This hike passes through the Gorges de la Poëta Raisse, where the river runs through a narrow passageway with high rock walls. You walk on wooden walkways and stairs that wind their way through the gorge, a very beautiful and fun experience. We started our day at La Robella, where we rode the alpine coaster and mountain scooters. Then we rode the chair lift up and started our hike through the alpine fields that lead to the river that descends through the forest to the gorge.
Because of the low elevation, this hike is a good choice for spring time when other mountains are still covered in snow. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know to plan a nice day hike through this gorge.
| Location: | Val de Travers, western Switzerland |
| Address: | Buttes-La Robella chair lift – Pl. de l’Abbaye 2, 2115 Buttes |
| Car: | Parking at La Robella: 46°24’37.1″N 8°31’46.4″E 40 mins from Neuchâtel, 1hr15 from Bern, 2hr20 from Zürich |
| Train: | Train station: Buttes 45 mins from Neuchâtel, 1h45 from Bern, 2h20 from Zürich |
| Trail: | 10.8 km one way, about 4hrs |
| Elevation: | 210m up 720mdown, highest elevation 1990m |
| Condition: | dirt footpath path, gorge section with wet stone walkways with drop-offs and stairs, no strollers |
| Skill: | moderate |
| Services: | at the start of trail: restaurant, mountain coaster, scooters, bike park |
| Open: | May to October (the gorge is closed in winter for safety) |
| Cost 2021: | Chair lift one way CHF 8/adult Free with Neuchâtel Tourist Card, Val-de-Travers pass and Magic pass SBB, GA and Junior cards not accepted |
| More info: | robella.ch • webcam |
Overview
The Poëta-Raisse gorge is located in Val de Travers in western Switzerland, west of Bern and Neuchâtel. Our trail starts at the top of the Buttes-Robella chair lift and ends in the village of Môtiers. You can also hike directly to the gorge from the Môtiers village. More about that below.
Trail map
This one-way trail starts at the top of the La Robella chair lift. First you walk on a service road about 30 mins to Les Preisettes, where we had lunch. Then you branch onto a dirt footpath heading up the alps. Then you connect to another dirt service road, which eventually turns into a footpath, crossing through fields and forest. After about 6km, you reach the Poëtta-Raisse gorge, with raised walkways and stairways through a narrow passage along the river with rock walls on the side. After about 1 km, the trail widens and follows the river all the way to the Môtiers village.
See trail on SchweizMobil • Komoot • AllTrails • OutdoorActive
Trail conditions
The first 20 mins of the trail is on a service road as far as the restaurant. Then you follow a faint footpath through grazing meadows past a dairy farm, watch the trail markers carefully. Then you join a dirt road that leads through grassy fields into the forest. The trail gets quite rocky in the forest with very uneven terrain. The part through the gorge is on wooden walkways and stone stairs, which may be wet and slippery. I would recommend comfortable walking or hiking shoes with good tread.
Skip the chair lift
If you want to skip the chair lift, you can hike up the gorge from the Môtiers village then back the way you came. From the parking at the forest’s edge (46°54’10.2″N 6°36’58.4″E), it’s 6.3 km and 380m elevation up/down. From the train station, it’s 8.5 km round trip. See trail map.
Getting there
This is a one way trail from the top of the La Robella chair lift to the Mötiers village. You can return to your starting point by train as noted below.
By public transportation: Take a train to Buttes, then a short walk to the La Robella chair lift as shown below. The hike ends at the Môtiers NE train station, where you can catch a train back to your starting point. Trains from Môtiers NE train station (direction Neuchâtel), leave every hour on the xx:39. Trains direction Buttes (where you started) leave every hour on the XX:17.
By car: Since this is a one way trail, you’ll need to park on one side and take the train to connect the ends. I would suggest parking at the Môtiers NE train station and taking the train to La Robella to start your hike. That way you don’t have to worry about the train schedule at the end of your hike. The train from Môtiers to Buttes (one change at Fleurier) runs hourly on the xx:17, more frequently in the mornings and afternoons. Check the schedule on SBB.ch.
