Things to see and do Le Locle

Put yourself in the shoes of a watchmaker of yesteryear, understand how the city's architecture was designed to ensure the well-being of watchmakers and the quality of their work... La Balade takes you on a thirty-nine-step journey through the history of the local watchmaking industry, starting at the Place du Marché. The faces of watchmakers like Charles-Émile Tissot and Daniel-Jean Richard will hold no secrets for you. A free guide is available from the town hall and selected retailers, as well as from the La Chaux-de-Fonds tourist office.

Unique in Europe, this cave houses an underground plant that operated until the th century. Guides, competent and friendly guides invite you to visit the places. A visit not to be missed. From the town centre, follow the Rue du Temple, then the Rue de France, west to find the mills. To make the walk more pleasant, it is possible, at the exit of the city, to go behind the Rolex factory and follow the course of the Bied.

What a magnificent setting to house a watchmaking museum! In this Louis XVI style patrician residence, the Château des Monts was once the home of the Dubois family. The castle has kept its former glory and the large collection of clocks, watches and automatons enhances the building. The know-how of the watchmakers is recounted in a film and a slide show. You can wander through each room of the castle, discovering works and timepieces.

A magical 1h25 cruise on this natural lake which is in fact a widening of the Doubs. The waterfall of the "Saut du Doubs", 27 m high, is spectacular! You might be tempted by a Franco-Swiss day out with a horse-drawn carriage ride and a boat trip after seeing the beautiful natural spectacle. There are different ways to discover the enchanted river during the summer, either by opting for a loop cruise or by taxi boat with a stop at the Doubs jump. In winter, the lake is transformed into a huge natural ice rink

Close to the main square, the Musée des Beaux-Arts welcomes you with its fine regional pieces from the ^19th and ^20th centuries, as well as works by major artists such as Dufy and Renoir. The museum's collections boast over five thousand pieces, including numerous paintings, watercolors and drawings. Emphasis is placed on Swiss artists, but exhibitions of high-quality international works are programmed throughout the year. Lectures and guided tours punctuate the museum's agenda, bringing the works to life through the eyes of passionate visitors.

The Villa Favre-Jacot was the first large-scale commission for Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, the future Le Corbusier, in this neighborhood of the upper middle class, with its neoclassical influence. The building cannot be visited, but remains visible from the outside. It bears witness to Le Corbusier's architectural values, with its interplay of forms, its white, smooth facades that stand out from the era, and its entablature windows... A revolutionary who is recognized as a precursor of model architecture, optimized for its environment.