The 1st-century Roman amphitheatre is as impressive as it is unexpected to find in a small Swiss village. Used throughout the year for occasional outdoor concerts such as the Avenches Opera Festival, thie theater in the round seats up to 5000 spectators. At any other time, you're blissfully free to wander around the partially restored site as you please.
Arènes d'Avenches
Fribourg, Drei-Seen-Land and The Jura
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
20.96 MILES
Bern’s answer to the Guggenheim, Renzo Piano’s architecturally bold, 150m-long wave-like edifice houses an exhibition space that showcases rotating works…
19.64 MILES
Bern’s flag-bedecked medieval centre has 6km of covered arcades and cellar shops and bars descending from the streets. After a devastating fire in 1405,…
29.46 MILES
This engaging museum celebrates the life and work of iconic London-born film star Charlie Chaplin. Split between the neoclassical Manoir de Ban – the…
15.93 MILES
About 14km east of Môtiers, a short walk leads to the enormous abyss known as the Creux du Van (Rocky Hole) – van is a word of Celtic origin meaning 'rock…
Cathédrale St Nicolas de Fribourg
7.72 MILES
Before entering this brooding 13th-century Gothic cathedral, contemplate the main portal with its 15th-century sculptured portrayal of the Last Judgment…
19.72 MILES
Bern’s most famous Old Town sight, this ornate clock tower once formed part of the city’s western gate (1191–1256). Crowds congregate to watch its…
29.07 MILES
Sitting on a hilltop and looking proudly back on 900 years of history, Schloss Thun is the castle of your wildest fairy-tale dreams, crowned by a riot of…
0.04 MILES
This collection of Roman ruins – the foundations of former structures, buildings and fortifications just outside Avenches' medieval Old Town – is best…
Nearby Fribourg, Drei-Seen-Land and The Jura attractions
0.04 MILES
This collection of Roman ruins – the foundations of former structures, buildings and fortifications just outside Avenches' medieval Old Town – is best…
0.05 MILES
This small museum evokes the Roman glory days of Avenches, ancient capital of Celtic tribe Helvetii.
4.66 MILES
In a mill outside the city walls, this museum displays artefacts discovered during the dredging of the Broye Canal in 1829 and cannons used in the Battle…
4.82 MILES
Murten is a cobblestone three-street town crammed with arcaded houses. A string of hotel-restaurants, culminating in a 13th-century castle (closed to…
4.86 MILES
Ascend the wooden Aufstieg auf die Ringmauer (rampart stairs) behind the Deutsche Kirche to reach the covered walkway traversing these sturdy 11th-century…
4.88 MILES
Murten's German Church, dating to 1399, was rebuilt in baroque style in 1710. Don't miss its stucco ceiling and lovely polygonal pulpit, carved from a…
6.39 MILES
The five-apse Romanesque Abbatiale de Payerne has been at the heart of religion and culture in the region since the 11th century, and frequently hosts…
6.46 MILES
This small aviation museum has exhibits on the little-known Swiss air force and the planes manufactured in the area.