Location: Payerne
Top Things to do in Payerne
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The 10 Best Things to Do in Payerne, Switzerland
Payerne (Arpitan: Payèrna) is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud. It was the seat of the district of Payerne, and is now part of the district of Broye-Vully.
Restaurants in Payerne
1. Karting
Overall Ratings
4 based on 27 reviews
Reviewed By Paulo P - Vaud, Geneve, Switzerland
Excellent Karting indoor et outdoor, soit pour faire quelques tour en solo, comme de petites compétitions avec des amis.
Ne pas oublier de réserver à l'avance
2. The Chateau de Chenaux
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 25 reviews
Reviewed By TwoSmallPotatoes - Germany
If you've already seen a bazillion Castles and only want to see the biggest and "best", Château de Chenaux might not be for you. If you like sites that are off the beaten track (ie, fewer tourists), that have their own charm, and that happen to be in or near the town of Estavayer-le-Lac, it's worth a visit.
The castle is in excellent condition, is surrounded by narrow, picturesque cobblestone streets with quaint buildings and friendly little shops, and is perched on a hill overlooking Lake Neuchâtel.
Construction on the castle began in 1284 by Peter of Estavayer and his brother, William. It was bought in the 1400s by Humbert of Savoy, who added extensively to the castle. It was named for the impressive ditches that run around the castle.
The castle is currently home to the local police station and is not officially operating as a tourist attraction. However, visitors are allowed in to the view the exterior grounds. To book a tour of the interior, it's best to call or stop by the tourism office in town, which is just a few blocks from the castle. There's no fee to view the exterior grounds but if you have questions about driving/parking or booking a full tour, it's best to check with the tourism office for current info.
If you have some time to take a walk in the area, I would recommend it rather than just driving to the castle and leaving. My husband and I ended up at the castle after parking at the Frog Museum (Le Musée des grenouilles). Since it was closed, we left our car there and walked down through town to the Route de la Plage, headed northeast on that, then turned left on Chemin des Loquettes and followed a nice paved trail along the lake until we got to a giant park (Plage communale). We continued our walking loop back to the castle south along Chemin de la Grande Gouille, and then west on Sous le Château. This last street runs in front of residential homes directly beneath the castle and offers nice views up at it. A very narrow long straight stairway cuts straight up the hill off of this street and spits you right out next to the castle. From this point, you can clearly see the castle just around a small corner on a narrow sidewalk. When you round the corner, you'll see the main walking entrance to the castle.
We had our little dog with us but kept her on leash at all times. A sign is clearly posted that you need to clean up after your dog and that it's a 50 chf fine if you don't.
If you can visit during the off season, I'd recommend it. Apart from a few employees leaving, we didn't see anyone else, though I'm guessing this castle sees far fewer visitors than many in Switzerland.
After wandering through the grounds of the castle (which are fairly small), we exited via the main entrance for employees along the Chemin du Donjon.
All told, this entire walking loop took less than 3 hours with about an hour of that spent taking photos of the castle itself and taking some time to enjoy the views.
3. Musee Romain de Vallon
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By aPoa - Neuchatel, Switzerland
Niché sur le flanc d'une colline à 6 km d'un autre site romain (Avenches), les restes d'une ancienne villa romaine ont été découverts.
Un petit musée a été construit sur ces ruines. L’élément marquant est sans conteste les deux mosaïques préservées qui ornaient le sol de deux des pièces de cette ancienne demeure. Elles sont exceptionnellement conservées. La précision des motifs géométriques, la dynamique des illustrations et l'ingéniosité de ces œuvres d'arts fonctionnels méritent le détour.
Ces mosaïques démontrent une technique, une connaissance et une maîtrise artistique impressionnante. On peut utiliser sans hésiter le terme de "durable"... dans le travail effectué à l'époque,,, car la qualité des couleurs et des matériaux ainsi que l'état général de conservation de ces mosaïques semblent presque n'avoir pas subi le poids des millénaires...
A tel point que l'on peut voir le drame qui s'est produit à l'époque... scories provenant de meubles en bois, coloration rouge de certaines pierres calcaires originellement jaunes, flaques de bronze figées... autant d'indices désignant l'incendie qui a détruit cette villa.
Le musée montre quelques objets de la vie quotidienne de l'époque trouvés sur le site.
Ce petit musée permet ainsi un coup d’œil indiscret sur la vie du propriétaire romain des lieux, ces goûts, la manière dont il accueillait ces hôtes à l'époque... La visite n'est pas très longue mais vaut sincèrement le détour et est accessible à tous... Parfait pour une visite en famille.
4. Roman Amphitheatre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 30 reviews
Reviewed By Andrew W - Crassier, Switzerland
My daughter bought us two tickets to see the opéra Madame Butterfly at Avenche - an outdoor amphetheatre over 2000 years old. The ambiance was fantastic as was the performance. Take a pillow with you as the stone seats can be quite hard. One of the best expériences of my life.
5. Musee des Chemins de fer du Kaeserberg
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 111 reviews
It is 11 o'clock. The station master announces the train pulling into the station, This is where a wonderful tale becomes reality thanks so the perseverance of its conceptor, Marc Antiglio. An imaginary network of miniature Railways will take you a journey through Switzerland as is it were real. Built on 3 levels, on a scale of 1:87, 2045 metres of track are layed.
Reviewed By N K - Rishon Lezion, Israel
Kaeserberg Museum of Trains is something you probably won't see elsewhere. It's a mini train model on a grand scale with towns, Mountains, tunnels, cars, and more. The trains are run by a special system resembling a real train network operation, there is "day" and "night" and various trains are moving across different "toy" scenery. Although the tour is only in German and French, there is more to see there than hear so it's still interesting even if you don't understand the guide.
6. Bivouac dans les arbres
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By Xeni25 - Geneva, Switzerland
Never seen anything like it before. Quite rustic and not for those with a weak bladder (toilets far away from the tents (and you have to climb down a ladder). A bit hard to find.
7. Atelier- Galerie Y'a q'A
Overall Ratings
5 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By Patrick009 - Montbrelloz
Un endroit tout à fait orignal, à l'intérieur comme à l'extérieur. Un tour ne suffit pas. Il faut prendre un peu de temps pour regarder et laisser le regard se poser sur les œuvres, sculptures, tableaux et objets qui peuples tous les espaces.
L'aventure commence par le chemin jusqu'à la galerie et se poursuit dans le parc attenant ainsi que les coins et recoins de l'espace exposition. Très bon accueil, contact simple. Un bon moment de découverte et d'échanges, sans se prendre la tête. Compter une bonne heure pour profiter de l'endroit. Et si l'envie vous prends, il est possible d'y prendre un rafraîchissement.
8. Medieval City Walls
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 130 reviews
Reviewed By ptyduke - Florida
It was interesting to walk the walls of this medieval town. Nice photo opportunities along the way. It was not busy the day I visited so I had the place almost to myself.
9. Institut Bien-Etre "MassAi"
Overall Ratings
5 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By MaddlenkaHl - Avenches, Switzerland
Le lieu est très agréable et avec charme.
Mme Michaela est personne très sympathique et souriant.
La carte des massages permet de trouver celui qui nous correspond le mieux pour passer un moment de détente et de relaxation formidable.
Je vais y retourner avec grand plaisir.
Un grand Merci pour ce bon moment.
10. Swin-golf de la Broye
Overall Ratings
5 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By Alberto C - Lugano, Switzerland
Bellissimo. Si gioca a swin golf su un territorio molto ampio, in mezzo al verde. Si cammina di fatto per quattro ore e ci si diverte. Da fare con bambini, ma anche tra adulti sportivi...
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