caricaie” has over 50 kilometers hiking paths. This means a lot of nature to be discovered by you 😉

On the south part of “Grande Caricaie”, there is nature conservation centre called Champ-Pittet, a Pro Natura centre. It characterizes infrastructure and educational nature trails. The centre has also a tower to view birds on the water of Lac Neuchâtel directly. I can tell you that this is very impressive and also a cool destination for families.

4. Chateux Chenaux

I highly recommend discovering as well the town of Estavayer-le-Lac with beautiful buildings, mostly from the Middle Ages. The city of Estavayer is situated on the south of the lake. Especially in summer or autumn you can enjoy charme of the city and eat a delicious lunch or dinner outside on the terrace. But there is much more to discover in Estavayer!

Another highlight is for sure the Chateux Chenaux or Chenaux Castle, which is the castle of Estavayer-le-Lac. Built in 1284, it is recognized as a heritage site of Switzerland. The castle was burnt during Burgundy war. In 1476, reconstruction of the place was carried out. The building gives an experience of medieval architecture even after destruction.

The castle of Chenaux has a stunning garden, walking areas and good spots to meditate. Visitors are allowed to access the place for free and can go to the highest point of the tower. You can look over the lake Neuchâtel and even see the beautiful Swiss Alps.

5. Restaurants Estavayer-le-Lac

I have already mentioned it briefly and I would like to go into more detail. Estavayer le Lac has so much charm as a city that it is simply worth it to take a seat in a restaurant and enjoy a nice meal in a beautiful ambience. Especially in summer and autumn, I definitely recommend taking a seat outside.

Buildings of Estavayer-le-Lac are full of history, this means as well the restaurants” which often serve French, Italian or Swiss cuisine. One of the best restaurants in “Estavayer le Lac” is the “Frogs and Roses Café”.

6. Estavayer le Lac Camping

Are you looking for camping possibilities on Lake Neuchâtel? Then you will find great possibilities to make your holidays unforgettable with the “Estavayer le Lac camping”. Here I can especially recommend the “La Nouvelle Plage” campsite, which is directly on Lake Neuchâtel. With 27 tourist pitches, it is relatively small and should be booked well in advance. The great thing is that this camping also rents small cabins.

Final thoughts about Estavayer-le-Lac

The place is known Swiss city in the French part of Switzerland. It is absolutely worth to visit it already due to the beautiful lake Neuchâtel and the middle age town. That’s also one of the reasons why Estavayer is becoming a more and more popular spot for tourists. It has unique attraction sites and hidden gems to explore.

Furthermore, the buildings are stunning and with the restaurants or the camping this small town offers something for everyone. This makes it a good place to learn about its history and collect unforgettable memories on your Switzerland day trip, vacations, road trip or whatever you are doing.