Tour du Lac de Neuchatel

Discover Lake Neuchâtel on this tour featuring 107km of cycling on segregated cycle paths with no ups or downs worth mentioning.

 

The capital of its eponymous canton, Neuchâtel is a university town easily reached by train from anywhere in Switzerland. You leave the town to pedal through the vineyards on the northern side of the lake. Passing a succession of wine-growing villages, you reach Grandson and its magnificent castle, witness to a famous battle in 1476 between Charles the Bold and the Swiss. 

The next town on the loop is Yverdon-les-Bains, a site with Celtic origins located at the end of the lake, and you continue on your way alongside the Grande Cariçaie wetland. This marshy resource with its many reed beds extends 40 km along the southern shore of the lake and provides a habitat for more than 100 species of bird. 

Estavayer-le-Lac is a good place to pause a while. This particularly well preserved medieval town harbours a 13th century castle, as well as agreeable beaches. 

Before returning to Neuchâtel, you make a brief visit to Canton Bern and the Swiss-German-speaking part of the country. 

This loop includes short sections on unmetalled surfaces conceived for road cycling which avoid main road traffic.