Murten: our top tips for a fun weekend at Lake Murten
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The charming Zähringer town of Murten is always worth a trip. We were able to see this for ourselves on previous visits. This time we explored the delightful side of the Murtensee region from the picturesque old town streets. We brought back a lot of delicious tips for you from this weekend trip. It could well be that reading the following lines will whet your appetite for a short break at Lake Murten.
1. Check in at the carpentry in the old town of Murten
While looking for casual accommodation in the old town of Murten, we came across Zimmerei Murten – a real stroke of luck! Over the last four years, the house built in 1900, located on the corner of Rathausgasse and French Kirchgasse, has been gradually converted into a stylish guest house with four individually designed rooms. If you like the combination of old buildings and modern, classic design, you should definitely take a closer look at the carpentry. We checked into one of the two garden rooms and immediately felt at home. You spend the night in the middle of the bustling old town center of Murten and still have your own little refuge equipped with a lot of attention to detail.
Check-in is easy and digital. Host Andrea Plaen will send you an information email in advance with all the important information including a code for the door lock. And breakfast is available every morning from 6:30 a.m. in the refrigerator in the lounge.
More info: zimmerei-murten.ch | Overnight prices from 215 CHF can be booked via Booking (Partnerlink)
2. Feast your way through the old town on the “Murtner Eating Stories”
The old town of Murten not only scores with an exciting city history and buildings worth seeing, but also with a lively gastronomy scene. Around 20 restaurants, bars and cafés vie for customers between Rathausgasse, Hauptgasse and Schulgasse. The city tour «Murtner Eating Stories» takes this into account and combines the informative part with the delicious. During four hours, not only exciting facts and historical anecdotes are conveyed, but also a culinary experience is offered. From the aperitif to the starter and the main course to the dessert, the tour takes you to four different restaurants.
We meet our guide on the viewing platform in front of the French church. Opposite us is Mont Vully with its vineyards. The high-quality wines from this small, dynamic wine-growing region will be just as important a part of the tour over the next four hours as the regional cuisine.
We stroll together towards Schaalgasse, where our first course in the Altstadt Apéro-Bar is a delicious platter with dried sausage from Murtner Paulimetzg, goat cheese and a homemade fig mustard. We toast the successful start of the culinary city tour with a glass of local Pinot Gris and a “Rämsi beer”.
Then we continue through the pretty Schulgasse to the Ringmauer Restaurant, where we are treated to a summery salad and whitefish fillets.
For the third course – the main course – we go to the main alley. Here under the arcades there is a lot of activity at midday. This is also the case in the Restaurant Jäger, where owner Eyip Bartamay relies on regional products from Seeland and serves us an eggplant tartare to share as a “starter”. It tastes great and I would order it again next time. But the actual main course – sliced hunter’s meat with rösti – is also delicious. The boss himself recommends a glass of Pinot Noir from the Chervet winery.
The crowning finale awaits us just a few steps from the Jäger restaurant in the Bar & Lounge Muratum not only has a really cool ambience, but also a sinfully sweet dessert in the form of meringue with double cream and cherry.
More information: City tour Murtner food stories| Price per person: 150 CHF including drinks | Note: The “Murtner Ess Stories” is a group offer (can be booked for 8 people or more), but the four restaurants can of course also be visited individually.
3. end the day on the lake promenade
After a short digestive nap in the carpentry shop, the wonderful late summer weather drives us back out into the old town streets in the evening. We follow the stairs in the town hall down to the Ryf lake promenade. With the view of Lake Murten framed through the open masonry, there is also a popular photo motif hidden here.
We stroll along the lake promenade to the Beach House at the Hotel Bad Murtensee. The Beach House is open between March and October when the weather is nice and has a relaxed atmosphere.
4. Admire the sunset from the circular wall
Shortly before sunset we head for the Murtner ring wall. This is open daily from sunrise to sunset and is accessible free of charge. The two climbs are at Kreuzgasse and at the German Church. For me it is a fixed point when visiting Murten – but in the golden evening light the view over the old town roofs is particularly picturesque.
