Jura and Three Lakes: travel guide

Why visit Jura and Three Lakes

Most Switzerland itineraries ignore the arc of country between Bern, Basel, and Lake Geneva that contains the Jura mountains and the three sister lakes — Lac de Neuchâtel, Lac de Morat (Murtensee), and Lac de Bienne (Bielersee). This is not because the region lacks interest; it is because the visual spectacle of the Alps and the international brand recognition of Zurich and Geneva absorb most visitor attention. The region that loses out is one of the most quietly rewarding in Switzerland.

The Jura plateau and its low mountain ridges contain the most important watchmaking industry in the world. La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle — two mountain towns in the canton of Neuchâtel — produce more high-end mechanical watches per capita than anywhere else on earth and are together a UNESCO World Heritage site for their planned grid-town layouts designed to maximise natural light in workshops. The watch industry is not just a historical artifact: it remains active, and the watch museums in both towns are genuinely excellent.

The three lakes provide a watery landscape quite different from the dramatic Alpine lakes to the south. These are gentle, agricultural-shore lakes flanked by vineyards (the Neuchâtel wine region produces Switzerland’s finest Pinot Noir and Chasselas), small fishing villages, and reed beds that are among the most biodiverse wetlands in Switzerland. The sailing, cycling, and lake swimming infrastructure is good, the crowds minimal, and the combination of French language and culture with Swiss efficiency gives the region a distinctive character.

Key destinations

Neuchâtel

Neuchâtel is the capital of its canton and the most substantial city of the Three Lakes region — a lakefront city of 34,000 with a medieval old town climbing from the shore to the collegiate church and castle on the hill above. The yellow sandstone of most historic buildings gives the city a warm, slightly southern appearance unusual for Switzerland at this latitude. The arcaded Rue des Moulins and the Rue du Trésor are fine examples of 16th and 17th-century commercial architecture.

The Musée d’Art et d’Histoire houses three automata — mechanical figures created by Pierre Jaquet-Droz in the 1770s — that are among the most extraordinary examples of pre-industrial engineering ever made. The Writer (a mechanical boy who composes text using a quill pen), the Draughtsman (who draws portraits), and the Musician (a lady organ player who breathes and moves as she plays) are demonstrated periodically and never fail to astonish. They represent the apogee of the watchmaking craft applied to its most challenging possible object.

The castle and collegiate church at the top of the old town are both worth visiting — the church has fine 16th-century Gothic detail; the castle terrace gives the best panoramic view of the lake with the Alps beyond.

La Chaux-de-Fonds

La Chaux-de-Fonds sits at 1,000 metres altitude in the Jura mountains above Neuchâtel — cold, functional, and proud of both. The planned grid layout (rebuilt after a fire in 1794) was designed specifically to optimise daylight in the watchmaking workshops: north-south streets keep the east and west facades in maximum light for the maximum number of hours. The International Watch Museum (Musée International d’Horlogerie) is the best watchmaking museum in the world, with 4,500 objects covering the history of timekeeping from water clocks to contemporary haute horlogerie.

Le Corbusier — one of the most influential architects of the 20th century — was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1887 and trained as an engraver at the local art school before abandoning watchmaking for architecture. The Villa Turque (his first commission) and the Villa Jeanneret-Perret (where he grew up) are open to visitors; the local art museum also holds a significant Corbusier collection.

Biel/Bienne

Biel (German) and Bienne (French) are the same city — the most genuinely bilingual city in Switzerland, where both languages are co-official and alternated in public signage, official communications, and everyday conversation. The linguistic frontier passes through the city itself; it is the most concrete expression of the Röstigraben anywhere in Switzerland.

The old town is compact and charming without being exceptional; the city’s real interest is its position at the southern tip of Lac de Bienne and its role as the principal transport hub for the Three Lakes region. The Île de Saint-Pierre in the middle of the lake is where Jean-Jacques Rousseau spent six weeks in 1765 in what he described as his happiest period — his house is preserved as a museum.

