The Creux du Van is the most dramatic landform in the region: a vast natural amphitheatre nearly a kilometre across, its curved wall of cliffs dropping some 150 metres in a clean arc. It straddles the Vaud–Neuchâtel border high in the Jura, and walking the rim, with the whole cirque falling away at your feet, is one of those views that does not photograph as well as it feels.
The walk
The classic outing is a loop of about 15.5 km and 4 hours from Les Rochats, around the top of the amphitheatre and back. Shorter approaches are possible from car parks nearer the rim if you want a quicker visit. The walking itself is not technical, but the cliff edge is unfenced: keep back from the drop, and skip it altogether in fog or high wind. You may well share the high pastures with the ibex that live here.
The exact stages and the official signposting are maintained by the regional tourism office (linked below); the marked trails are also shown on the swisstopo map above, which you can open full-screen to plan your own variation.
Getting there
The Creux du Van takes a little planning car-free. From Yverdon-les-Bains you can reach the Vaud side by train to Sainte-Croix and PostBus toward the rim, or approach from Noiraigue on the Neuchâtel side, a steeper but well-known route up. See getting here for trains to the region.
Good to know
- Season. Best May to October; the rim is exposed and dangerous in poor visibility.
- Safety. The cliff edge is unfenced. Keep children and dogs close, and stay back from the lip.
- Source. Distances, timing and the official route are from the regional tourism office: Yverdon-les-Bains Region. Map data © swisstopo.
