Discover Étival-Clairefontaine

If you are looking for a hotel in Étival-Clairefontaine, you can choose where to stay according to the focus of your trip: the abbey’s history, the river landscape and former fortifications sit alongside hiking and cycling routes. The town therefore offers several specific points of interest for a cultural or active stay. You can assess which of these matters most by looking at the buildings and the different route profiles.

River landscape and trails

Étival-Clairefontaine lies on the banks of the Meurthe, where it meets the Rabodeau and the Valdange. To the west, the Ban d’Étival state forest and the municipal forest extend on both sides of the Vieux Prés stream.

The Voie verte Chemin des Abbayes is a 16-kilometre, level route for walking, cycling and rollerblading. It passes through the abbeys and by the former fortifications of Étival Abbey. Its flat profile and suitability for several types of activity set it apart from the hiking routes described separately and the moderately difficult cycling loop.

Abbey and local history

In 1147, Étival became an important abbey of the Premonstratensian Order. The abbey church of Étival-Clairefontaine is Romanesque and has a Gothic choir. The abbey lies on the banks of the Valdange and on the Route des 3 Abbayes. Here, history, architecture and a riverside setting come together.

You can visit the abbey independently; guided tours are available on request. The abbey is open year-round from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check opening hours and visiting conditions before your trip.

The paper industry is also part of the town’s history: Papeteries de Clairefontaine was founded in Étival-Clairefontaine in 1858. Paper, envelopes and notebooks remain the site’s three areas of activity. The Ferme musée showcases traditional crafts and objects that were once part of everyday life. The Vierge des Grâces chapel stands in the Clairefontaine state forest; on 16 August, it is a pilgrimage site.

At Pierre d’Appel, traces of different periods of archaeological and architectural history meet. A Celtic oppidum was built there between 250 and 170 BC. The viewpoint consists of sandstone blocks that form five superimposed platforms over a stretch of more than 60 metres. It lies at the eastern end of a former fortification system that was 900 metres long and could reach up to 11 metres in height. The site was designated a historic monument in 1969.

Compare hiking and cycling

The Jean BOLOT hiking trail is a moderately difficult 12-kilometre route with 238 metres of elevation gain; the stated duration is three hours. At 6 kilometres, Les Pingouins is the shorter of the two hiking routes and includes, among other things, a viewpoint at Roche des Corbeaux. Check the route and conditions before setting out.

For cycling, the Boucle patrimoine No. 17 Les 3 abbayes is a moderately difficult 28.5-kilometre loop starting and ending in Étival-Clairefontaine. It differs from both the level Voie verte and the hiking trails. Route details may change; check them before setting out.

Discover more destinations: Godoncourt, Beaufremont, Bruyères, Bulgnéville, Plombières-Les-Bains, Aumontzey, Pargny-Sous-Mureau, Autrey

For the broader travel overview: Vosges.