4 Best Hotels in Fribourg and Neuchâtel, Switzerland

Guests reserve months ahead for this quirky, high-style country inn noted for its fabulous gardens and fanciful theme rooms. The Mirabelle room has a stunning oversize curio case with treasures ranging from Russian nesting dolls to ceramic mugs, and the Cupidon room flaunts a cast-iron bath on rails—you can trolley out into the open air for a bath under the stars. Downstairs, the restaurant gives off an air of chic simplicity, a perfect setting for meeting the artsy locals and in-the-know guests who frequent this fun spot. The hotel can easily be reached by bus—take the No. 1 toward Portes de Fribourg/St. Leonard, get off at Poya, and stroll up the Route de Grandfey.

Delicious views make this hotel a treat—breathtaking mountain and valley views are definitely the main attractions. The four largest rooms are spacious and cheerful, and have traditional wood decor and edelweiss-embroidered bed linens. The hotel's restaurant and pizzeria are strikingly anchored by a massive fireplace and leads out to a large, light-filled winter garden. Bathrooms are sizable and clean, if a little old-fashioned.

Right on cobblestoned Rue du Bourg, this beckoning small hotel has large, airy rooms that tastefully mix bright Tuscan colors with traditional pine furnishings. Rooms in the rear overlook the valley, and front rooms gaze out on the village. The honeymoon suite, with its pretty four-poster bed, is ideal for a romantic getaway. The restaurant serves steaming fondue, raclette, local trout, and other Swiss dishes. Special low rates in the quiet season are attractive.

In the gorge of Vauseyon, 10 minutes from Neuchâtel, this restored 18th-century brewery with polished beams, yellow-sandstone highlights, and lush views sits alongside a roaring woodland stream. Every individually decorated guest room has lovely whitewashed walls. The glass-roofed winter garden restaurant (closed Saturday lunch, Sunday, and Monday) offers one of the region's best meals with its innovative seasonal cuisine, or you can enjoy a simpler lunch on the terrace overlooking the stream. Take the tunnels under Neuchâtel toward La Chaux-de-Fonds, exit toward Pontarlier-Vauseyon, and look for the hotel's signs.