The hikes to Chasseral and the history of the mills along the Seyon give Villiers two distinct focal points: landscapes along the way or technical heritage by the river. There are also 18th-century fountains and regional cuisine at the Métairie de Clémesin. If you are looking for a place to stay here, you can first decide whether hiking routes, the village's character, or both should shape your trip.
Getting to Villiers and planning your visit
The transN 422 line connects Neuchâtel and Villiers in both directions. If you plan to use this line for your trip, check the current timetable before departure. Villiers is also a convenient starting point for hikes: two trails to Chasseral begin here, and one of them also ends in the village as a circular route. When planning, you can therefore take both your route choice and the connection between Neuchâtel and Villiers into account.
Hiking to Chasseral: different routes
The “Chasseral par la Combe Biosse” hike begins in Villiers at an altitude of 740 metres. On the 15-kilometre route, the trail passes through the wild Combe Biosse below Chasseral; on the descent, it runs through the forests and pastures of Chasseral. The estimated duration is 4 hours and 30 minutes. Both the technical difficulty and the endurance requirement are rated as moderate.
The “Vers Chasseral (chemin chouette n°2)” circular hiking trail is 21 kilometres long and starts and ends in Villiers. Its route to Chasseral passes through a landscape of impressive rock faces and deep beech forests. In terms of length, this is the longer of the two Chasseral routes; the estimated duration provided for the Combe Biosse hike also offers a guide to the time required.
The Chemin des Pionniers offers a different connection: it runs from Villiers to Les Hauts-Geneveys and follows in the footsteps of the pioneers of the Jura. Check trail conditions before setting off. This keeps your route choice and preparations specific to the trail you plan to take.
Mills and the history of water along the Seyon
The old mills along the Seyon are part of Villiers’ proto-industrial heritage. Remains can be viewed along the first 500 metres of the Seyon, starting at the foot of Chaumont. The facilities on the upper Seyon included two mills and a fulling mill, also called a rebatte; they operated until the beginning of the 20th century.
The former facilities also differed in size and use. The waterwheel at the Moulin du Haut had a diameter of 10.2 metres. The Moulins du Bas had a double-wheel system with diameters of 9.7 and 8.3 metres, which powered a mill and a sawmill. The dimensions and functions bring the technical side of the mills’ history to life without reducing the facilities to a single type of mill.
The Seyon rises near Villiers in Val-de-Ruz, on the northern slope of Grand Chaumont. Between Villiers and La Rincieure, it now runs almost in a straight line; the former meanders are no longer present there. The “Balade 5 – Par la Rincieure” hike also passes through Villiers. Its theme is water, land, and the human activities associated with them: springs, fountains, underground groundwater reserves, streams, and mills.
Fountains, village character, and Clémesin
Villiers is one of the eight protected village-character areas recognised by Val-de-Ruz. The fine 18th-century fountains include limestone fountains, among them examples from 1780 and 1781 bearing the initials of the local council presidents. There are also granite fountains. From Clémesin, there is a viewpoint overlooking the valley.
The Métairie de Clémesin café-restaurant in Villiers serves regional cuisine. From the dining room, you can see the kitchen, the bread oven, and the large fireplace. There is also a unique yew-wood ceiling, described as more than a thousand years old. A meal stop thus complements the hiking and village-character themes with a specific introduction to regional cuisine and the dining room described here.
Discover more destinations: Fontaines, Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane, Boudevilliers, Dombresson, Les Hauts-Geneveys, Montmollin, Le Pâquier, Cernier.
For the overarching travel guide: Val-De-Ruz.
