5 Best Hotels in Neuchatel, Fribourg and Neuchâtel

This thoroughly elegant, gracefully restored 19th-century hotel has a perfect perch on the lakeshore; on a clear day there's a splendid view of the Alps. The warmly lighted interior, with high ceilings and wild-cherry wood, exudes calm. Two-thirds of the spacious guest rooms have lake views, and the generous bathrooms are decked out in white marble. The sophisticated restaurant, O'terroirs, offers some of the best dining in town and a fine selection of wines, also on tap in the comfortingly low-key Véranda Bar. The B-Spa and gym complete the deluxe hotel experience.

In the pedestrian zone at the foot of the château, this delightful, entirely environmentally friendly hotel offers light, modern, spacious guest rooms with warm color schemes inspired by the spices for which they are named. Cheaper rooms are a bargain but share a bath (they have their own sinks in the room). The café and terrace offer inexpensive but good organic fare.

This modest 19th-century hotel across from the train station overlooks the tile rooftops, sparkling lake, and white-capped Alps. Although the building has been modernized, it preserves the original parquet floors and stone steps. Along the pale yellow corridors, fresh flowers hide in niches. The gold-and-red-checked bedspreads in the guest rooms echo the colors found throughout this sunny hotel. A lovely park surrounds the terrace.

Unique in Europe, this one-level hotel is partly built on piles on Lac de Neuchâtel, giving it unbeatable clear-day views that include the distant Alps. Located 3 km (1½ miles) from Neuchâtel's city center in outlying Monruz, this design-centric complex has 40 "pavillions," some on the shore and some over water. A wide array of room amenities even include a ladder from which occupants can descend into the lake for a swim. Many consider the hotel's restaurant, La Table de Palafitte, to be one of the best in the area. Terrace dining is spectacular here.

In the gorge of Vauseyon, 10 minutes from Neuchâtel, this restored 18th-century brewery sits alongside a roaring woodland stream. Polished beams, yellow-sandstone highlights, and lush views are undeniably atmospheric, and every individually decorated guest room has lovely whitewashed walls. The glass-roofed winter-garden restaurant (closed Sunday) offers one of the best meals in the region 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.