Neuchâtel Canton, Gorgier
Distance: 2.6 km one way, 5.2 km both ways.
Walking time: 35 min one way, 1h 10 min both ways.
Elevation gain: 70 m.
Access: Car.
Parking: at La Grand Vy restaurant - 46.934841, 6.742751
Creux du Van is a stunning, natural spectacle. The views from the top are really breathtaking. I think, that it is one of the must-see places around Switzerland. This walk was very busy with tourists, hikers, kids and dogs.
There are 2 restaurants on this path. At the marked parking, there is a restaurant La Grand Vy. Slightly deviating from the loop hike, there is Le Soliat restaurant at the top. However, it is very easy to find a picnic spot around Creux du Van. I would highly recommend that, as it is easy to stare into the views from the top ridge. Neither of the above mentioned restaurants has an equally stunning view.
The walk starts by passing through the restaurant into the cow fields. We followed the thin track for about 1km until reaching first views over Creux du Van. Some people set up their picnics here and not followed through until the other end of the ridge. We decided to walk further and experience the views from each side of the ridge. The path switches between following the ridge and passing through cow fields. There is a stone wall with gaps, through which we had to fit to follow the trail. The whole top of Creux du Van is open to the views and there are multiple places to rest or have a break.
Creux du Van seems to be a good home to a variety of animals and plants. During our hike, we also spotted a few hikers with binoculars. The information boards below are located elsewhere than the highlighted walk (~100m from Farm Robert).
It is also possible to climb up to Creux du Van from Noiraigue - more information about this hike can be found on our post here.
Nearby this area, we would also recommend visiting Gorges de l'Areuse, starting from Noiraigue. The hike and it's stunning views are reviewed on our blog post here.
More information about this hiking route and it's extension can be found on SchweizMobil website here. More general information about Creux du Van can be found on their website here. General information and the history of Noiraigue can be found on Val de Travers website here.
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