Montagnes neuchâteloises

The Neuchâtel to La Chaux-de-Fonds line climbs in about thirty minutes and continues to Le Locle and on towards the French border. A second line links La Chaux-de-Fonds to Biel across the Franches-Montagnes, a slow but scenic ride across the plateau. By car you go through the Vue-des-Alpes tunnel, open all year, which avoids the pass on snowy days.

Good to know: both towns sit at a thousand metres. It is regularly five to eight degrees colder than in Neuchâtel, and snow in April is not unusual. Pack one more layer than you would down by the lake, even for an hour outside.

The grid layout of La Chaux-de-Fonds is good news with a pushchair: wide pavements, gentle gradients and a flat town centre. The Bois du Petit-Château animal park is free, takes about an hour and works well before the age of three, with a vivarium under cover when it rains. The indoor Arêtes pool guarantees an activity whatever the sky is doing outside.

Winter here runs from December to March, with cross country trails starting on the heights above town and sledging slopes at the Vue-des-Alpes, fifteen minutes away by road. The Mélèzes ice rink, right next to the open air pool, rounds off a late afternoon nicely. The Musée international d'horlogerie takes over on the coldest days, and children tend to focus on the automatons and the very large clocks.