Old Town

Fribourg, Drei-Seen-Land and The Jura


Murten is a cobblestone three-street town crammed with arcaded houses. A string of hotel-restaurants, culminating in a 13th-century castle (closed to visitors), line Rathausgasse. Shops and eateries stud parallel Hauptgasse, capped by the medieval Berntor city gate at its eastern end. Parallel Deutsche Kirchgasse and its western continuation, Schulgasse, hug the Ringmauer (city ramparts).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Fribourg, Drei-Seen-Land and The Jura attractions

1. Ringmauer

0.06 MILES

Ascend the wooden Aufstieg auf die Ringmauer (rampart stairs) behind the Deutsche Kirche to reach the covered walkway traversing these sturdy 11th-century…

2. Deutsche Kirche

0.08 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…

3. Museum Murten

0.18 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. Römermuseum Avenches

4.77 MILES

This small museum evokes the Roman glory days of Avenches, ancient capital of Celtic tribe Helvetii.

5. Aventicum

4.79 MILES

This collection of Roman ruins – the foundations of former structures, buildings and fortifications just outside Avenches' medieval Old Town – is best…

6. Arènes d'Avenches

4.82 MILES

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…

7. Papiliorama

5.76 MILES

Tropical butterflies flutter alongside hummingbirds and other exotic birds 11km northeast of Murten at Papiliorama. Indigenous butterflies flit about in…

8. Musée d’Art et d’Histoire

8.56 MILES

Fribourg’s art and history museum, with an excellent collection of late Gothic sculpture and painting, is housed in the Renaissance Hôtel Ratzé. Gothic…