4 Best Restaurants in Fribourg and Neuchâtel, Switzerland

Set amid Gruyères's most historic buildings, the exterior of this medieval structure welcomes guests with cheerful flower boxes and green-and-white-stripe awnings. Inside, a warm woody interior with raftered ceiling and smooth stone floors offers an appealing setting in which to enjoy traditional dishes such as a moitié-moitié (half Gruyère, half Vacherin Fribourgeois) fondue. The definitely worth-trying signature dish is called Soupe du Chalet, and is a meal unto itself. Sit in the section called "the veranda" to enjoy great views with your meal.

Traditional Swiss fare (local fish, cheese specialties, Rösti, ham off the bone called jambon à l'os) and some French classics are served in this inviting restaurant set in a pink-hue historic building that doubles as a hotel. The plain, spacious guest rooms have a wonderful view of the mountains and town castle, and there's an ample breakfast buffet.

The terrace of Le Café du Belvédère has a fabulous view up the river to the Planche-Supérieure. The friendly staff serves a selection of teas, coffees, and homemade syrups as well as alcohol, and you can enjoy platters of local cheese and smoked meats in addition to Asian delights from the excellent Tam's Kitchen restaurant upstairs. Inside it's a café littéraire by day and a lively bar and meeting spot at night. An eclectic mix of 1970s plastic furniture and a huge, rounded plastic bar contrast wonderfully with the wood-beamed interior.