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Val-de-Travers

Val-de-Travers

Gorges, asphalt mines and 1200 m of toboggan run

Activities
4
Towns
5
Altitude
730 à 1450 m

The Val-de-Travers is a long valley running parallel to the Jura ridge, from Noiraigue to Buttes, with a railway serving it end to end. Much of what makes it interesting is underground: the asphalt mines at La Presta near Travers, where you walk through galleries that stay at eight degrees all year, the cave at the foot of the Môtiers waterfall, and the Areuse gorges dropping towards the lake over a series of footbridges. Families come for that, and for the Féeline toboggan run at La Robella above Buttes, 1200 metres of curves that operate in summer as well as winter. When it really rains, the indoor pool at the Couvet sports centre settles the afternoon. The valley is also the birthplace of absinthe, a story parents tend to enjoy while the children count the footbridges.

Val-de-Travers

Family activities in Val-de-Travers

Everything to do with your kids in the region. Tell us the constraint of the day and we will show you what fits.

Illustration of the indoor pool of Val-de-Travers in Couvet

Val-de-Travers

Indoor pool of the Val-de-Travers Sports Center: family swimming in Couvet (espaceVAL)

0-18 yrs Indoor
Illustration de la cascade de Môtiers et sa grotte au Val-de-Travers : chute sur paroi calcaire, famille explorant l'entrée de la grotte

Môtiers

Cascade de Môtiers and its cave: an adventure in the footsteps of Rousseau

6-18 yrs Free
Illustration de la Luge Féeline de La Robella à Buttes : une luge jaune deux places sur rails métalliques serpentant dans la pente verte du Val-de-Travers, un adulte et un enfant souriants à bord, forêts et collines du Jura en arrière-plan.

Buttes

Luge Féeline de la Robella in Buttes: 1200 m of fun for the family

3-18 yrs
Illustration of the Creux du Van in Noiraigue (Val-de-Travers, Neuchâtel): the vast horseshoe-shaped rocky cirque with high limestone cliffs, a ibex on the plateau, and a family of hikers admiring the natural amphitheater.

Noiraigue

Creux du Van

10-17 yrs Free

1 / 1

Plan the family outing

Getting there, weather, ages, budget: the answers before you go.

Getting there

The Val-de-Travers rail line leaves Neuchâtel and runs the whole length of the valley: Noiraigue, Travers, Couvet, Môtiers, Fleurier and Buttes at the end. It is one of the few corners of the canton where the train genuinely drops you at the activities, a few minutes on foot from the mines, the waterfall or the chairlift. Allow about half an hour from Neuchâtel to Couvet. By car you come down into the valley through the Clusette from Rochefort, or via Les Ponts-de-Martel from La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Good to know: the asphalt mines stay at eight degrees all year. Bring a jacket and closed shoes, even in August.

With toddlers

Walk the Areuse gorges as an out and back from Noiraigue rather than the full crossing: the path is narrow, with steps and footbridges, so a carrier is essential and the pushchair stays in the car. The Môtiers waterfall involves a short climb, but nothing long. For a genuinely easy day, the indoor pool in Couvet and the flat valley floor are plenty before the age of three.

Valley classics

The La Presta asphalt mines are visited in guided groups, lamp in hand, and stay with children from about five or six. La Robella above Buttes combines a chairlift, a rail toboggan run and high level trails, which makes it the outing that fills a whole day. From Noiraigue, the Creux du Van path climbs to the rock amphitheatre, a long walk best kept for strong walkers from around ten.

Frequently asked questions

What age suits a visit to the La Presta asphalt mines?
The visit is a guided group walk, lamp in hand, and works well from about five or six. The galleries stay at eight degrees all year, so bring a jacket and closed shoes even in high summer. The route is not pushchair friendly, so with a toddler use a carrier or save the visit for later.
Can you walk the Areuse gorges with small children?
The path is narrow, with steps, footbridges and sections cut into the rock, so the pushchair stays in the car. In a carrier, an out and back walk from Noiraigue works well and saves organising a train back. From six or seven, children manage the full crossing down to Boudry without trouble.
Can you reach the Val-de-Travers by train?
Yes, and it is the best way to come. The line starts in Neuchâtel and serves Noiraigue, Travers, Couvet, Môtiers, Fleurier and Buttes. The mines, the Môtiers waterfall and the La Robella chairlift are all a few minutes on foot from a station, so you can walk one way and take the train home from another village.

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