Murten

The medieval walled town of Murten (Morat in French) sits directly on the linguistic border, its German-speaking population contained within perfectly preserved 13th-century walls from which the circuit walk (elevated rampart walkway, 30 minutes) gives lake views in one direction and countryside in the other. The town’s main street is arcaded in the fashion common to this part of Switzerland, with the Town Hall at one end and the clock tower at the other. Murten is small enough to cover completely in an afternoon — it makes an ideal lunch stop on a Three Lakes cycling circuit.

Top experiences

Three Lakes cycling

The Trois-Lacs (Three Lakes) regional cycling network links all three lake shores in a circuit of about 175 kilometres — a format ideal for spreading over three to four days of lake cycling with village stops, wine tastings, and lake swimming. The terrain is gentle (the plateau between the lakes is largely flat; the Jura foothills require a bit more effort) and the infrastructure — cycle hire, bike-friendly accommodation, luggage transfer — is well organised. The section along the southern shore of Lac de Neuchâtel past the wetlands of the Grande Cariçaie (one of the largest wetland nature reserves in Central Europe) is particularly beautiful.

Watchmaking museum, La Chaux-de-Fonds

The Musée International d’Horlogerie covers 500 years of timekeeping technology in a purpose-built underground museum (the design keeps temperature and humidity constant for the collection’s protection). The collection spans from early mechanical clocks through the golden age of pocket watches, marine chronometers, wristwatches, and quartz technology to contemporary complications. The conservation workshop is visible through glass partitions; the temporary exhibition programme usually adds context on the broader cultural history of horology.

Neuchâtel wine tasting

The vineyards on the northern shore of Lac de Neuchâtel produce wines of genuine quality — particularly Oeil de Perdrix (an onion-skin rosé from Pinot Noir), Chasselas, and the local Cortaillod red. The wine villages of Auvernier, Bôle, and Cortaillod are reachable by train from Neuchâtel in minutes and have small producer caves open for tasting. The wine is little known outside the region (most is consumed locally), which keeps prices reasonable and visits relatively uncrowded.

Automata demonstration, Neuchâtel

The Jaquet-Droz automata in the Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History are demonstrated on the first Sunday of each month and at other specific dates — check the museum calendar before visiting. The demonstration lasts about 30 minutes and shows all three figures in operation. Seeing the Writer compose text on paper using a real quill pen — the mechanism adjustable to write any 40-character text — is a genuinely astonishing experience regardless of interest in clockwork mechanisms.

Getting to Jura and Three Lakes

By train

Neuchâtel is 37 minutes from Bern, 1 hour 30 minutes from Geneva, and 1 hour 30 minutes from Basel. La Chaux-de-Fonds is 45 minutes from Neuchâtel by mountain railway. Biel is 27 minutes from Bern and on the direct Basel–Bern line. The Swiss Travel Pass covers all regional rail services.

By road

The A5 motorway runs along the Three Lakes corridor from Biel to Yverdon, with exits for Murten and Neuchâtel. La Chaux-de-Fonds is reached by a direct road from Neuchâtel climbing through the Jura.

Best time to visit

May to September is the primary season for lake activities and cycling. The Neuchâtel wine harvest in October is an atmospheric time to visit the vineyard villages. La Chaux-de-Fonds and the Jura are cold in winter (1,000m altitude) but the Watch Museum is open year-round and the Christmas market is modest but genuine.

Suggested itineraries

2 days: Three Lakes circuit

Day 1: Neuchâtel (castle, automata museum, lakefront) — afternoon wine village visit. Day 2: Train to La Chaux-de-Fonds (Watch Museum, Le Corbusier sites) — return via Biel.

3 days: extended

Add a day for Murten (ramparts walk, boat on Lac de Morat) and a section of the Three Lakes cycling route. The region connects naturally to Bern to the east and Lake Geneva to the south. A day trip to Gruyeres for cheese and chocolate tasting is an excellent excursion from the western end of the Three Lakes region. For complete regional context, see also the Bern region guide and the getting around Switzerland guide.

Practical information

The Jura and Three Lakes region is significantly less expensive than the main Swiss tourism destinations. Accommodation is available in Neuchâtel (good range), Biel (functional business hotels), and Murten (small but charming guesthouses). The region rewards independent exploration by bike or train rather than organised tours. The Swiss Travel Pass is the most efficient way to cover the region. English is spoken in hotels and tourist offices; the region is primarily French-speaking west of Biel, German-speaking east.