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Maison des Halles,
Neuchâtel
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The
people of Neuchâtel know how to live. Their town is
nestled snuggly between terraced vineyards, Switzerland's largest
lake, and the Jura mountains. A promenade skirts the lake shore
where townspeople saunter on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The
alps stretch across the horizon. |
| Depending upon the season
hiking, skiing, sailing, ballooning, kayaking, sledding, ice skating,
swimming, scuba diving, and cruises on the lake are minutes away. The
town enjoys many small boutiques, surprisingly good museums, and a variety
of restaurants. |
Sledding, Jura
Mountains, Switzerland
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Ferry, Port Neuchâtel,
Switzerland. Enlarge |
Ferries sail from Neuchâtel's
harbor for towns and villages along the Lake Neuchâtel's shoreline.
Canals connect the lake to two other lakes and their villages. Taking
the ferry to Bieler See will bring you to Isle St. Pierre (St. Peter's
Island) home for a short time to Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Rousseau. You can visit his room at the chateau, and enjoy lunch
or dinner in the chateau's courtyard. |
| The Swiss are known for
their natural reserve. In September, however, the people of Neuchâtel
throw any reserve to the winds during Neuchâtel's very popular
Fete des Vendages celebrating the wine harvest. Tens of thousands
of visitors from neighboring cantons flow into Neuchâtel for a
long weekend of wine tasting, feasting and music. |
Bass Player, Neuchâtel.
Enlarge |
Restaurant Banneret,
Neuchâtel, Switzerland |
Besides the activities both
Neuchâtel town and canton boasts some of the best Swiss
French architecture in the country dating as far back as the middle
ages. |
| Bern, Lausanne, Geneva,
and Basil are a short distance away. So much is happening year round
in Neuchâtel, however, that often there is no good reason to leave.
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Alphorn Musician,
Neuchâtel |
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