On Sundays, Fribourg sleeps in. That is exactly when it pays to get up early: the Sauna de la Motta opens at 9am on Sundays, two hours earlier than on other days, and the town is still asleep when you climb out of the cold pool.
Here is our perfect Sunday in Fribourg, Switzerland: wood-fired heat in the morning, a long brunch at Le Belvédère at lunchtime, and a slow afternoon between art and the old town.
In short: the perfect Sunday in Fribourg, Switzerland starts at the Sauna de la Motta, open from 9am on Sundays at the Motta baths (Bains de la Motta) in the lower town, with no booking. Around noon, walk up to the old town for brunch at Le Belvédère, Grand-Rue 36: second sitting at 12:30, booking essential. In the afternoon: Fri Art or the Art and History Museum. Fribourg is 22 minutes from Bern by train.
9am: the sauna before everyone else
On Sunday mornings, the Sauna de la Motta is at its calmest. The fire crackles in the stoves, steam rises from the hot tub and the cold pool waits right by the Sarine river. You alternate heat, cold and rest at your own pace: a round in a sauna yurt, a dip, a moment by the campfire or in the rest yurt, and again. Leave your watch: there is no time limit.
Good to know: open 9am–11pm on Sundays. Entry CHF 25, reduced CHF 18, no booking, cashless payment only. Bring two towels, flip-flops and a swimsuit or a fouta (towels and foutas can be rented on site). The Aufguss ceremonies start at 1:30pm at weekends, so the morning is the quiet time. The live status on saunadelamotta.ch tells you if there is room, and the ritual explains everything if it is your first time.
12:30: brunch at Le Belvédère
Around noon, one last cold dip, get dressed and walk up to the old town. Le Belvédère is on the first floor of Grand-Rue 36. At weekends it serves an all-you-can-eat brunch, all homemade, as local and seasonal as possible. After a morning of hot and cold, it is exactly what you need.
Good to know: Restaurant Le Belvédère, Grand-Rue 36 (first floor). Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays in two sittings, 10:00–12:00 and 12:30–14:30: after the sauna, go for the second sitting at 12:30. Booking essential, online or on 026 323 44 08. CHF 38 all you can eat, drinks not included; CHF 19 for children aged 5 to 12, free under 5. Le Belvédère
The afternoon: art, a museum or a stroll
Well fed, you have a choice. For contemporary art, head back down to Fri Art, the Kunsthalle right next to the Motta baths. For a thousand years of Fribourg history, go to the Art and History Museum (MAHF) and its garden, watched over by Niki de Saint Phalle’s La Grande Lune. Or simply wander the lanes of the lower town and across the bridges over the Sarine, with no plan at all.
Good to know: Fri Art, Petites-Rames 22, Sundays 1pm–6pm. Fri Art · MAHF, rue de Morat 12, Sundays 11am–6pm. MAHF (French)
Our perfect Sunday, hour by hour
- 9am: arrive at the Sauna de la Motta as it opens. First round of heat, first plunge in the cold pool.
- 9am–11:45am: heat, cold and rest, the hot tub and the campfire, at your own pace.
- Noon: walk up to the old town.
- 12:30: brunch at Le Belvédère, second sitting (booked in advance!).
- 3pm: Fri Art, the MAHF or a walk through the lower town.
- Evening: an early night. After a sauna and a brunch, you will sleep like rarely before.
Looking for a gift? A perfect Sunday fits nicely in an envelope: that is what our gift cards are for.
The perfect Sunday at a glance
| Sauna | Sauna de la Motta, Motta baths, lower town of Fribourg: Sun 9am–11pm, entry CHF 25, reduced CHF 18, no booking and no time limit |
| Brunch | Le Belvédère, Grand-Rue 36 (first floor): Sat and Sun, sittings at 10:00 and 12:30, CHF 38 all you can eat, booking essential (026 323 44 08) |
| Afternoon | Fri Art (Sun 1pm–6pm) or the MAHF (Sun 11am–6pm) |
| Sauna season | every day from 1 November 2026 (until 14 March 2027) |
| Getting there | 22 minutes by train from Bern (a train every 30 minutes), then a 15-minute walk from Fribourg station, or bus 4 |
Frequently asked questions
What to do in Fribourg on a Sunday? Start at the Sauna de la Motta, open from 9am on Sundays, have brunch at Le Belvédère at lunchtime, then visit Fri Art or the Art and History Museum, or stroll through the lower town.
Where to have brunch in Fribourg on Sunday? At Le Belvédère, Grand-Rue 36: an all-you-can-eat brunch, homemade, local and seasonal, on Saturdays and Sundays in two sittings (10:00 and 12:30). Booking is essential.
Is the Sauna de la Motta open on Sunday mornings? Yes, 9am–11pm, every Sunday of the season, from 1 November 2026 to 14 March 2027. Other days: 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.
Do I need to book? Not for the sauna: just come, the live status on saunadelamotta.ch shows if there is room. For brunch at Le Belvédère, yes.
A Sunday trip from Bern or Lausanne? A Sunday in Fribourg: a wood-fired sauna in the morning, brunch in the old town at lunchtime. Fribourg is 22 minutes from Bern by train.