Across the lake from Yverdon, Estavayer-le-Lac is one of the best-preserved walled medieval towns on Lake Neuchâtel, its towers and ramparts almost intact, right on the water in the canton of Fribourg. A marina, a sandy beach and gardens below the old walls make it one of the finest half-days on the lake, especially if you come by boat.
Its oddest treasure is the Frog Museum. In the medieval Maison de la Dîme, shown to the public since 1927, sit dozens of taxidermied frogs posed in tiny human scenes, soldiers, a barber’s shop, a game of billiards, a banquet, the lifework of one François Perrier in the mid-19th century. Strange, charming, and genuinely unforgettable.
What to do
- Walk the walled old town and up to the Château de Chenaux, the town’s medieval castle.
- Visit the Frog Museum (Musée des grenouilles), one of Switzerland’s strangest little collections.
- Swim or sail from the marina and the lake beach, on the same shore as the Grande Cariçaie reedbeds.
Practical notes
- Frog Museum: open March to December, Tuesday to Sunday, 13:00–18:00 (closed January and February); see museedesgrenouilles.ch.
- The old town is compact and walkable straight from the harbour and station.
- Allow half a day, more for time on the beach or the water.
