i Neuchâtel
Switzerland
Neuchâtel is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel. Since the fusion in 2021 of the municipalities of Neuchâtel, Corcelles-Cormondrèche, Peseux, and Valangin, the city has approximately 45,000 inhabitants. The city is sometimes referred to historically by the German name Neuenburg; both the French and German names mean 'New Castle'.
Read moreThe best months to visit are July–August.
July is the hottest month, with highs around 23°C (74°F).
January is the coldest month, with lows around -1°C (30°F).
The wettest month is May, with rain on about 18 days.
July is the sunniest month, with about 7.9 hours of sunshine a day.
in October, it is warmer than 77% of places in Switzerland.
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i 16-day forecast
This data is temporarily unavailable.
Best time to visit Neuchâtel
Average conditions per month from long-term climate normals (1961–2020).
Month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 4° | 5° | 9° | 12° | 17° | 21° | 23° | 23° | 19° | 14° | 8° | 5° |
| Average low | -1° | -1° | 2° | 4° | 8° | 11° | 13° | 13° | 10° | 7° | 2° | 0° |
| Rainfall (mm) | 60 | 56 | 62 | 70 | 91 | 93 | 86 | 92 | 82 | 78 | 74 | 69 |
| Rain days | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
| Sunshine per day (h) | 2 | 3.1 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 5.9 | 7 | 7.9 | 7 | 5.8 | 3.9 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
| Daylight (h) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15 | 15.9 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| Humidity (%) | 83 | 79 | 72 | 70 | 72 | 71 | 69 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 82 | 82 |
| Wind (km/h) | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| Go score | 5 | 9 | 18 | 32 | 47 | 64 | 75 | 73 | 66 | 41 | 12 | 6 |
The go score (0–100) rewards daytime highs of 22–27 °C, mild nights, sunshine and few rainy days.
Neuchâtel: tourist crowds by month
How busy it gets through the year — and the months with good weather and fewer visitors.
When people plan their trip
Monthly readership of the travel guide — people read up a few weeks before they travel.
Neuchâtel travel guide
What to see, do, eat and where to stay — from an open, community-written travel guide.
300px|thumbnail|View from the castle hill Neuchâtel (German: Neuenburg) is a town of 35,000 people (2018) in the western Switzerland. Neuchâtel is part Suisse Romande — the French-speaking Switzerland.
It was founded in 1011 in a wonderful location between the eponymous lake and the Jura mountain chain. You can travel from the mountains to the beach in just a couple of minutes. There's a magnificent view of the Alps as well across the lake. Lac Neuchâtel is 38 km long and 8 km wide, and thus the largest lake entirely in Switzerland. Tourist office
The tourist office have great maps of the city, very useful for exploring the old town on foot. The office itself is located in the city's massive central post building, itself worth seeing.
By train thumbnail|Neuchâtel railway station Neuchâtel is served by the major train line which crosses Switzerland on the southern Jura. Trains arrive in hourly, if not more often, from major Swiss cities such as Bern, Lausanne, Geneva, and Zürich. The railway station is a 15-minute walk from downtown, alternatively you can take the bus 7 or 9 towards Place-Pury or take the funicular down to the lakefront. By plane The nearest major airports are in Geneva and Basel, the one in Bern is chiefly for charter flights. By car The A5 motorway between Basel and Geneva passes next to the city. Neuchâtel has nine car parks, six underground and three outdoors. By boat Thanks to the many boat lines on the lake, you can easily get into town from places like Estavayer-le-lac, Yverdon-les-Bains, Morat or Bienne. At the web site of Navigation you can find schedules and prices.
Q655282 By public transport Public transportation in Neuchâtel is fairly good. Neuchâtel has a reliable bus, tram, and train network operated by Transports Neuchâtelois (TN) August 2018 December 2020 and running throughout the city, to the many outlying communities, and to other towns in the area. The public transport network also comprises three funiculars. All bus lines converge at the main square of the city, Place Pury. You can buy a ticket from vending machines found at bus stops and there is a 24-hour pass for Fr. 7 which allows you to use any transport in the Neuchâtel area for 24 hours from the time of issue. By bike Getting around by bike is possible even if you didn't bring one. The local organization Neuchâtel roule rents bikes and biking equipment like helmets and child seats. By foot The old town is pedestrianized and pleasant to walk in. The way up to the railway station from downtown is fairly steep, though.
thumbnail|On the castle's courtyard thumbnail|The water mill at Gor de Vauseyon Museums thumbnail|The Jaquet-Droz automata
The old castle, which sits atop a small hill in the centre of town, houses the parliament of the Canton of Neuchâtel, as well as an old medieval cathedral. The city's Old Town also features many centuries-old yellow sandstone buildings and narrow cobblestone streets.
