Next August my wife and I will depart from the Black Forest for a few days' stay in (or around) Murten, using it as a base for excursions to Bern, Avenches, Gruyeres, Chateau Chillon and, of course, Murten itself. From there it'll be on to different accommodations in the Berner Oberland.

At this time I'm having some difficulty tracking down a good, reasonably priced place to hang my hat in or around Murten. (By "reasonable" I'm talking in the ballpark of 100 to 120SF.) Any suggestions, first-hand experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I've heard some positive reviews about the Hotel Bel Air, located in nearby Praz. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

May I be the first Switzerland enhusiast to reply?

Although I have no personal experience with the Hotel Bel Air I have read a glowing report in a Swiss newspaper (NZZ, excellent reputation). And from their website (http://www.bel-air-lac.ch/) it looks very charming. Each room has lake view, very good food and wine, charming terrace etc. One thing to consider might be public transportation. I know that this works pretty good in Switzerland, but this village is a bit off the beaten path. There is a bus stop in front of the hotel, but travelling might require some changes bus/train or boat. I had no look on the schedules, maybe it is convenient. Or do you travel by car? In this case it is of course no problem.

Prices are very reasonable, as far as I saw on their website the room is 110 Sfr. incl. breakfast, 5 Sfr. reduction for stays of 3 and more days. Half board (+ 30 Sfr.) is probably a good choice in this case.

By the way, you should not miss a boat trip on the three lakes of Murten-Neuchatel-Biel. The classical three-lakes trip in one was a little boring for me, but if you split it into two parts it will be great. I especially enjoyed Lake Biel with its picturesque winegrowers villages. You could spend two weeks exploring Erlach, La Neuveville, Ligerz, Twann, Wingreis and the vineyards.

Murten is very charming. BTW, I had the best ever cup of ice cream there: a coupe Romanoff (with strawberries). I enjoyed strolling under the arcades (it was August and hot) and on the city walls.

Ingo

Hello DavidD. (Hi Ingo) I am so pleased to read that someone is going to stay in Murten(Morat). It's been some time since I was there, but my friends and I thought it was a lovely walled town. I am having a difficult time remembering where we stayed; the Weisses Kreuz rings a bell. Murten has a website, http://www.murtentourismus.ch/ , but you probably already know that. I think you've chosen a dandy location to "hang your hat," with numerous possible daytrips, including the boat trips Ingo's suggested. J.

p.s. On second thought, we might have stayed at the Krone. I'm not much help. Except. . . . have you thought of checking out bnb.ch ? It's the Swiss bed & breakfast organization, and they list a couple in that neighborhood. One in Faoug, and a couple on the other side of the lake. Take a look. If you're traveling by car, then the b&b choices are huge. Of course, Ingo does make the Bel Air sound delightful. J.

Hi DavidD (and my friends jw & Ingo),

Sorry I can't help with the hotels (thank goodness for Ingo!) -- I stayed at the Hotel Schiff for a few nights, but it's out of your price preference AND I didn't like it much!

However, I'd like to recommend an excursion for you if you're interested in history: the Latenium park & museum on Lake Neuchatel. Unfortunately, I haven't been there yet (I didn't know about it when I was in Murten), but it's high on my priority list for a return visit. Anyway, it's a reconstruction of the life and houses of the La Tene tribe of Celts who settled the area in prehistoric times. The website is:
www.latenium.ch/www.latenium_e.ch/M/cadre.htm. And if you DO go, I'd love to hear if you liked it --

Have a great time!

s

me again. (Are we "enthusiastic" or what?) Another thought, the Swiss Budget Hotel organization at rooms.ch. It lists both the Krone and the Enge as good budget possibilities. That association is very reputable. (Hi S!)

Dear Folks,

Thanks for the feedback. It was both helpful and undeniably upbeat. (But then, what else would one expect?)

The Bel Air sounds like a good pick, both attractive and priced right (On a minor note, it's too bad the hotel's website doesn't feature an English translation; French and German only.)

As regards the Krone, I hesitated here because of Fodor's rather unflattering review, stating, "Rooms are small and veer toward shabbiness...Rick Steves, moreover, lists a double room at the Krone will set you back 170-200SF.

A special thanks goes out to Swanday for referencing the Latenium museum and park. I am indeed interested in history, particularly Celtic-related, and I've had the good fortune of spending many holidays in Ireland pursuing this interest. I'll make a point of looking into Latenium.

In closing, has anyone out there visited the small town of Bulle and its Musee Gruerien? Rick Steves has good things to say about its "cheery" folk museum. The Rough Guide, however, is rather dismissive of it? Given that it's fairly close to Murten, is it worth seeking out?

Hi David (and hi to jmw and s),

Regarding the Bel Air's website ? I was not able to access the German version, so that leaves the French website the only one working.

The Hotel Krone is definitely out of the price range, the rooms with lake view (which are recommended in one of my guide books) are 200 Sfr. per night.

The Musee Gruerien is also recommended in one of my (usually reliable) guide books. I haven't visited the museum, though, and cannot share a personal impression. The small town Bulle itself is nothing special, it burnt down in the 19th century, so not much (except castle and church) is very old. I only drove through once.

What I miss on your list is Fribourg. It is one of the most beautiful towns I have seen so far, with lots of medieval and Baroque houses, churches etc. Beautifully located (similar to Bern) above the Saane river. Don't miss the nearby Cistercian monastery Hauterive (in Posieux, 3 km away). Very authentic, pure gothic architecture, church and cloisters can be visited if I recall correctly.

