In short: the best things to do in Fribourg, Switzerland in winter are mostly indoors and close together: specialty coffee at Mahalo, sourdough pastries at Brut, Vietnamese pho at Chez Ginette, the new cantonal library (BCU), the Art and History Museum, jazz in a cellar at La Spirale, the Saint-Nicolas parade in December and the Bolzes carnival in February. To warm up, the Sauna de la Motta runs wood-fired Finnish saunas in yurts at the historic Motta open-air baths in Fribourg’s Lower Town, every day from 1 November 2026 (until 14 March 2027), with no booking needed. Fribourg is 22 minutes by train from Bern.

Winter in Fribourg, Switzerland is not only fog over the Sarine river. It is the season when the city moves indoors, into its cafés, cellar clubs and self-run cultural spaces: the places where people from Fribourg actually spend their grey days.

No postcard spots here. These are our 12 addresses for winter 2026/2027 in Fribourg, chosen by the team at Sauna de la Motta: good coffee, sourdough bread, a bowl of pho, live music in a cellar and, to finish, a proper sweat by the river. Whether you live in Fribourg or come for the weekend from Bern, Lausanne or Zurich.

Coffee, bread and a first bit of warmth

1. Specialty coffee at Mahalo

Mahalo means « thank you » in Hawaiian. A surfer opened this café on rue du Criblet in 2021 and brought the vibe with him. Beans from Swiss roasters, espresso, filter, cold brew, and a few lattes in unlikely colours (charcoal, beetroot, butterfly pea flower). The right place to start a grey day in Fribourg.

Good to know: rue du Criblet 11, open every day (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat–Sun 9am–5pm). Mahalo

2. The best pain au chocolat in Fribourg at Brut

At Brut, everything is sourdough, organic and local, with 24 to 48-hour fermentations and flour from the Rytz mill. The result: croissants and pains au chocolat that flake the way they should. Eat them at Brut Café with a coffee and watch the city go by.

Good to know: Brut Café, place Jean-Tinguely 1 (next to the Equilibre theatre), Mon–Sat 8am–6:30pm. Closed on Sundays, so stock up on Saturday. Brut Café

Rue de Lausanne, top to bottom

3. Browse Karl and the rest of rue de Lausanne

Rue de Lausanne slopes gently down towards Fribourg’s old town, lined with independent shops and cafés. Karl stocks pieces by Swiss and European designers, often handmade in small runs: jewellery, posters, illustration, stationery, home décor. The idea behind it: a place for an experience, not just a purchase. You can feel it.

Good to know: Karl Boutique, rue de Lausanne 20. A good stop for Christmas presents that don’t look like everyone else’s. Slip in a Sauna de la Motta gift card. Karl Boutique

4. A bowl of pho at Chez Ginette

On the same street, Chez Ginette has moved into the former L’Autruche hotel-restaurant, decorated like a pop urban jungle. The kitchen cooks Vietnamese family recipes, all homemade: banh bao, bun, bo bun, and a pho that warms you down to your toes. All drinks are Swiss.

Good to know: rue de Lausanne 25, lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday, brunch on Sunday lunchtime. Ask them where the name comes from. Chez Ginette

The places that keep Fribourg alive

5. Spend the afternoon (or the evening) at La Coutellerie

In a former cutlery workshop on Grand-Fontaine, a self-run bar and cultural space has been going since 2019, with no boss and pay-what-you-want prices. What do people do there? A bit of everything: have a drink, hear a concert, knit, write, cook together, play bridge, watch a film or a reading. There is also a free shop: drop off clothes, take others.

Good to know: Grand-Fontaine 1, usually open Wednesday to Saturday, often until midnight at weekends. The programme is on their social media. La Coutellerie

6. Discover the new BCU library

After six years of works, Fribourg’s cantonal and university library (BCU) reopened on 1 September 2026, and it is no longer just a place to study. There is a café with around a hundred magazines and forty newspapers, a rooftop garden, a music area, exhibitions and 200,000 documents on open shelves over six floors. A warm, free refuge, open to everyone. A good answer to « what to do in Fribourg when it rains ».

Good to know: rue Saint-Michel 6, free entry. Perfect for a quiet read before walking down to the Sauna de la Motta. The new BCU (French)

Culture, from the cellar to the museum

7. The Art and History Museum (MAHF) and its garden

The MAHF fills three historic buildings and tells a thousand years of Fribourg’s story, from Gothic sculpture to 20th-century painters. Go on a Thursday evening, when the rooms are nearly empty, and end in the romantic garden, watched over by Niki de Saint Phalle’s La Grande Lune.

Good to know: rue de Morat 12, Tue–Sun 11am–6pm, until 8pm on Thursdays. Entry CHF 12, free under 16, or CHF 15 combined with the Espace Jean Tinguely – Niki de Saint Phalle. MAHF

8. Fri Art Kunsthalle, the sauna’s neighbour

A short walk from the Motta baths, Fri Art has shown contemporary art since 1981 and bridges the French- and German-speaking art scenes of Switzerland. Shows that shake you up a little, and a good detour before a session at the Sauna de la Motta.

Good to know: Petites-Rames 22, Wed–Fri 12–6pm, Sat–Sun 1–6pm. The perfect combo: the exhibition, then the sauna. Fri Art

9. Jazz in a cellar at La Spirale

In Fribourg’s Lower Town, in a vaulted cellar, La Spirale programmes jazz in the broad sense, jam sessions and literary evenings. Small room, big sound, the kind of club atmosphere that is getting rare.

