Cléron: Hotels for culture, landscapes and cheese

Cléron combines a striking landscape with architectural and railway history, as well as a range of activities. These include a long hiking route through protected nature, a tablet-based adventure game and experiences centred on cheese from Franche-Comté. The gardens of the Château de Cléron are open to visitors in summer.

Cléron between landscape and history

Cléron lies in the reculée de Norvaux, a rocky amphitheatre typical of the Jura Massif. This offers a clear landscape connection to consider when planning your trip, alongside the town’s historical attractions. The Château de Cléron was built in 1320 by Humbert de Cléron and stood on the historic salt road that ran through Cléron. The château gardens are open to visitors in summer.

Buildings, trails and heritage

The Viaduc de Cléron was built in 1910 and crosses the Loue near the château. As a railway viaduct, it adds a 20th-century structure to the area’s historical landscape. The “Tacot tac” route follows the road down to Cléron; from a preserved stone bridge, you can enjoy a view of the 14th-century Château. The Musée du Tacot et des Chemins de fer départementaux traces the history of narrow-gauge railways in the Doubs département and Franche-Comté from 1900 to 1953. Cléron church is also home to the statue “Saint Siméon tenant l'Enfant Jésus”.

The different dates provide a useful comparison: 1320 is the year the Château was built, 1910 the year of the viaduct, while the museum covers the period from 1900 to 1953. Individual buildings and the history of narrow-gauge railways spanning several decades therefore offer distinct historical perspectives.

Hiking and interactive exploration

The Boucle du Moine is a 24 km hiking route with 300 m of elevation gain and a walking time of seven hours. It passes through a natural area protected as part of the Natura 2000 network. Each of the three figures helps with a different aspect of planning: the distance describes the route, the elevation gain its profile, and the walking time its duration. The walking time is a practical guide for planning your day; the distance and elevation gain provide a fuller picture of the hike.

The Explor Games “Othylie et la Magie Noire” offers a tablet-based adventure game in Cléron. Its story revolves around returning to a school of magic in 1912. Geocaching offers a playful way to discover Cléron through caches containing objects or logbooks. The activities differ in format: Explor Games is story-driven, while geocaching is based on discovering these caches.

Cheese and regional products

Le Hameau du Fromage presents cheese-making, exhibition galleries, a cheese tasting, a shop and regional products. A one-hour tour explores the cheeses of Franche-Comté. You can discover the subject from different perspectives: the tour focuses on the region’s cheeses, while the galleries and tasting offer other ways to experience cheese culture. At one hour, the tour is considerably shorter than the Boucle du Moine’s seven-hour walking time. This comparison helps you factor two different time commitments into your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Loray, Brey-Et-Maison-Du-Bois, Pontarlier, Chapelle-Des-Bois, Le Russey, Grandfontaine, Montbenoît, Charquemont.

For the broader travel overview: Doubs.