The mellow countryside between Yverdon and Bern is known as the Broye, after the River Broye which flows gently through the area. Not a great deal happens here, and it’s perfect cycling country – reasonably flat, with plenty of small villages, a dearth of even middling-sized towns, and the shores of both the Lac de Neuchâtel and the Murtensee (Lac de Morat) to explore. Estavayer-le-Lac is a lakeside resort town with peace and quiet as its main attributes; nearby Payerne is home to a spectacular Romanesque abbey, while Avenches was once the capital of Roman Switzerland and has plenty for ruin-hunters to enjoy. Murten(Morat), on the line where French-speaking Western Europe meets German-speaking Central Europe, is a variation on the theme of attractive but staid lakeside resorts with well-preserved medieval centres.

Local tourist offices have a package to explore the region (April–Oct only). Two people sharing can have dinner, a three-star hotel room, breakfast, a drink, free entry to the church at Payerne and the Roman museum of Avenches, plus free lunch in Avenches, for Fr.150 per person. Throw in an extra night of half board, entry to the Estavayer museum, and a lunch of fresh fish in Estavayer as well, and you pay Fr.280 per person. You can book and get more information from tourist offices in Estavayer and Avenches.