This day trip from Lausanne to lake Neuchâtel was a good introduction to the beauty and diversity of Switzerland. Stunning scenery, mountains, lakes, charming little villages and historical sites.
Which country did you like the most? People ask me again and again.
Which country did I like the most? I’m always unable to answer. I’ve fallen in love many times, with many countries – specially while traveling alone – and each of them was for a different reason.
I fell in love with the hospitality of Cambodia and Uruguay, the food of Malaysia and Chile, the natural beauty of New Zealand, Chile, Bolivia and Norway.
Most of my best travel memories are related to the people I met on the road, but as a creative person, I’m not insensitive to beautiful landscapes.
In fact, I love beautiful landscapes. I love being outdoors.
And now I’m falling in love with Switzerland. Our first meeting was cold and distant, it was at the end of winter and we didn’t connect much. But now… now it’s sunny and warm and Switzerland is dressed in summer colors. And yes, it’s a beautiful country, full of mountains and water, my favorite combination.
During this day trip from Lausanne we crossed stunning scenery, charming villages, some historical sites, mountains and lakes. A bit of everything. A good introduction.
Isle
We took the motorbike to go from Lausanne, next to lake Leman, to Neuchâtel, next to lake Neuchâtel.
I remembered the last time I was here, on one of the few occasions in which we did a day trip by motorbike. It was cold, and every time I had to remove the gloves to check the route on my phone my hands froze. There was snow next to the road. It rained on the way back. I had waterproof jacket, pants and hiking boots, but somehow the cold water entered the shoes.
Now, three months later, the ride was much more pleasant.
The snow was gone and the vegetation was lush green. It was sunny and warm and I enjoyed the feeling of the wind.
Our first stop was Isle, a little village of about 1000 inhabitants.

We parked the motorbike nearby the castle. It was built on the 17th Century and it’s listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance. There is a garden around and a small pond with a fountain.
There was a kid with her father playing on the castle’s garden. We could hear them laughing. I wonder who was enjoying the most, the kid or the father?
It wasn’t possible to enter the castle so we went to have a walk in the village.
Isle was a quiet, charming village. The big houses had wooden doors and windows painted in different colors. It was full of flowers, so colorful and lively! I noticed that some people matched the color of the flowers with the color of the window, so cute!


Romainmôtier
Our next stop was Romainmôtier. It’s located in a valley where the road comes from the mountains, so we first saw it from above.
We descended.
When we parked we met another couple of motorbike travelers, and we started talking. They were from another region but now they lived and worked in a nearby camping. They recommended us to visit the priory, which was in the center of the village and is one of the highlights of the region.

The Romainmôtier Priory was a monastery but only the clock tower and the church remain. The arches from the disappeared cloister can still be seen on the lateral wall of the church, where there is a courtyard now.
Inside, it’s divided in two rooms. The first one has nice paintings on the ceiling, and nothing else. The second room is the main room where ceremonies take place.
By the way, one interesting fact about the Priory is that there is free wi-fi.
Free wi-fi in a church? Why?
They’ve developed a free app which contains videos with the history of the Priory and explanations about the architecture and paintings. It was very interesting and well done, available in English, French and German.


Orbe
From Romainmôtier we headed to Orbe. I was enjoying the ride. It was all lush green but for the cereal fields. Some of them had just been harvested and the straw bales decorated the landscapes.
It’s true that sometimes the most important is not the destination, but the journey in itself.
We arrived to Orbe. The couple we met in Romainmôtier had told us there wasn’t anything special there, but we had a walk around anyway.
As it turned out, there was something. There was a tower which had belonged to a castle, and it was possible to go up. The views from above were spectacular. We could see the village and the surrounding fields, in all tones of green and yellow.
The landscape is mostly flat with some hills and small mountains. As I recently learned, not all Switzerland is in the Alps. Roughly speaking, the southern part is the Alps, the region where we live (Lausanne and lac Leman) is the pre-Alps, and the region where we were going, in the north, is called the Jura.


Yverdon-les-bains
We reached the southern point of lac Neuchâtel at lunch time, so we decided to stop in Yverdon-les-bains to have a picnic at the beach.
The beach was called “La Petite Plage” (The Small Beach) but it was actually long, and at the end of it there was a birds natural reserve and a forest with running trails.
The weather was great so I guess it wasn’t surprising that there were so many people in the lake! I regretted not taking my bikini, it was warm and the water looked inviting.

Grandson
After lunch we rode along the lake on the northern shore, in direction to Neuchâtel. The castles weren’t over though, we found one more in Grandson, which we visited.
We had one hour and a half before they closed. We thought we wouldn’t stay that long but actually we did, we were the last ones to leave!
Many rooms are open to the public, most of them displaying collections of medieval war weapons and other historical objects. The most surprising for me was the collection of real cars from the beginning of the 1900’s. Cars have indeed changed a lot in 100 years!


