WHAT IS THERE TO DO IN NEUCHÂTEL WITH CHILDREN?

Neuchâtel (or Neuenberg in German) is one of the six French-speaking cantons in Switzerland. The city of Neuchâtel is home to over 45,000 people, and it is located on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel. So you may be thinking, so it’s another Swiss city? Great, but what is there to do in Neuchâtel with children? Honestly, there are so many amazing things to do in this canton and city, and we are so thankful to Jura Trois-Lacs for hosting us on this trip!

Once we arrived in Neuchâtel after a quick hour-and-a-half train ride from Basel, we walked about ten minutes to our hotel (Hotel des Arts). Since it was early in the morning, our room was not ready, but they did hand us our Neuchâtel tourist cards. These cards enabled us to take any of the public transportation around Neuchâtel, enter over 20 museums in the area, rent a bicycle for the day, and enjoy a cruise on Lake Neuchâtel.

1. Scavenger Hunt

We then headed towards the lake front to visit the Tourism office to start the “Les Chanapans” scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt has a Belle Epoque theme! Are you wondering what Belle Epoque is? Well, it is a period of European history from the late 1800’s until the start of World War 1 (1914). We walked all over Old Town and learned so much about Neuchâtel and the Belle Epoque period during the hunt. There were twelve questions to answer along the way with clues to figure out each stop.

Luckily, we finished, and I think the adults had just as much (or even more) fun than the kids. It is 20 CHF per family to join in along with a deposit of 20 CHF for the materials, which is returned upon completion. The scavenger hunt took us about two-and-a-half hours to complete, and all four of us worked together to figure it out as some of the clues were harder than others! It was such an amazing way to see the Old Town, and we would definitely recommend it to other families!

As you can imagine, we were all starving after the morning of fun so we headed to the Brasserie Le Cardinal for an amazing lunch. Our lunch was delicious, the service was amazing, and the restaurant had the best ambience!

2. Funicular Train to Chaumont and Adventure Park

Once we devoured our food, we headed to the Funicular La Coudre. This funicular train takes you up 570m during a 13-minute ride to Chaumont. Upon arrival, there is a panoramic tower if you would like to see a great view which costs 1 CHF per person! There is also a playground and adventure park. The girls enjoyed the playground for a little before we went to check-in at the adventure park.

We decided to bring Yeti with us to the park so I sat out and let the girls and Gregg be the adventurers. After seeing some of the ropes courses, I think we made the right decision as I probably would’ve been the lady crying asking to be rescued after one step off the landing.

The park offers a treetop climbing park, a monster trampoline, and an outdoor laser game. The climbing park has courses for ages 2+ so it is great for all ages. After arrival, the girls and Gregg suited up in their gear and received an orientation. They were then free to enjoy the courses with the appropriate age limit, and I was able to walk all along the forest floor with Yeti in order to cheer the girls on or help!

The girls did amazing and definitely overcame their fears. They did get a little cocky after the first course thinking they could complete the second on their own. Parent tip – Make sure to accompany your child even if they think that they can do it themselves. We did need a few rescues from the staff while we were there! Overall, it was an amazing experience and all had fun!

3. Walk along Lake Neuchâtel at Golden Hour

After a long day of finding clues and adventuring through the trees, we were all ready to check-in to our hotel, change, and eat dinner! We enjoyed a delicious meal at Maison des Halles, and the food was once again delicious. I ate the black truffle risotto and a caprese salad, and they were both amazing. Gregg had the fish, and he really enjoyed it. We sat outside in the seating right in the Place des Halles, and it made for a perfect experience! A few of us are very nosy so it was wonderful people watching!

Once our bellies were full, we headed back to the hotel along the lake. We left dinner right around 9:00pm, and the golden hour along the lake front was incredible! The girls and Gregg spent some time skipping rocks, the girls ate ice cream, and we all took in the views! Water views make us all happy so it was a great way to end our incredible day.

4. Rent Bikes and Ride Along the Lake

After a wonderful night sleep, we headed to Neuchâtelroule to rent bikes with our Neuchâtel tourist card. The girls ride bikes all of the time, but Gregg and I do not. After getting used to riding again and making sure we could stay on the bike, we headed along the lake to the Laténium. It is also important to note that Gregg was holding a backpack with Yeti in it so he had some extra balance obstacles and rocked the whole bike ride. Don’t worry – the backpack was made for pets and offered many breathable mesh windows!

The bikes were sturdy, well kept, and fun to use! Our ride lasted about 3 km, and we were all excited to give our tushies a break!

5. Visit the Laténium and Hauterive

Once we arrived at the Laténium, the girls and Gregg explored the museum while Yeti and I enjoyed the lake views from the Cafe. We all entered the museum for free with our tourist cards! The Laténium is located in Hauterive, which is only 3 km from Neuchâtel. It is the largest archeological museum in Switzerland. During your visit, you are able to explore 500 centuries of regional history!

The museum is only part of the experience. To continue learning, there is also an archeological park to explore outside with a prehistoric playground to keep the kids occupied. There is no fee to enter the park, and the views are beautiful.

After a bike ride and exploring the museum and park, it was time for a yummy lunch. We rode the bikes about 0.2 miles to Le Silex. We were given a table right by the lake, and we again had an amazing meal. Everyone in our family enjoyed all three of our meals out during our visit to Neuchâtel.

Once lunch was complete, we headed to the beach right next door to enjoy the water. It was a little cold so the kids opted for the giant playground behind. They had a blast, and we were all ready to hop back on the bikes and head back to get our luggage.

We would love for you to check out our video about our trip to Neuchâtel below.

We had an amazing time, and it really is the perfect place to bring kids for a weekend away! Thank you so much for wandering along with us!