La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland

La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Photo: Zacharie Grossen/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

La Chaux-de-Fonds is a Swiss city of the district of La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura mountains at an altitude of 1000 m, a few kilometres south of the French border. After Geneva and Lausanne, it is the third largest city located completely in the Romandie, the French-speaking part of the country.

The city was founded in 1656. Its growth and prosperity is mainly bound up with the watch-making industry. It is the most important centre of the watch making industry in the area known as the Watch Valley.

In 2009, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle, its sister city, have jointly been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status for their exceptional universal value.

Get in

By train

The train station is well connected with several lines in different directions:

• An hourly RE train from Berne (1h 5min)
• Two hourly RE trains from Neuchatel (30 min), one of which is the train from Berne
• Two hourly RE trains from Le Locle (8 min)
• One RE (40 min) and one R (1h) train from Biel
• A couple daily French TER trains from Besançon (1h 50min)

In addition there are regional trains from other small towns in the region.

By car

There is three main roads leading to La Chaux-de-Fonds from other Swiss cities: Road 20 from Neuchatel, road 30 from Biel and road 18 from Delemont and Basel. The closest motorway is A5, from which La Chaux-de-Fonds can be accessed either from Neuchatel or Biel. Road 20 then goes on to France in direction of Besançon.

What to See in La Chaux-de-Fonds

La Chaux-de-Fonds is home to 23 Swiss heritage sites of national significance along with the UNESCO World Heritage Site of La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle.

• Library/museum/theater: Bibliothèque de la Ville de la Chaux-de-Fonds et Département audiovisuel (DAV), Musée des Beaux-Arts, Musée d‘histoire naturelle, the Musée international d’horlogerie «l’homme et le temps» and the Théâtre et Salle de musique on Avenue Léopold-Robert 27–29.

• Religious: Synagogue on Rue du Parc 63.

• Farms: Ferme des Brandt at Les Petites-Corsettes 6, Ferme Haute Fie and Maison Carrée at Le Valanvron 9 and Ferme les Crêtets on Rue des Crêtets 148.

• Companies: Spillmann SA on Rue du Doubs 32 and Usine électrique at Rue Numa-Droz 174.

• Houses: Villa Anatole Schwob on Rue du Doubs 167, Villa Fallet on Chemin de Pouillerel 1, Villa Gallet on Rue David-Pierre-Bourquin 55, Villa Jaquemet on Chemin de Pouillerel 8, Villa Stotzer on Chemin de Pouillerel 6 and Maison Blanche at Chemin de Pouillerel 12.

• Other buildings: the slaughterhouse (Abattoirs) on Rue du Commerce 120–126, the Ancien Manège (collective house from 1968), the crematorium on Rue de la Charrière, the Domaine des Arbres, the Grande Fontaine on Avenue Léopold-Robert and the Loge l‘Amitié.

Museums

For the museums located within the parc des musées (the first three on this list), there is a special 3 museums/3 days ticket which allows you to visit all three for the price of one. (Fr. 15/12.50)

• International museum of horology (Musée international d'horlogerie), Rue des Musée 29 (Located within the parc des musées). Tu-Su 10:00-17:00. Showcases more than 4500 timepieces, including 2700 watches. It also presents the history of watch making and its technical, artistic, social and economic history. Fr. 15/12.

International museum of horology, La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland. Photo: Tomleighmartin/Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

• Museum of fine arts (Musée des Beaux-Arts), Rue des Musées 33 (Located within the parc des musées). Tu-Su 10:00-17:00. International and Swiss art from the 19th to the 21st century. Includes pieces by Modigliani, Anker, Vallotton, Hodler, Le Corbusier, Léopold Robert, Matisse, Van Gogh, Morellet, Armleder, Derain, Rouault, etc. Temporary exhibitions on modern and contemporary art. Fr. 15/12.50.

Museum of fine arts, La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland. Photo: MBACdF/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

• History museum (Musée d'histoire), Rue des Musées 31 (Located within the parc des musées). Tu-Su 10:00-17:00. Located within a restored villa from the 19th century, this museum gives insights into what life was like in the early days of La Chaux-de-Fonds. Fr. 10/7.

• Museum of agriculture and handicraft (Musée paysan et artisanal), Rue des Crêtets 148. W-Su 14:00–17:00, closed during March. Museum in an old farm from the 17th century, showcasing the life of the farmers and watch makers which used to life here. Fr. 8/3.

• La Maison Blanche (Le Corbusier), Chemin de Pouillerel 12. F, Sa, Su 10:00–17:00. The Maison blanche was built by Le Corbusier for his parents in 1912, after he came back from his travels in the Middle East. Fr. 10/7.

La Maison Blanche, La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland. Photo: Picsinfusion/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

• Watchmaking Town Planning Exhibtion (Espace de l'urbanisme horloger), Rue Jaquet-Droz 23. Daily. May-October 10:00-12:00, 13:00-16:30, November-April 13:00-16:00. Information centre on the UNESCO heritage site La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle, Watchmaking Town Planning. Free.

• Civilisations of Islam museum (MUCIVI), Avenue Léopold-Robert 109, +41 32 910 52 32, e-mail: accueil@mucivi.ch. Tu-Su 14:00-17:00. Fr. 15/7.

What to Do in La Chaux-de-Fonds

Visit the 'La Plage des Six Pompes' festival, a street theater festival which is held every year in the first week of August. You can also volunteer for a week. It would be good to speak reasonably French.

Eat

• La ferme des Brandt, Petites crosettes 6, +41 32 968 59 89. Tu, Th-Sa 11:00-15:00, 18:30-00:00, Su 11:00-17:00. This restaurant in an old farmhouse outside of town serves regional dishes. Around Fr. 30 for mains.

Sleep

• Hotel de France, Rue Daniel-Jeanrichard 46. Simple hotel. Double from Fr. 88.

• Hotel Fleur-de-Lys, +41 32 913 37 31. Double from Fr. 175.

Go next

• Le Locle, a town also part of UNESCO world heritage for watchmaking city planning, in between of the two, you will find the unique underground mills. (Wikivoyage, Wikipedia)

See also La Chaux-de-Fonds in Pictures.

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