Moving to Neuchâtel – between the lake, the Jura and German-speaking Switzerland

Most of the canton of Neuchâtel lies in the Jura mountains, with only a narrow strip at the southern foot of the Jura and on the Swiss Plateau. The official language is French: in 2012, 88.3 per cent of the population gave French as their main language and 6.0 per cent German. Since 2018 four regions have served as electoral and statistical units, and they also differ markedly when it comes to moving house.

Littoral, Val de Ruz, Val de Travers, Montagnes

• Littoral: the municipalities on the north shore of Lake Neuchâtel up to the Zihl canal and Lake Biel. The city of Neuchâtel stretches eight kilometres along the lake and up the southern slope of the Chaumont.
• Val de Ruz: the mountain valley north of the city, since the 2013 merger largely a single municipality made up of 15 former villages.
• Val de Travers: the high valley of the Areuse, which flows to the lake through the narrow Areuse gorge.
• Montagnes: broad high valleys with the towns of La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle, bordering France in the north for more than 50 kilometres.

Between the lake level at around 429 m above sea level and the highest point on the Chasseral (1553 m) there are more than 1100 metres of altitude. For a move from the lakeshore up to the high valleys, we therefore settle the vehicle size and carrying routes at both addresses during the survey.

Roads, tunnels and railways

The A5 motorway and the Lausanne–Neuchâtel–Olten railway follow Lake Neuchâtel. The Vue des Alpes pass and the A20 expressway, which runs under the mountain through two tunnels, lead into the mountain region; there is also the railway to Le Locle-Col-des-Roches and the road over the Col de la Tourne. The Neuchâtel–Pontarlier railway runs through the Val de Travers. Bern is reached via the A20, main road 10 and the railway via Kerzers.

For you as a customer this means: depending on the destination address, we choose the route and the stopping place so that the furniture gets into the house by the shortest way. Where access on hillside plots is tight, we use a furniture lift if needed.

Living in the watchmaking region

Between 1850 and 1970 the population rose from 70,753 to 169,173. It stagnated in the 1970s, when Neuchâtel lost its central role in the watch industry to the Biel region; today the canton has 180,278 inhabitants (as of 30 September 2025). Since 2021 the city of Neuchâtel has grown to include Corcelles-Cormondrèche, Peseux and Valangin.

Cornaux, Cressier and Le Landeron lie on the Zihl canal, which forms the border with the canton of Bern between Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Biel. The little town on Lake Biel developed from a small medieval town. For addresses in historic village centres like these, we fix the stopping place especially early and organise the parking space reservation.

From German-speaking Switzerland to the Romandie

A move from Zurich to Neuchâtel is also a switch to a different language region. You receive the quote within 24 hours, and you can add furniture assembly and the final cleaning of your previous flat straight away. We also handle removals to the neighbouring cantons, such as a move to the canton of Bern, to Vaud, the canton of Jura or to Fribourg.

Frequently asked questions

Who carries furniture through the steep lanes of Neuchâtel's old town?
Our removal team, which we staff with enough people for the old town of yellow limestone so that the uphill route from the stopping place is covered in short stages. Our carpenters dismantle heavy wardrobes beforehand, so that every piece gets safely over the stairs and steep sections of the lanes.

How do movers get a piano into a hillside flat on the Chaumont above Neuchâtel?
We plan the piano transport, from CHF 250.–, with extra carriers and protective blankets. If access to the hillside flat climbs via outdoor steps or a long garden path, we check during the survey whether a furniture lift can bring the instrument straight to the right floor.

How do removals to Auvernier or Colombier in the wine-growing municipality of Milvignes work?
First, during the survey, we check whether the removal truck can get right up to the house in the lakeside village centres. If the street is narrow, we use a smaller vehicle and carry the rest. On request we clear wine cellars or cellar compartments at the same time, protecting stairs and walls as we go.

What should I watch out for when moving to La Chaux-de-Fonds or Le Locle in winter?
Allow extra time for the mountain route and keep floors dry: when there is snow, we lay additional floor protection in the stairwell and flat so that no wet is carried in. Upholstered furniture and mattresses stay wrapped until they are inside, and we start early in the morning.

Where are my belongings stored if the flat in the Val de Travers is only free weeks later?
They wait in our storage facility until then, kept dry, climate-controlled and under alarm protection. We load on your move-out day in German-speaking Switzerland and drive to the high valley on the Areuse as soon as you have the keys. There our carpenters reassemble the furniture straight away when you move in.

What applies if the move from Le Locle continues on to France?
In that case we handle all customs clearance, meaning export from Switzerland and import into France. For this we draw up an inventory list of your household goods with you. We discuss which other documents you need during the survey, before the quote is prepared.

What should I do myself before moving day to the canton of Neuchâtel?
Label the boxes with the room, so that everything ends up in the right place at the destination, and take your ID documents, keys and contracts with you yourself. The fridge and freezer should be defrosted. Whether we take down lamps and curtain rails is clarified during the survey.

What options are there for moving watchmaking workshops and offices in La Chaux-de-Fonds?
On request we move offices, workshops and archives outside business hours, so that work is barely interrupted. We pack sensitive devices, computers and laboratory equipment separately as an IT and laboratory move and set them up again at the new location. We clarify the scope during a survey.