Also part of the castle complex.
Formerly prisoners were locked up here; today tourists can get up and have a view of the town and the lake below.
A large red Catholic church dominates the skyline of northeastern Neuchâtel.
The permanent exhibitions and the large spaces reserved for natural environments of the Jura mountains are open for visitors around the year. Temporary scientific and artistic exhibitions are open from May to October.
Over 2000 herbs, both medical and practical can be seen in this garden of . It includes 350 kinds of sage, 100 kinds of geranium, many mints, rosemaries, thymes, sweet plants and 60 different fig trees. There's also a playground for kids and a small monastery.
The city's casino has 150 slot machines, six game tables, two bars and a restaurant.
An educational park centered around the ruins of a 17th-century water mill. This is also the starting point for a hiking path leading to Valangin.
A funicular up to Chaumont, 1160 m above sea level. The gradient is steep, up to 46%. On the top, there is a viewing tower from where you can see three major lakes, the Alps and even the Mont Blanc massif.
Permanent and temporary exhibitions of artefacts and other objects from around the world - mostly from Africa.
Permanent exhibitions of stuffed Swiss animals in their local environment as well as insects and geology. They also have fossils on display as well as a terrarium. The museum hosts temporary exhibitions too, themed around different animals. There's a café and a shop too.
The collection of paintings, though not very big, includes works of Pissarro, Renoir, and some other important artists. Among other exhibits a special place belongs to Jaquet-Droz automata, three 18th-century, life-size clockwork dolls of exquisite complexity: the musician, the draughtsman, and the writer.
In this gallery you can learn about the history of the city from the Middle Ages until today.
The archaeological museum shows 50,000 years of local history and is! located in an archaeological park.
A cultural centre showcasing the life and works of the Swiss author and dramatist Friedrich Dürrenmatt.
thumbnail|The town as seen from a boat on the lake Visit the old downtown with a historic center. Neuchâtel is home to several museums, including a museum of natural history and a museum of ethnography.
A pleasant lakeside mini-golf track for kids.
One can take a stroll along the shoreline paths of Lac Neuchâtel, the largest lake located fully within Swiss borders. The lake is also suitable for swimming, although can be quite chilly.
A golf course above Neuchâtel, open to everyone.
25-m and 50-m swimming pools, slides, diving boards, wading pool as well as changing rooms and lockers. In the summer there's also a basketball court, ping-pong table and a kiosk and a snack bar.
A role play where your police team is hunting down a fictive criminal around Neuchâtel. Participants search for leads and collect "secret codes" around the city and to successfully complete the mission they need to answer questions about the city's history. It is marketed as a new way to discover the city.
Try some wines from the Neuchâtel region. The local producer's organization has information of wine-related events like wine tastings, open cellars, selling events and gastronomical events.
A hiking path passing Vue-des-Alpes and Chasseral.
A Swiss watch made in the Val-de-Travers. Neuchâtel features a variety of small fashion boutiques in the downtown area; however, cheaper clothing can easily be purchased at the city's only shopping centre, the Maladiere, which is combined with the soccer stadium near the waterfront.
thumbnail|Palace Peyrou Fondue Neuchâteloise, which is a speciality of Switzerland, that consists of molten cheese in which you dip bread. Neuchâtel features an abundance of restaurants and eateries, including several Crêperies. As well, there are several chocolate shops and bakeries throughout town which sell small sugary treats at varying prices. Budget Mid-range Splurge
One of the local landmarks of the town is the Kebab, or Shawarma, stand, Munzur Kebab, located at the center of Place Pury, and which remains open well into the wee hours of the morning.
Sandwiches made on order and cold and warm drinks, one block from the lakefront.
An Asian restaurant for all budgets.
Paprika is an Indian restaurant that also does take-away. During local festivals, Paprika is often present with a food stand.
Gastronomical restaurant.
Fine dining in an 18th-century palace, also one of the town's landmarks.
A number of regional wines, including the ones from Auvernier, Cortaillod, Hauterive and La Coudre. They may seem bitter. Neuchâtel has many bars and clubs throughout the city center, with varying degrees of classiness. Depending on the bar, different crowds are often present.
