Glad you survived your nights in Fribourg though !! God only knows ...!!
well me with you didn't work, nobody believed it. lol. I've noticed a couple males on here using hot female avatars though.
Reviving this old thread because I just spent a fantastic 24 hours in my beloved Fribourg. If you're in the Zurich area and want to get a taste of how different the French side is, Fribourg is only 90 minutes away; I know it's been dismissed as sleepy here before, but I have always found it quite lively.
So some of my favorite things from my 24 hours: caught the train after work Friday and got to Fribourg in time to see The Young Gods at Fri-Son , and there's an abundance of bars in that area for before- or after-show drinks like le Quai . Also, la Fonderie seems to have some interesting gigs, some of them free entry.
Saturday, did a nice run from the Perolle neighborhood where I was staying with friends, following the Sentier Ritter , then the Sarine to Place Petit Saint Jean (it happened to be flea market Saturday ) and on to Promenade des Légendes, which I believe is the creation of local artist-quirkster Hubert Audriaz and is full of fanciful stuff for kids. Stopped at Chocolat Villar for chocolate buns for breakfast on my way back home to Perolles.
The highlight of Saturday morning was the marché at Tilleul. Simply put, this is food p0rn heaven: a more "real" market with fewer frills than the ones I frequent in Zurich, so you will find mostly seasonal/local food, including fresh rabbit meat and local specialties like cuchaule (safran bread), smoked sausages and Gruyére cheese and meringues. Of particular note is L'Ecureuil, a small but quite inventive bakery I cannot rave about enough which has a tiny shop on rue de Morat and a market-stand at Tilleul.
We went back to my friends and cooked lunch there, but if I was eating out I would've loved to try Hotel de Ville at Tilleul; old standbys Populaire for a burger or Gotthard for traditional; or Ancienne Gare , a new favorite. Walked back up towards town through the ever-changing Rue de Lausanne, which has always had very cute shops but which struggles because it's closed to traffic. Tea Room Bertherin on rue de Lausanne is of particular note--supposed to have the best ice cream in Fribourg.
I had to head back to Zurich Saturday night, but on the way to the train we stopped for artisanal ice cream at a place on Bd. de Perolles which always has inventive flavors--I had a scoop of fantastic caramel buerre salé.
"Unfortunately" I have friends who I stay with, but I would love to try out the whimsical Auberge Quatre Vents , just outside of town. Exploring the Gruyére cheese area is also on my list. In short, I love the quirk and "differentness" of Fribourg--it's scruffier, more charming, far cheaper and much more laid-back than bigger cities but there's still plenty going on. And yes, they love their food. I don't think Fribourg sells itself well, but to to me it makes for a perfect getaway when I am sick of buttoned-down, snooty, overpriced Zurich.