Lake Neuchâtel
After Grandson we left the main road. That was probably the best part of the trip, taking side ways, entering small villages, advancing in between the fields, getting “lost” (not really lost because we could always see the lake, so we had a reference).
And there we were, riding along the lush green fields when we saw a sign that said “dolmen”.
A megalithic monument here? Do we go?
Why not?
The dolmen was a reconstruction built in the same spot as the original. It was sitting next to the main road, in a somehow elevated terrain, and had great views over the lake Neuchâtel.



Neuchâtel
We finally reached Neuchâtel in the evening. It’s located by the lake, and many people were walking and sitting next to the shore.
The Montblanc, the highest peak of the Alps, was visible across the lake. In summer it’s easy to identify because it’s the only mountain that is all white, covered in snow. In fact, its name, Montblanc, which means “White Mountain” in French.


Have you ever been to Switzerland? Which places do you recommend to visit?
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I agree with you Laia, Switzerland’s geography is stunning with all it’s mountains and valleys. Now if it could only have Balkans-type pricing (or at least German…)
My favorite spot? The Berner Oberland region, in particular Lauterbrunnen valley. Just gorgeous mountain scenery and green farms….
Beautiful post.
Frank (bbqboy)
Thanks Frank! I’ve recently been to the Lauterbrunnen valley and you’re right, it’s absolutely gorgeous. If only it was cheaper, yes!
You’re right! Strange to see photos of ‘flat’ Switzerland 🙂 But it all looks very beautiful. Thanks for sharing, Laia 🙂
Thanks Jo! So I wasn’t the only one imagining Switzerland as all mountains.
Even though there are a lot of mountains, which are stunning as well 🙂
I have not travelled to Switzerland yet 😀
I am charmed with it Swiss looks!!!
For to me is a idyllic country to live, through the green countryside and this combination of the urban part with the nature I like it much.
I would like to visit soon this beautiful country !!!
Regards my brave woman ! 😉
Thanks Carolina! It is indeed an idyllic country, so beautiful! Even though it’s very expensive to live here. If it was cheaper it would be perfect 😉
Switzerland is beautiful! I would not have imagined such a diverse country, between plains and mountains.
I like very much the pictures you make: you might specialise in holiday shootings in the future I think. Good setting, beautiful combination of colours. A pity you did not show pictures of the snowy Switzerland in winter to compare it to the summer version. I have been just once to Switzerland – in the winter – but are there more activities around the lakes Leman and Neuchatel ? Can you make trips on the lakes itself?
Hi Diana! Unfortunately I don’t have photos of snowy Switzerland. When I was here in March there wasn’t snow in this region, and I didn’t travel to the mountains. Maybe next winter 😉
As for the lakes, in lake Leman there are boats which are used for normal transport (as a bus or train), and I think there’s a touristic one as well. I’ve also seen people with kayaks and paddles, and locals have sailing boats. And there are some beaches where it’s possible to swim. I don’t know lake Neuchâtel that well but I guess you can find the same things as in lake Leman.
I’d literally just read another travel blogger’s #blogpostsaturday before this one and that was also about Switzerland, it looks utterly beautiful 🙂 I think the main thing that’s put me off previously is that I’ve always envisaged it as a ridiculously expensive country to travel in, and by the sounds of other people’s comments above, I’m not wrong!
I love the photo of you on the huge bench at the end, but I’m curious how did you climb up on to it? (or maybe it’s not as far off the ground as it appears to be!)
Haha I’ve read the other post of Switzerland too! And noted the place in my to-go list 🙂
Switzerland is stunning but it IS crazy expensive. I think it’s more expensive than New Zealand. I actually had never been there before, but now I’m going often because my friend lives there. We host couchsurfers at home and most of them use couchsurfing and hitchhiking to keep the costs down.
I don’t remember how high that bench was, but I do remember that I had to jump and climb and it was difficult to go up (specially since I’m small) but it was fun 🙂
It is really beautiful. I was just in the Lake District in England and these pictures sort of remind me of that. I really liked the Lake District so need to do some more exploring in Switzerland.
Yes it’s very beautiful! I’ve just read your post about England’s Lake District and I agree, they do look similar 🙂
Switzerland looks absolutely stunning. I hadn’t realised how flat it was, away from the Alps. I love that view from the castle tower in Orbe. You can see for miles and miles!
Yes… Switzerland is stunning! Both the Alps and away from the Alps, I love its landscapes, specially around the lakes.
Wow, it must’ve been a relaxing getaway! 🙂 I’d love to visit Switzerland someday. A colleague did and said it was really one of the places you have to visit – or you’ll miss a lot!
It was a great getaway! So many beautiful things in only one day. Switzerland is stunning anywhere you go, so if you have the opportunity to visit, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!
I can imagine you’re falling in love with gorgeous Switzerland. It is hard not too.
Yes, it’s hard not to. So much beauty! 🙂
These areas all look so cute and of course picturesque. I have only been to Zurich and Lucerne in Switzerland and would love to take a tour around the entire country. Your photos are absolutely breathtaking.
Thanks Diana, glad you like my photos! I haven’t been to Zurich and Lucerne, but I heard they are great 🙂