If you are staying overnight in the region, your public transportation is included with the Neuchâtel Tourist Card.
Ticket prices for La Robella chair lift
To do the hike, you’ll need a one-way ticket on the La Robella chair lift. In 2021, this ticket costs CHF 8/adult and CHF 6/child. It’s free if you have the Neuchâtel Tourist Card (free if you stay overnight in the area), Magic pass or Val-de-Travers pass. See current prices.
If you want to ride the mountain coaster and/or scooters before the hike, you can pay for them individually (one ride on coaster: CHF 7/adult) or get a day pass, which gives you unlimited rides on everything. In 2021, this costs CHF 45/adult and CHF 39/child. See details for La Robella day pass.
Discounts
You can get a 20% discount on either the single chair lift tickets or day pass if you arrive by train. Just show your train ticket at the La Robella ticket booth. See summer train offer.
La Robella has a “Télérösti offer” that you could use for this outing. For CHF 30/adult, it includes 2 rides on the mountain coaster, a ride up the chair lift and a CHF 17 voucher for the Les Preisettes restaurant. See details for the Télérösti offer.
Opening hours
The La Robella chair lift and amusements are open for summer season from April through mid October. In summer (June -August), the lift runs from 9:30-17:30. Note that the chair lift closes over lunch between 12:15-13:00. In spring and fall, the chair lift and amusements are open weekends and holidays and sometimes Wed afternoons. See current operating times (DE & FR).
Services along the trail
There are no services along the trail, besides the Les Preisettes mountain restaurant near the start of the trail. There was at least one fountains with drinkable water in the forest near the gorge. But best to bring plenty of water, at least 1L per person, and food to sustain your energy. There was a picnic area with shelter, picnic table, fire pit and wood just below the narrow gorge section, about 2.5 hrs into the hike.
Planning your day
You should plan about 3.5 hrs for this hike, including breaks. We started our day with a couple hours on the mountain coaster and scooters at La Robella. Then we rode the chair lift up at 12:00 (it closes over lunch 12:15-13:00) and walked to Les Preisettes for lunch, about a 20 mins walk. After lunch around 14:20, we started the hike, reaching the pretty gorge section after 2 hrs and Le Môtiers after another hour around 17:30.
Trains from Môtiers NE train station (direction Neuchâtel), leave every hour on the xx:39. Trains direction Buttes (where you started) leave every hour on the XX:17. Check the schedule on SBB.ch carefully before heading out.
What to wear
We wore hiking shoes to help with the uneven terrain but you could probably do this hike in casual sneakers. This hike is often through tall grass and in the forest, so there is a risk of ticks. So even on a hot day, I would suggest wearing long trousers and use tick spray. It can get a little chilly and wet in the gorge section, so you might want a jacket, especially if you are hiking a cooler day. We were hiking on a hot day so we were thankful for the cooler temperatures in the gorge. There were a few places in the gorge where hiking sticks could have been helpful but I never used mine.
La Robella amusements
Before starting the trail, we spent the morning enjoying the amusements at La Robella. We had the day pass, which included unlimited rides on the mountain coaster, rental of the mountain scooters and unlimited use of the chair lift to access the scooter trails. Our teens couldn’t have been happier! See my Robella Val-de-Travers post for more details about all the amusements, prices, discounts, etc.
We started with the “Rodelbahn Féeline” mountain coaster, an exciting 1.2 km ride down the mountain. Children aged 8+ may ride solo. Children aged 3-8 may ride with a person 12+ for no extra charge. You can purchase single rides, multi-packs or an unlimited day pass. The coaster is next to the La Robella parking lot in Buttes, so you don’t have to ride a chair lift to access it.
Then rode up the chair lift to ride the “Trottinett” mountain scooters. La Robella has three paths of varying difficulty and two styles of scooters – thin and fat tires. We did the red path, which starts on the paved road and ends on an off-road section, a little challenging for us. The minimum age is 8 and 1.35m tall. They provide helmets.
