Fribourg

Fribourg is a city in Switzerland that is also the canton's capital and economic centre. The city was founded in 1157 by Herzog Berthold IV of Zaehringen. Fribourg is known for its cultural plurality, university, and bridges over the Sarine River that link the French-speaking part of Switzerland to the German-speaking part.

Fribourg offers a multitude of architectural sights. The Old Town, with Switzerland's best-preserved fortifications, is under a preservation order and there are still more than 200 Gothic-style houses to be admired. In addition there are aristocratic town houses, monuments, St. Niklaus cathedral and numerous churches.



Understand
Fribourg has been a part of the Swiss Confederation since 1481, with over 10,000 inhabitants at that time. Since the city was founded on a peninsula many bridges were built to span the Sarine River, the first one in 1250. In the 19th century Fribourg was famous for its suspension bridges which have now been replaced with concrete. The university was founded in 1889. The 2000 census showed a population of 35,000 city residents and 235,000 in the Fribourg canton.

Sprinkled throughout the city are Renaissance fountains and more recent fountains such as the Tinguely Fountain made in 1984.



By train
Fribourg has an excellent mainline rail service, run by SBB. Trains run frequently day and night from Geneva airport, Geneva, Thun, Lausanne, St Gallen, Bern and Zürich, and many other places in Switzerland. The is in the modern city centre, from here head east (downhill) for Old Town. There's a second railway station 1 km north at Fribourg Poya: you'd only use this for St Leonard Sports Stadium or Caserne military base.

By plane
Bern airport is close by but has few flights, so the best airport for Fribourg is Geneva, with direct trains every 30 mins taking less than 2 hours. Alternatively use Zurich or perhaps Basel.

By bus
Flixbus direct services from Fribourg include Lyon, Frankfurt and Munich.

The bus station is 100 m east of the SBB at Place Georges Python.

Get around
Walk: most sights are within walking distance. You'll probably arrive at the SBB station in the modern city centre, which is bland, in parts brutalist. Go north about 300 m for the University. For the Old Town go east: the signposts take traffic down Route des Alpes but it's pleasanter to follow pedestrianised Rue de Lausanne. Both routes lead downhill to Place Tilleul, with the Cathedral of St Nicholas, the Basilica of Notre Dame, the Gutenberg Museum, and Espace Jean Tinguely Niki de St Phalle; nearby are the Convent and Museum of Art History. Continue downhill past the Cathedral to the foot of town in a loop of the River Sarine, crossed by the wooden Pont de Berne.

Bus routes 2 & 6 run from the SBB down to Place Tilleul and the Cathedral.

Drink

 * RDV Café, Place de N. Friburgo. +41 26 322 32 55. A cozy little bar on a hill overlooking the main plaza between the old town and the slightly newer old town. There seems to be free wireless, though there are no signs advertising the fact, so it might just be a neighbor's access point. Fr. 4 coffee, Fr. 5 draft beer.



Go next

 * Gruyères
 * Basel
 * Bern
 * Neuchatel
 * Murten/Morat