Und als hätten wir an diesem Tag noch nicht genug gegessen, teilen wir uns im an der Hauptgasse gelegenen Adler Pub noch einen Flammkuchen.
5. go on a bike tour around Lake Murten
After the gluttony from the previous day, we start the second day sportily. You can easily rent modern e-bikes, mountain bikes or even tandems at the “Rent a Bike” bike rental station at Murten train station (a ten-minute walk from the carpentry shop). This means you are ideally “equipped” to explore the Lake Murten region. One of the classics among the Swiss bike tours is the one with the route number “480 » signposted “Tour de Lac de Morat”.
This leads from Murten around Lake Murten – on the way you pass both pretty wine-growing villages and secluded swimming spots. And if you’re not afraid of the climb up Mont Vully (a piece of cake with an e-bike), you’ll be rewarded with a wonderful panoramic view from the Jura over Lake Neuchâtel and Murten to the Alps.
The route from Mur down to Salavaux is particularly promising. And once you have crossed Salavaux, turn left at the roundabout shortly after the Broye bridge towards “Salavaux Plage”. Europe’s longest south-water sandy beach stretches here at the western end of Lake Murten. On the almost two kilometer long stretch of beach between Salavaux and Avenches there is a shady spot even in midsummer. By the way, there are also nice barbecue areas here as well as canoe, kayak and stand-up paddle rental.
Key details of the bike tour around Lake Murten
You can see the route of our cycling tour around Lake Murten on the map below. The route is almost 29 kilometers long and includes an incline of 360 meters. The journey time on the e-bike is just under two hours. In the section between Salavaux and Avenches Plages, I recommend taking the route along the “Chemin de la Plage” contrary to the cycle path signs and not following the main road. From here you have the opportunity to get to the beach at various points.
The daily rent for a comfort bike is 38 CHF. An e-bike costs 60 CHF per day. I recommend reserving the bikes in advance. Since there is a large number of bicycles at Murten train station, there is a good chance that there will be enough available even without a prior reservation.
ps. I would like to make one point of criticism at this point. I would be happy if, on my next visit to Murten, I could also find one or two bicycle parking spaces between all the car parking spaces in the main street. Or where should I park my bike properly if I want to go to “Nidelkuchen heaven” in the Aebersold bakery (see Tip No. 7)? p>
6. dine deliciously at Salavaux Castle
Whether as a stopover on the “Tour de Lac de Morat” or simply as a culinary excursion: I can highly recommend a detour to Salavaux Castle to foodies. The 16th century “Château” on the outskirts of Salavaux is a member of the Swiss Historic Hotels and a real gem. We were particularly impressed by the carefully compiled menu, which relies 100% on Swiss products, and the attentive, courteous service. Our tip: perch fillets with chickpea fries and tartar sauce. And what about that? A glass of Chasselas from the surrounding vineyards. Great!
More information: www.chateausalavaux.ch | Tuesday closed | Other days: lunch 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., evening 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (closed Sunday evening)
7: discover the Lake Murten region with the enjoyment booklet
Another opportunity to enjoy the Lake Murten region is offered by the “Genussbüchlein”. For 55 CHF (when purchased at the Murten tourist office) the voucher booklet includes a piece of Nidelkuchen (a “must” when visiting Murten) or cake from the Vully with Coffee, a glass of Vully wine or mineral water and lunch or dinner with a salad followed by a plate of perch fillets . You can find the current partner companies on the Jura Drei-Seen-Land website. These are distributed around the lake in such a way that the “pleasure trip” can be easily combined with the bike tour around Lake Murten. In Murten I recommend you stop at the Aebersold Bakery, which is widely known for its Nidelkuchen.
Further information: Pleasure trip around Lake Murten | bookable online (collection on site or delivery by post) | Also suitable as a gift
Event tip for foodies
In the coming weeks, with the «Organic enjoyment in the Stedtli” (on September 22nd and 23rd) and the Practical tips for your weekend trip to Murten
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