On the red path, the last 1 km follows an off-road section, which has lots of bumps and rocks. It was fun but also challenging for our family because we don’t have experience mountain biking on such lumpy terrain. If you have little kids, best to do the green trail, which stays on the paved road.
Trail impressions
Riding the chair lift up to the trail start
At lunch time, we rode the 2-person chair lift up to access the gorge trail and get lunch at a mountain restaurant. Remember that the lift closes over lunch from 12:15-13:00. So we made sure to catch the lift right before it closed at 12:15. If you miss the lift, you can eat lunch at the restaurant at the valley station instead before starting your hike.
The lift drops you off at a service road that leads up to a few farms. There is a restaurant right next to the lift but we were walking up about 20 mins to Les Preisettes for our lunch.
Follow trail signs to “Les Preisettes” and “Gorges Poetta”. Even if you aren’t eating lunch there, that’s the path to the gorge.
I don’t love walking on a road, but the view was really nice and I knew this section was short.
Lunch at Les Preisettes
After about 25 mins, we arrived at Les Preisettes, an adorable alpine hut in the hills above La Robella. This restaurant is part of the Robella Télérösti offer, which includes a return trip on the chair lift, 2 coaster rides or 1 coaster ride and 1 scooter ride, and a CHF 17 voucher for one of the mountain restaurants, including Les Preisettes where we ate.
We had their signature dish, Rösti-Pizza, which everyone seemed to be eating. You get one big pan to share with your group. On the bottom it has grated potatoes like rösti and on the top, it has tomato sauce, ham, onions, mushrooms, cheese like pizza. A tasty and fun lunch to share with the family.
Les Preisettes has such an idyllic setting in the middle of big alpine fields. There is swing set and toys for kids.
Trail to gorge
The trail to the gorge continues through a field directly in front of Les Preisettes. The path was very faint and we weren’t sure if we were going the right way. But that’s correct. Just head straight up the hill parallel to the power lines on your right.
At the top of the hill, cross over the stone fence shown here. You can see Les Preisettes in the background.
Now you cross through a field of cows at a dairy farm. Those cows were giving us the evil eye but no incidents.
Keep following the yellow trail markers up the hill. You’ll emerge from the forest and connect with the dirt road. We were a little confused and checked the map on my phone. You are in the right place. Turn left and follow the road.
At this stone wall, continue walking straight on the foot path. See the yellow trail marker on the stones?
Enjoy the ramble through flower fields.
Then you enter the forest
It was a hot day and we thought we would finally get some shade. But the break in the trees kept the sun on us most of the time.
A break between forests, walking through another cow farm.
Entering the gorge
After about 2hrs of walking, we finally reached the gorge. Since I didn’t know where the cool gorge section started, we were a little anxious, worried we had missed it. You won’t have to worry because you’re reading this post and will know what to expect.
We came around a corner and were absolutely delighted to see these tall rock walls and the wooden walkway. Super cool! This part doesn’t have railways to prevent you from falling down a couple meters. So be careful!
The wooden walkway snakes its way through the gorge next to and over the little stream.
Lots of waterfalls along the way, so beautiful.
Lots of stairs as you descend through the gorge. Most of the steps were stone and a bit slippery. So go slowly and hold onto the rails.
Near the end of the narrow gorge section, you’ll find this picnic area with shelter, picnic table and fire pit. There was wood to burn when we were there.
Follow river to end of trail in Môtiers
A few more stairs then the trail turns back into a dirt path that follows the river all the way down to Môtiers village.
Lots of pretty green moss on the rocks in this section during mid-July.
The trail ends at this parking at the edge of the forest in Môtiers.
At the end of the parking, you can either follow the road through the village all the way to the train station, about 1.2km walk. Or you can take the footpath to your right, following the river for a bit, which I recommend. You can also do a short detour to Grotto de la Cascade, a cave with a waterfall. – just follow the trail signs.
I hope you enjoy this hike through the gorge! If you go, leave a comment to let me know what you thought.
See more activities in the Val de Travers region