Located in the area of the university, and likewise frequented mainly by the university crowd
A combination eatery/brewery, popular among the more trendy locals
A pub in the old town specializing in dozens of varieties of beers, oft frequented by Neuchâtel's English speaking populace.
thumbnail|Rue du Château in the old town Mid-range Splurge
The five-star hotel "Palafitte" is located at the lake.
A very expensive and high-class affair.
Neuchâtel is a fairly safe city, but compared to the rest of Switzerland, it may have a relatively high "crime-rate". Although violent crime is unheard of, petty crime and pickpocketing is a problem. Avoid going to suspicious places like Jolimont and Serrieres after dark.
Train travel from Neuchâtel can easily take you to many of the major destinations in the area; the TGV from Bern to Paris passes through Neuchâtel, taking four hours to reach the City of Lights. Train travel to major Swiss cities is also very simple: 40 minutes to Bern, 1 hour 30 to Zürich, 40 minutes to Lausanne, around 1 hour to Geneve, and between 2 and 3 hours to reach destinations in the Swiss Alps such as Grindelwald, Brig, and Kandersteg. Murten — A small town by Lake Murten with a beautiful old town and intact defensive walls.
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Landmarks nearby
Mountains, castles, museums, beaches and heritage sites within 25 km.
i Lake Neuchâtel
lake in Switzerland
i Lake Biel
lake at Biel/Bienne, Canton of Bern, Switzerland
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i Lake Murten
lake in Switzerland
i Creux du Van
mountain
i Aventicum, Roman city - Avenches, medieval-modern city
archaeological site in Avenches in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland
i Chasseral
mountain in Switzerland
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i La Tène
archaeological site
i Neuchâtel Castle
castle on Rue de la Collégiale in the city of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Grand Som Martel
mountain
i Mont Racine
mountain in Switzerland
i Le Soliat
mountain
i Tête de Ran
mountain
Neuchâtel: practical information
Plugs, money, emergency numbers, safety and typical prices — everything to know before you go.
- Voltage
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Driving
- Drive on the right
Swiss Franc
CHF · Fr.
1 USD ≈ 0.83 CHF
- Languages
- French, Swiss German, Italian
- Calling code
- +41
- Meal, casual restaurantCHF 23.00≈ $28.00
- CappuccinoCHF 5.00≈ $6.00
- Beer (0.5 l)CHF 7.60≈ $9.10
- Bottled water (1.5 l)CHF 2.20≈ $2.60
- Taxi, 5 kmCHF 17.00≈ $20.00
- Public transport ticketCHF 3.00≈ $3.60
- Mid-range hotel, per nightCHF 165≈ $195
Estimated from Switzerland’s consumer price level — real prices vary by place and season. Prices are about 128% of US levels.
- Dec 25Christmas Day
- Jan 1New Year's Day
No earthquakes of magnitude 5 or more within 100 km since 1975.
How to get to Neuchâtel
Nearest airports
- BRNBern AirportBern44 km
- BSLEuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–FreiburgBâle / Mulhouse81 km
- GVAGeneva International AirportGeneva105 km
- DLEDole Tavaux AirportDole114 km
- ZRHZürich AirportZurich133 km
- NCYAnnecy Meythet airportAnnecy134 km
Distances
estimate
Hotels in Neuchâtel
Hotels and holiday rentals with live nightly prices.
We may earn a commission when you book through this map, at no extra cost to you.
Places with a climate like Neuchâtel
Matched on the full year of temperature and rainfall.
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Wildlife around here
The most-recorded species within 25 km, with their seasonality.
Population history
1981–2024Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to visit Neuchâtel?
Based on climate normals, the best time to visit Neuchâtel is July–August.
What is the weather like in Neuchâtel in October?
In October, Neuchâtel averages a high of 14°C (56°F) and a low of 7°C (44°F), with 78 mm of rain on about 13 days.
What is the rainiest month in Neuchâtel?
May, with rain on about 18 days.
What is the nearest airport to Neuchâtel?
EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg (BSL), about 81 km away.
What power plugs are used in Switzerland?
Plug types C, 230 V.
What currency is used in Switzerland?
Swiss Franc (CHF).
What is the emergency number in Switzerland?
112.
Is Switzerland safe to visit?
US travel advisory: Exercise normal precautions. UK travel advice: No travel warnings.
When is Neuchâtel most crowded?
The busiest months are July–August.
When is Neuchâtel least crowded?
The quietest months are November.
When is the best time to visit Neuchâtel without the crowds?
June and September: good weather with fewer visitors than in peak season.
What time zone is Neuchâtel in?
Europe/Zurich (UTC+2).
What is the population of Neuchâtel?
About 33,475.