A tour round the most beautiful villages

Here we are in Erlach, the entry point to St. Peter's Island (no cars allowed) which has charmed so many writers, including Rousseau and Goethe.

Out of all the medieval features of Erlach we should single out the castle, towering high above the upper part of the village. The narrow street which drops down steeply from the castle is bordered by houses built in the late Gothic style standing behind a continuous arcade. The street ends at the town hall (built about 1500) and the town gate. Saint Ulrich’s reformed church in the lower part of the town has a beautiful Romanesque bell tower.

After Erlach you will cross an area between the two lakes which was once susceptible to flooding by the River Aar. The water has now been directed into channels and lakes in what was the first drainage project in the Jura. This area that was drained, called the “Seeland”, has since become Switzerland’s largest vegetable-producing region.

You will finally reach le Vully, the smallest of Switzerland’s wine-producing regions. With its picturesque villages nestling in the middle of the vineyards, le Vully exudes calm and joie de vivre. Stop here to try the perch from Lake Murten and the excellent local wines, not to mention the celebrated cakes from this village to round off this culinary stage of your journey.

The next part of the trip takes you to Avenches.