If you are interested in Latenium you should not miss the reconstructed Neolithic colony in Gletterens. Mud huts and thatched roofs recreated by archaeologists, inspired by excavations in La Tene. The small village of Gletterens is located on Lake Neuchatel, Northwest from Murten or Praz towards Estavayer-le-lac (which is worth a visit, too).

Ingo

Ingo,

Thank you for the information. Needless to say, the west of Switzerland is packed with stop-worthy sights, and I'll do my level-best to make the most of our limited stay. This includes at least a short stay in Fribourg, along with an attempted look into the neolithic colony in Gletterens.

As to the Berner Oberland, my hope is to have four or five days' stay in this region, part of which I hope to spend in and around Murren. Concerning accommodation, the Alpenruh has caught my eye. Are you familiar with it?

Lastly, were you to have another two days to spend in this region, where would it be? Perhaps remain in Murren? What about heading east to Grindelwald? I've also heard some good words about spending some time along the Thunersee.

Thanks once again.

Hi DavidD. Since my previous contributions have fallen short (I still stand behind the bnb.ch site as worth a look, unless you require all the hotel bells and whistles.), I'll take a stab at Thunersee, and say that I wholeheartedly recommend a stay in one of its lakeside towns. But if you're set on staying up in the mountains, then do try to visit Thun and Spiez from there. (also the outdoor museum at Ballenberg, and the little castle at Oberhofen.) We stayed in the lakeside village of Leissigen on Thunersee, but they are all beautiful. J.

jmw,

Thank you for the contributions. They've been most helpful, including the bnb.ch referral. I'll be sure to pay that website a visit.

As to the Thunersee, I'll likely reserve sleeping quarters at a higher altitude, Murren, Wengen, and the like. However, the area around Spiez and Brienz sounds lovely. Plus, I like the fact that this area is often overlooked by visitors to the Berner Oberland. Perhaps, then, a day dedicated to touring the Ballenberg folk park, schloss oberhofen, and St. Beatus Caves, is in order.

Hi David (and hi jmw again!),

I have not stayed at the Alpenruh in Mürren, sorry. However, this hotel received so many positive reviews on this forum so I think it is a good choice. Mürren itself is located spectacular and a relatively quiet village. Unlike others I think four or five days stay in Mürren should be enough. On the other hand I am not a fan of packing/unpacking, so I would probably add the two days to my stay in Mürren.

If you don?t mind the hassle of packing/unpacking and check in/out etc. you should make something special out of those two days. What comes to my mind is either a stay in one of the fantastic old Grand Hotels (which requires a splurge) or a stay in a hotel on a mountain top or at least far away from villages at a special place in the mountains (not much comfort in this case).

I would definitely not head to Grindelwald for the last two days. Mürren is much nicer (Grindelwald might be crowded in August) and it would not give you new (or better) views. Grindelwald is easily to explore on day trips from Mürren.

Day trips to both Lake Thun and Lake Brienz are also easily doable from Mürren. However, a stay by the lake would be a nice change. My favourite spots are the small villages on Lake Thun (Spiez, Oberhofen, Gunten, Merligen).

Ingo

Mind if I jump in?

David - we stay at the Alpenruh every time we visit Murren. We quite like the place (obviously). It's the furthest hotel from the Murren train station, but the closest to the Schilthornbahn.

It's also the only Murren hotel open year round, and since we visit in the off season, our choices are usually limited.

All the rooms have spectacular unobstructed mountain views.

If you're considering Wengen, might I recommend the Hotel Bellevue, another personal favorite.

Good thing to come to Murten or Morat in French.

Bulle museum.
Might be of interest on your way to Gruyeres to stop for an hour an have a look in the museum, but I wouldn't make a 100km detour for it.

Fribourg.
Lovely old town to wander around, in the Basse-Ville (the old part around the Sarine meander) and the upper part of the historic centre with the cathedral and old streets. Try to visit it on a saterday morning, when the market is taking place. Lots of excellent restaurants also.
(It is my adoptive home town since 20 yrs now).

I also have had very positive info on BelAir in Praz.
Avenches is rich in remains of the Roman era.
The Latenium is an excellent museum also.

Finally, between Murten, Avenches, Gruyères, Neuchatel (Laténium), Fribourg and Bern (only 20 minutes by car from Murten), you could easily spend 4 entire days.

Mel & Baldrick,

A belated "thank you" to you both, as the information is very helpful.

Mel, concerning Wengen, would you know of a web address for the Bellevue? Also, I'm taking a closer look at the Wengen-located Zum Baren and the Schweizerheim. Are you familiar with these accommodations?

Baldrick, a special thanks for mentioning the BelAir. It seems like a good base for exploring Murten, Bern, and points south.

Would Fribourg be a better choice? If so, I'm having trouble locating a reasonably priced accomodation (perhaps two-star, or as Fodor's uses, "$$", that's located in the city's historic centre). Any suggestions?

David -

The Bellevue's site is www.bellevue-wengen.ch.

It's a three star hotel, located on a quiet hillside 5-10 minutes by foot (uphill) from the train station. It's run by a very nice Swiss couple who speak German, French, English and possibly Italian.

The hotel will send a car to collect you at the station if you call when you arrive (small charge). There's a kiosk with hotel names, numbers and a free phone steps from the train station.

I'm not familiar with the other two hotels you've listed.