Good to know: place du Petit-Saint-Jean 39, Thursday to Sunday. Some nights are free. La Spirale programme

10. A gig at Fri-Son or Le Nouveau Monde

Fri-Son has been Fribourg’s alternative club since 1983: rock, rap, electronic music, and nights that end late. Le Nouveau Monde, in the old railway station, mixes concerts, shows and smaller, more intimate evenings. Two good reasons to go out even when it freezes.

Good to know: Fri-Son is at route de la Fonderie 13, Le Nouveau Monde at esplanade de l’Ancienne-Gare 3. Fri-Son · Nouveau Monde

Winter the Fribourg way

11. Saint-Nicolas and the Bolzes carnival

Two very Fribourg celebrations, far from the standard Christmas markets. In early December, Saint Nicholas rides through Fribourg on his donkey and gives his speech from the cathedral; you go home with a biscôme, the local gingerbread. In February, the Lower Town wakes up to Guggenmusik brass bands for the Bolzes carnival, with night parades and the trial of the Rababou, to chase winter away.

Good to know: Saint-Nicolas from 4 to 6 December 2026, Bolzes carnival from 5 to 9 February 2027. After the parade, the Sauna de la Motta is only a few minutes’ walk away. Saint-Nicolas · Carnaval des Bolzes

12. The Sauna de la Motta, by the Sarine river

Every winter, the legendary Motta baths (Bains de la Motta), Fribourg’s open-air pool from the 1920s, host the Sauna de la Motta: wood-fired Finnish saunas in Mongolian yurts. You alternate heat, the cold pool and rest, between a hot tub under the winter sky, the campfire and the rest yurt. It is a community sauna, with no booking, open to everyone: come alone or with friends, and people talk to each other.

Good to know: open every day from 1 November 2026 (until 14 March 2027), Mon 11am–11pm, Tue FINTA day 11am–11pm (women, trans, intersex, non-binary and agender people only), Wed 11am–11pm, Thu 11am–11pm, Fri 11am–11pm, Sat 11am–11pm, Sun 9am–11pm. Entry CHF 25, reduced CHF 18, cashless payment only, no time limit. The live status on saunadelamotta.ch tells you if there is room. Never been to a sauna? The ritual explains everything.

A perfect winter day in Fribourg

1. Morning: a pain au chocolat at Brut, then a filter coffee at Mahalo.
2. Late morning: read in the café of the new BCU library, or in its rooftop garden if the sun is out.
3. Lunch: pho at Chez Ginette, then a stroll down rue de Lausanne with a stop at Karl.
4. Afternoon: the MAHF and its garden, or head down to Fribourg’s Lower Town for the show at Fri Art. From 5 December, take the funicular: it has run on waste water since 1899.
5. Late afternoon: the Sauna de la Motta, the hot tub under the stars and the campfire. No time limit.
6. Night owls: a last drink at La Coutellerie or a concert at La Spirale.

Come as you are: no booking needed, and the live status on saunadelamotta.ch tells you if there is room. Looking for a winter gift idea in Fribourg? Our gift cards fit nicely under the tree.

Sauna de la Motta at a glance

FAQ

What is there to do in Fribourg, Switzerland in winter? Cafés and bakeries (Mahalo, Brut), the new BCU library, the Art and History Museum, Fri Art Kunsthalle, live music at La Spirale, Fri-Son and Le Nouveau Monde, the Saint-Nicolas parade in early December, the Bolzes carnival in February, and the wood-fired Sauna de la Motta in the Lower Town, open every day from 1 November (until 14 March 2027).

Is Fribourg worth visiting in winter? Yes, especially as a day trip from Bern or Lausanne. Fribourg’s old town is compact and walkable, and winter is when its cafés, cellar clubs and the Sauna de la Motta are at their best.

What to do in Fribourg when it rains? Read in the new BCU library (free), visit the MAHF, eat pho at Chez Ginette, then warm up at the Sauna de la Motta: rain is part of the experience between two rounds of heat.

Is there a sauna in Fribourg? Yes. The Sauna de la Motta is a community sauna at the historic Bains de la Motta, in Fribourg’s Lower Town by the Sarine river. Wood-fired Finnish saunas in yurts, a cold pool, a hot tub and a campfire. CHF 25, reduced CHF 18, no booking.

Where can I go to a sauna near Bern? The Sauna de la Motta in Fribourg is 22 minutes from Bern by train. It is open every day in winter, Mon 11am–11pm, Tue FINTA day 11am–11pm (women, trans, intersex, non-binary and agender people only), Wed 11am–11pm, Thu 11am–11pm, Fri 11am–11pm, Sat 11am–11pm, Sun 9am–11pm, from 1 November 2026 (until 14 March 2027).

Do I need to book the Sauna de la Motta? No. Just turn up. The live status on saunadelamotta.ch shows how busy it is right now.

How do I get to the Sauna de la Motta from Fribourg station? It is a 15-minute walk down to the Lower Town and the Sarine river, or take bus 4.

Do the staff speak English? Yes. The team at the Sauna de la Motta speaks French, German and English, and often Italian or Portuguese too.

Is Fribourg the same as Freiburg? Fribourg, Switzerland (Freiburg im Üechtland in German) is a bilingual French- and German-speaking city between Bern and Lausanne. It is not Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany.