Le Noirmont: Doubs Valley, Jura Trails and Watchmaking

Le Noirmont lies at 971 m above sea level on the Jura plateau of the Franches-Montagnes, directly on the edge of the deeply cut valley of the Doubs. Here, the combination of plateau, river valley, trails, craftsmanship and culture takes unusually tangible forms.

Other local pages: Les Bois, La Chaux-des-Breuleux, Saignelégier, Les Breuleux, Lajoux, Montfaucon Ju, Epauvillers, Les Genevez

Nature and trails

The “Boucle au départ du Noirmont” is a 14 km family hike lasting around 3 hours and 30 minutes. Another hike, “Des Franches-Montagnes au Doubs”, leads from Le Noirmont down into the Parc naturel régional du Doubs and then up to the Arête des Sommêtres ridge, whose rock face drops into the valley.

The surrounding area can also be experienced by mountain bike on a clearly described circuit: the “La Goule Bike” route (No. 713) is 30 km long and starts and ends in Le Noirmont. The route passes through dense forests, along a particularly wild riverbank and then through typical Jura landscapes.

The municipal territory includes a section of the gently undulating high plateau of the Jura, with marshy depressions that usually have no surface drainage, limestone hills, extensive Jura pastures, individual or grouped tall spruces, and woodland areas. At the northern boundary lies the striking rocky ridge of the Arête des Sommêtres with the Spiegelberg ruins, as well as the Spiegelberg elevation at 1,108 m above sea level.

At the northwestern boundary, the Doubs forms a river course cut canyon-like into the Jura plateau. The approximately 500 m-high valley slope is densely wooded and crossed by numerous rock bands and ridges, including Grosse Côte and Roche Gipois. At 1,170 m above sea level, Point de Vue is the highest point in Le Noirmont.

Culture and craftsmanship

The former church of Le Noirmont stands on the foundations of a chapel dating from the 16th century, which was consecrated in 1513. The former Saint-Hubert Church, built in the 17th century, whose nave was rebuilt in 1883–1884 and which was decommissioned in 1969, now serves as a venue for cultural events.

Watchmaking has its own chapter in the history of the village. The Musée de la Boîte de Montre in Le Noirmont is the first museum dedicated exclusively to the manufacture of watch cases. It is housed in a completely renovated former workshop and shows visitors two workshops typical of the region: a workshop for turners producing round watch cases dating from the 1850s and a mechanised workshop from the 1920s.

The sculpture at the roundabout in Le Noirmont also addresses local themes. It evokes the history, economy, cultural life and club life of the municipality through motifs from the Carimentran carnival of the Franches-Montagnes, Franches-Montagnes horses, watchmaking, the “Le Chant du Gros” music festival and other local references.

Railway and regional offerings

The Chemins de fer du Jura serve Le Noirmont station and, on request, Creux-des-Biches station. At the Fromagerie des Franches-Montagnes in Le Noirmont, visitors can tour the show dairy by reservation during opening hours; visitor offerings also include the “Char apéro” and the “Sac découverte”.

When booking a holiday apartment in Le Noirmont, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation conditions on the offers page. These details can be matched with your own plans for a hike, mountain-bike circuit, museum visit and watchmaking workshop.

Initium offers three-hour introductory watchmaking workshops, as well as four-hour workshops at its Le Noirmont location on assembling a watch and full-day workshops including an introduction to watchmaking, a meal and the assembly of a watch.

For the higher-level travel overview: Franches-Montagnes.