Jura & Three-Lakes Region

With more than 55,000 inhabitants, the bilingual city of Biel/Bienne is the largest city within the Three-Lakes Region and belongs to the canton of Bern. Neuchâtel in the canton of the same name is the second largest city with just under 45,000 inhabitants and Yverdon-les-Bains comes in third with 30,000 inhabitants. Also in the region is the pretty city of Solothur, considered the most beautiful baroque city in Switzerland.

The Three-Lakes Region is known for its good wine. It grows on the southern slopes of the Jura on Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Biel, but also on Mont Vully north of Lake Morat

In the Jura, two smaller towns stand out. La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as urban landscapes of the watchmaking industry

Near these two towns, to the northwest of Lake Neuchâtel, is the Creux du Van rock arena. The nature reserve consists of cliffs about 200 meters high over a length of about 1400 meters. It is located at the end of a valley above wild gorges created by the Areuse River.

Grottoes were dug into the soft sandstone at Lake Murten during the First World War. In the process, a tunnel about two hundred meters long was created. Today the Grotten vom Mont Vully are a popular playground for children. You should not forget to give your children a flashlight.

In Estavayer-Le-Lac, on the southern part of Lake Neuchâtel, the longest water ski facility in Switzerland is installed. It is 800 meters long and can be used between May and the end of September

22 pile dwellings dating from the Neolithic period around 5000 to 500 years before our era can be found in the Jura & Three Lakes Region on the shores of all three lakes. They all belong to the UNESCO world cultural heritage. If you want to look at them, you will hardly be able to find them because most of the pile dwellings are under water. However, there are two museums on the subject on Lake Biel, one in Irlet-Twann and another in Lüscherz.

In Lommiswil, not far from Solothurn, you will find the most important dinosaur tracks from the Jurassic period in Europe.

The nine rather small ski areas in the region comprise a total of 128 kilometers of pistes, which are accessed by 61 ski lifts. The Bugnenets-Savagnières - Saint-Imier ski area in the Bernese Jura offers 30 kilometers of slopes. The La Robella - Buttes area (Val-de-Travers) in the canton of Neuchâtel has a total of 20 kilometers of slopes. The hilly country is popular for extended snowshoe hikes. You will also find numerous cross-country ski trails spread over the Jura heights