Fribourg

Fribourg is a city in Switzerland.

Meetings

Tips

Introduction to Fribourg/Freiburg

The town has two names: Fribourg (in French) and Freiburg (in German, not to be confused with the town Freiburg IN Germany).

Fribourg is a small town with around 35'000 inhabitants. It has a youthful flavour as the local university is home to 10'000 students - and many of them would really enjoy to host you. Fribourg combines 'the best of both worlds': The the francophone style and savoir vivre is combied with the environmental-friendliness, punctuality and reliability of the swiss-germans to use stereotypicals. The main language in town is French, nevertheless as the Canton also has a german speaking part, signs are as well in German and sometimes even English. The distance to Geneva is a little more than an hour, to Lausanne is 45 minutes and Berne, the national capital is just 25 minutes away by trains. Trains run every 30 minutes. If you arrive by train you might not be too impressed as the buildings are rather modern. If you walk down to the lower level of the town towards the river Sarine you will be amazed of the beauty of its medieval part which is rather intact - and yet alive. The place du Petit St. Jean is a little square in the heart of the medieval part.

Fribourg is also a good starting point to discover Gruyère, another pittoresque medieval town where you can visit the Museum of Aliens of HR Giger or make a guided tour at the cheese factory. Not just any cheese, it is the salty Gruyère you might have tasted before.

For those a little tired of big cities Fribourg is the perfect spot to relax, go on a bike tour, hike around the hills and feel at home away from home within a day.

Tourist information

Around the corner of the train station. Leave the main exit, turn right and you should already see it. They have plenty of infos and a very neat map for free. [1]

A few of many sights

• Medieval part of town along the Sarine river
• Grandfey Bridge which is the symbolic connection between the French speaking and German speaking parts of Switzerland. Enjoy the shivers when a train is ruttling over your head! The bridge was constructed according to plans of Gustave Eiffel.
• Museum of Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle
• The 'Funiculaire' (little train) which runs up and down by the weight of sewage
• For a hike or bike-trip: Convent of Hauterive

Non-CS-accomodation

Youth Hostel, Rue de l'Hôpital 2, 1700 Fribourg (4 mins walking from train station)[2]

Supermarkets

• MIGROS (watch out for the orange M), Boulevard de Pérolles 13, Fribourg, has no alcohol or tobacco
• COOP, Shopping Mall 'Fribourg Centre' opposite train station
• MANOR, City Center, Rue de Romont, Fribourg

Food

Swiss people often enjoy homecooked meals and going out for dinner is rather a treat. Eating out in a restaurant is rather costly compared to other countries, Take-aways are the low budget alternative.

A few places for those on a tight budget:

• Biotip, little eatery with Middle Eastern food (2 mins walk from train station), rue des écoles near the round about.
• Cafeteria of the University Campus Miséricorde (3 mins walk from the train station)
• Migros self service, Boulevard de Pérolles 13 (4 mins walk from the train station), first floor in a little shopping mall calles 'Pérolles centre'
• Oktay Kebab, delicious falafel and kebabs served in a cosy turkish restaurant, Boulevard de Pérolles 94 (15 mins walk from the train station)

Along the Rue de Lausanne (on the way to the medieval part of town) are a few asian and middle eastern eateries with fair prices.

GASTRONOMY :

• Le Pérolles, Boulevard de Pérolles 18A, 1700 Fribourg, check here for website
• Auberge de la Cigogne, Rue d'Or 24, 1700 Fribourg, check here for website
• Restaurant du Schild, Planche-Supérieure 21, 1700 Fribourg
• Restaurant des Trois Tours Alain Bächler, Route de Bourguillon 15, 1722 Bourguillon
• Auberge auxs 4 Vents, Route de Grandfey 124, 1700 Fribourg, check here for website

Going out

DANCING/DISCOTHEQUE & ALTERNATE SCENES

• To See Club, Passage Cardinal 2C, 1700 Fribourg : check here for party's programm
• Fri-Son, Route de la Fonderie 13, 1700 Fribourg : check here for concerts and partys
• Globull, Z.I. du Verdel, 1630 Bulle : check here for party's programm
• FMRA Club, Rue St-Pierre 6, 1700 Fribourg : check here for party's programm
• La Spirale, Place Petit-St-Jean 39, 1700 Fribourg : check here for concerts and partys
• Le Nouveau Monde, Ancienne Gare 3, 1700 Fribourg : check here for concerts and partys
• Rock Café Fribourg, Boulevard de Pérolles 1, 1700 Fribourg : check here for party's programm
• Morrison Room (1.floor Irish Pub Paddys), Grand'Places 12, 1700 Fribourg : check here for party's programm
• Club 99, Rue du Tilleul, 1700 Fribourg : here for party's programm
• Spot Club, 1662 Moléson-Village : check here for party's programm

AMAZING BARS

• Le Belvédère, Grand-Rue 36, 1700 Fribourg (near to the Cathedral)
• Bar Elvis et Moi, Rue de Morat 13, 1700 Fribourg (near to the Jean-Tinguely's Museum) : check here for concerts and partys
• The Punkt-Grenette, no-smoking bar/lounge & restaurant, Place Notre-Dame 4, 1700 Fribourg (near to the Jean-Tinguely's Museum)
• Nargilé café bar, Route du Jura 13B, 1700 Fribourg (behind Café le Grillon, 1. floor)
• Le Transfo, Route de la Fonderie 11, 1700 Fribourg (near Fri-Son)
• Le XXe (le 20ème), Av. de Tivoli 3, 1700 Fribourg (near railway station) : check here for concerts and partys
• L'Hacienda (bar & Mexican restaurant), Route du Tir-Féféral 7, 1762 Givisiez (near to the Théâtre des Osses)
• Buddha Loft, Rue du Centre 12, 1752 Villars-sur-Glâne (near to the Migros Cormanon Center & Theater Espace Nuithonie)

THEATER

• Théâtre le Bilboquet, Route de la Fonderie 8B, 1700 Fribourg (near Fri-Son) / check here for programm
• Théâtre des Osses, Rue Jean-Prouvé 2, 1762 Givisiez / check here for programm
• Espace Nuithonie, Rue du Centre 7, 1752 Villars-sur-Glâne / check here for programm

CINEMAS

• CINEMOTION (7 rooms at Fribourg, 3 rooms at Bulle, 3 rooms at Payerne & 1 room at Düdingen) - check here for programm
• CAP'CINE (10 rooms at Fribourg) - check here for programm

CouchSurfers

http://www.couchsurfing.com/people/kity

Trivia

wikitravel:Fribourg wikipedia:Fribourg