Bikes & e-bikes

Electric bike tour to the Creux du Van

On the trail of absinthe – the “green fairy”

The tour starts at the historical railway station in Noraigue. Now you get to experience the sunny side of cycling: sit on the bike, step on the pedals, and off you go for a short ride along the River Areuse through the Val de Travers. The ascent to the natural rock cirque of the Creux du Van is easy pedalling thanks to the boost from the bike’s electric motor – an easy way to enjoy the varied landscapes of Neuchâtel's Jura mountains. You can finish your day with either an absinthe or chocolate tasting session at Noiraigue station.

You can easily reach the starting point Noiraigue by train.

E-Bike Rental

Travel conveniently by train to your excursion destination, collect your bike directly from the station and set off on your cycle tour.

Book your rental bike online or by calling the relevant bike rental location.
Payments are made directly to the bike rental location on the day of hire.
Rental of e-bikes only possible for persons 16 years of age and over (or 14 for holders of a moped licence)
CHF 5.00 reduction with Half-Fare Card or GA - The reduction is credited to the complete booking.
Group: The group discount of 20% on everything (incl. return fees) is available for bookings of at least 10 rentals. Discounts with GA/semi-tax are no longer possible.
School: The school discount of 30% on the category bike / MTB-V-Brake (price category 1), the accessories and the return fee is available for bookings of school classes accompanied by a teacher with at least 10 rental objects.

Book

CHF 60.00 Adults
CHF 55.00 GA / Half-fare / STS

Bikes and E-bikes can be returned to a different station. In this case a repatriation fee of CHF 10.00 per bike will be charged.

Rental stations

Noiraigue - transN station

1 April to 31 October 2024
Daily from 09.00 to 18.00 hours

1 November 2024 until 31 March 2025
Monday–Friday from 09.00 to 17.00 hours and by appointment

Subject to change without prior notice

E-bike tour

Active through Val-de-Travers

Discover this unspoiled region by e-bike Tour no. 412, Creux-du-Van Tour (Veloland – schweizmobil.ch) starts at Noiraigue railway station. Take a seat, step on the pedals and off you go through Val-de-Travers all the way to Creux du Van. At the top, you can enjoy the wonderful and extensive view across Neuchâtel’s Jura mountains. The trail then takes you down to Couvet, where ideally you can add on a detour to Môtiers. Finish your day with a visit to the Maison de l’Absinthe and the asphalt mines, before cycling back to Noiraigue.

Key data

Route	Noiraigue–Val-de-Travers–Creux du Van(–Môtiers)–Noiraigue
Distance	39 km (with the shortcut during the descent directly to Couvet)
Time required	3.5 hours (with the "Creux du Van Tour" signposting, but shortcut without markings)
Ascent	700 metres
Difficulty	moderate (e-bike)
Tip	Visit the asphalt mines and the Maison de l’Absinthe in Môtiers.

Asphalt mines

Explore the underground tunnels. On this journey inside the mountain, you will discover how the miners extracted asphalt for about three centuries and in doing so created a tunnel labyrinth of 100 kilometres in total. Above all, enjoy the house speciality: ham cooked in asphalt. Guided tours of the asphalt mines are available in German, French, English and Italian.

Môtiers and the Maison de l’Absinthe

Discover the quaint village of Môtiers in the heart of Val-de-Travers. In the Maison de l’Absinthe, get to know the secrets of the “Green Fairy” with the aid of an interactive exhibition and by sampling the local absinthe. You can book a culinary workshop by appointment.

Map SchweizMobil

Asphaltminen

Erkunden Sie die unterirdischen Stollen. Auf dieser Reise ins Berginnere erfahren Sie, wie die Bergarbeiter während rund drei Jahrhunderten den Asphalt abbauten und dabei ein Stollen-Labyrinth von insgesamt 100 Kilometern geschaffen haben. Zunächst geniessen Sie die Spezialität des Hauses, den im Asphalt gekochten Schinken. Die geführten Besichtigungen der Asphaltminen werden in Deutsch, Französisch, Englisch und Italienisch angeboten

Môtiers und Absinth-Haus

Entdecken Sie das schmucke Dorf Môtiers im Herzen des Val-de-Travers. Im Absinth-Haus lernen Sie die Geheimnisse der Grünen Fee anhand einer interaktiven Ausstellung und dem Degustieren lokalen Absinths kennen. Auf Voranmeldung können Sie einen kulinarischen Workshop buchen.

Hinweis:

Die Asphaltminen sind vom 1. April bis 1. November täglich geöffnet. Die Führungen finden jeweils um 10.30 und 14.00 Uhr statt. Im Juli und August gibt es zusätzlich um 12.00 und 16.00 Uhr eine Führung.
Das Absinth-Haus ist von Dienstag bis Samstag zwischen 10.00 bis 18.00 Uhr und am Sonntag von 10.00 bis 17.00 Uhr geöffnet.