La Côte-Aux-Fées: Nature, hiking trails and history

La Côte-Aux-Fées offers several specific starting points for planning your day: marked trails, a loop around Étang des Sagnes, the path to Grotte-aux-Fées and historical landmarks. You can determine which tour suits your stay by comparing its length, type of route and the conditions explicitly stated.

Trails and natural attractions

The Circuits des Fées comprise almost 25 kilometres of white-marked trails for hikers and mountain bikers. There are three routes to choose from in total. The northern loop is listed as 11.9 kilometres long, with 332 metres of elevation gain: these figures apply to one route, while the almost 25 kilometres refers to the network as a whole.

The 3.2-kilometre loop around Étang des Sagnes is suitable for walking or running. It has a picnic table and a barbecue area. One possible starting point is Les Bolles-du-Vent, where there is parking for three to four cars and a bus stop. As parking and bus arrangements may change, check them before you travel.

From Saint-Olivier, the Grotte-aux-Fées can be reached via pastures and through the forest in about 45 minutes for the round trip. Its entrance is narrow but passable; a flashlight, sturdy footwear and old clothes are recommended. Anyone who walks all the way through the cave is rewarded with panoramic views of the Noirvaux gorges. As trail conditions can vary, it is worth checking the latest information on the route.

For a winter outing starting from La Côte-Aux-Fées, a trail crosses a high plateau covered with fir trees and leads to Étang de Sagne. The small body of water is often frozen in winter. The “À la découverte du Jura neuchâtelois” hike passes through La Côte-Aux-Fées halfway along the route; it is recommended for families and for people who do not suffer from a fear of heights.

The ways of comparing these trails differ: for the path to the cave, the approximate round-trip time is relevant; for the loop around Étang des Sagnes and the northern loop, it is the route length. The northern loop also has a stated elevation gain. This lets you take the information into account in the way that matters most for planning your hikes.

Local history and landmarks

La Côte-Aux-Fées was first mentioned in a document in 1337; it became an independent municipality on 27 November 1826. The Reformed church in the village centre houses an organ by Orgelbau-Felsberg, inaugurated in 1983.

Piaget’s story began in La Côte-Aux-Fées in 1874: Georges-Édouard Piaget made his first watch movements in a workshop. The Piaget manufacture in the village is considered the birthplace of the brand’s ultra-thin movements.

A house has a quartered coat of arms on its lintel, bearing the year 1642. It shows two lilies and the initials B and M, belonging to Moïse Bourquin. An inscription beneath the depiction of a child reads “crédit et mort”; it is incomplete and badly faded.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Sulpice Ne, Boveresse, Travers Ne, Môtiers, Buttes, Fleurier, Couvet, Les Verrières.

For the regional travel overview: Val-De-Travers.