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Roadtrip Switzerland | Tips for Murten (Morat)

During my roadtrip by Switzerland I came upon mostly known bucketlist.-worthy destinations such as Lauterbrunnen. Places with epic views and associated activities, such as a helicopter ride about the glaciers. But there are also many beautiful, unknown places to be found in Switzerland and Murten is definitely one of them…

De roadtrip through Switzerland

I actually drove around without a plan in Switzerland in my 4×4 motorhome† Often I was often treated to panoramic views, but I was also sometimes completely surprised by dangerous roads, freezing cold, huge snow showers and closed mountain passes. After all, it was early April and the weather conditions were therefore extremely changeable.

But it was not only the nature in Switzerland that managed to surprise me. I searched during the roadtrip through Switzerland on any given day to a place to stay overnight. As a result, I unexpectedly ended up at a motorhome in Murten, in retrospect one of Switzerland's most authentic towns. In this article I will tell you everything about this authentic town and why you should visit it during your roadtrip through this beautiful country.

Also read: Things to Do in Lauterbrunnen | The most beautiful Swiss region

The motorhome in Murten
The motorhome in Murten

About the motorhome in Murten

To start with: the motorhome. Now you may be wondering how I managed to find this place in Hartje Murten. The answer is simple:

I usually use two apps to find places to stay overnight with the camper: Park4Night en iOverlander† Make sure you have both Apps on your phone beforehand as they will help you find facilities, campgrounds and wild camping spots along the way.

Park4Night is suitable for motorhome drivers of all shapes and sizes. It shows a lot of parking spaces that are suitable for even the larger motorhomes. In addition, you will also find places of interest, camper facilities such as filling water or discharging waste water, and of course campsites.

iOverlander is different and focuses mainly on 4×4 riders, as many of the spots you will find in this app are aimed at those with a terrain-worthy 4×4. iOverlander is almost exclusively for finding camping spots that are often deep in remote nature reserves.

Enough about the Apps. As you can see in the photo above, this motorhome site is simple, but definitely worth a visit. I'll explain to you why:

  • It is located in the heart of Murten
  • There are shops within walking distance
  • You have a view of the lake
  • You have a park, boulevard and playground in front of your door
  • It's cheap (16 CHF per night)
  • There are public toilets
  • There are many activities to do, such as SUP or canoeing
  • The sunset is beautiful

Since I arrived there in the late afternoon and the sun was about to set, I decided to take a walk to the local supermarket. After doing the shopping, I opened a beer and started preparing a nice meal while watching the park, the setting sun and the lake from the camper. Delicious!

Prepare food in the motorhome with a view of the lake
Prepare food in the motorhome with a view of the lake

About Murten / Morat

During my walk to the supermarket I saw that the town looked beautiful and was surrounded by old city walls. That's why I decided during dinner to Google exactly where I was, and what could possibly be seen. I was not disappointed! Apparently I had ended up in a pearl of a town without knowing it beforehand.

The small medieval town of Murten is located on the southeastern shore of the lake of the same name, offering beautiful views and sunsets. The town has somehow managed to preserve its original appearance over the centuries, which makes it unique in Switzerland.

Murten from above - The city walls are easy to see from this point of view.
Murten from above – The city walls are easy to see from this point of view.

The picturesque alleys of the old town and the beautiful buildings make it a great place for a day visit. Located on the language border between French (Morat) and German (Murten), the town has a lovely lakeside promenade and offers a wide variety of sights, shops, restaurants and activities.

Thanks to its beautiful location on a small hill above Lake Murten, the 800-year-old town of Murten has become a popular tourist destination. Strangely enough I had never read anything about it and I have never read a blog travel blog about Murten from one of my many colleagues in the travel world.

Things to Do in Murten, Switzerland

Murten is a small, picturesque town, but in my opinion there is still plenty to see, do and experience. Below are some of the best activities and places to visit in Murten.

1. Take a walk on the city wall

A city wall protects the town, which is not unique in Europe, but it is unique in Switzerland. The almost completely preserved wall is the only one in Switzerland that you can walk (almost) all the way over. The wall hasn't resisted attackers for a long time, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful!

A walk on the city wall of Murten offers visitors a wonderful view of the nearby lake and the roofs of the old town. You can go up the wall in various places, but unfortunately you can't go all the way around these days. Several parts are closed and the most beautiful part (I think), is the part where I took the photo below. You come here by walking around the church on the right and then at the very back you will find a staircase to the standing wall (just not visible at the bottom right in the photo below).

The Church of Murten
The Church of Murten

You walk from the church on the south side of the city wall and because you also have a view of the beautiful Mertenmeer from here, this is the most beautiful part to walk in my opinion. Below are some other beautiful pictures I took during my walk on the city wall in Murten.

The roofs of Murten and the lake in the background
The roofs of Murten and the lake in the background
The old castle of Murten from the southern city wall
The old castle of Murten from the southern city wall

2. Visit the Museum

The museum in Murten has a large collection of 6000 years of history of the city and the surrounding region (open from March to December). You can see both French and German history here with many artifacts and photos of the milestones and conflicts that the city has known.

3. Go cycling or rollerblading

Anyone who discovers the region of Murten on wheels or inline skates will certainly find what they are looking for. With 170 km of cycle paths and 90 km of slopes for inline skaters, they could hardly ask for more. There's a particularly popular cycle route, especially suitable for families, that goes from medieval Murten to the 2000-year-old Avenches and back, while another route takes you around the lake in about two hours.

4. Stroll through the old streets and alleys

Don't feel like doing anything really, but do you want to see something? Then simply stroll through the old streets and alleys of Murten and you will be treated to beautiful buildings, small unique shops and good terraces and restaurants.

Flowers in Murten
Flowers in Murten
Part of the old castle of Murten
Part of the old castle of Murten
Well-groomed facades with flowers
Well-groomed facades with flowers

5. Excursions

Murten offers plenty of opportunities for excursions by boat, on foot or by bicycle. The boat trip from Murten to the Vully wine-growing region takes about an hour. You can also take trips to two or three lakes, sailing canals to the lakes of Neuchâtel and Biel-Bienne. The Murtensee is a popular swimming lake, where the temperature becomes pleasantly warm early in the summer. Sailing, windsurfing, water skiing, wakeboarding, surf-biking, rowing, pedal boating, canoeing, lake kayaking, SUP and fishing – you can do almost anything here.

Do you feel like doing some of these activities? Then simply walk to the park or one of the harbors on the lake, there you will find the various offices where you can book excursions.

Also read: Helicopter flight + landing on glacier in Lauterbrunnen | Bucket list activity ✔️

6. Create beautiful images with your drone

If you have a drone, now is the time to launch it into the air. Murten is located in a zone where it is allowed to fly with a drone, so take advantage of that! Below is a short video that I made with my drone.

In addition to the video above, I also make some beautiful 5-layer HDR photos of this unique town, a few more can be seen below. The photo from above, you can see a little further at the top of this article.

The beautiful picturesque buildings of Murten
The beautiful picturesque buildings of Murten
The old castle and city wall of Murten
The old castle and city wall of Murten

Note: There are of course rules for drones in Switzerland, so make sure you follow these rules. To make things easier for you, I've added the most recent Switzerland drone rules to the website in this handy PDF.

Closing comments

I hope this information and tips helped you and that you add Murten in Switzerland to your list of places to visit. If you have any questions or comments about the content of this article, feel free to leave a comment. Safe journey!

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Chris

Owner of Wereldreizigers.nl † Discover the world!
- Full-time blogging world traveler.
- Writes about travel, photography, sustainability and gadgets.
- Likes to discover extreme and unknown places.

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