Former ZIWA member Amy Eber's notes:
We went to the tiny castle town of Murten (Morat in French) in Canton Fribourg in late May. It is quite close to Bern. See links below. We so fell in love with the place, we found a weekend apartment to rent that same day in the heart of the town in a 500 year old former convent. It is a wonderful, medieval town. Very small and surrounded by a castle wall that anyone can walk on. Most cafes and restaurants are open on Sundays during the warm season. Try their famous Nidelkuchen.
Less than a 5 minute walk from the old town is the lake of Murten or Murtensee. There is plenty of grassy and sandy lake-front area - all with free access.
We like to picnic there. It's the warmest lake in Switzerland since it is one of the
shallowest. You can take a one hour boat trip around the lake or
take a boat across the lake to make the easy hike up Mt. Vully and at the top
see Lake Neuchatel down one side of the mountain, Lake Murten down the other
side and Lake Biel/Bienne in the distance. Another option is to take the Three Lake ship (Dreiseenfahrt) which goes to all three lakes through canals. See this link:
You need to take two trains from Zurich, via Bern. Be careful to get on the right part of the train in Bern. There is also plenty of very inexpensive parking outside the castle walls of the old town if you drive.
Murten Dept of Tourism link:
More info in English at http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/murten.html
It is also a great place to bike since it's not too hilly. I believe there is a bike rental place right at the train station. Unlike many old sections in towns, the train station is about a 5 minute walk from the centre of the old town. Our apartment walls are originals from the 500 year old convent, with beamed ceilings. It's really interesting. We are exactly in the middle of the old town which consists of three streets each way. Festivals happen right under our window which is fabulous until you want to get to sleep!
Amy Eber, August 2011. Updated by Julia Newton, April 2016.
