Plainfaing: Nature, Hiking Trails and Culture
Accommodation in Plainfaing
Plainfaing combines nature, hiking trails and cultural history. When looking for a hotel in Plainfaing, you can start by considering whether hiking, landscapes or historical themes will shape your trip. Specific points of interest range from a nature reserve and two circular routes to chapels, a church, a museum and a confectionery.
Landscape and Nature
The Tanet-Gazon du Faing National Nature Reserve covers 505 hectares in the municipalities of Plainfaing and Le Valtin in the Vosges département. Its habitats include high-altitude beech forests, heathland, meadows and a peat bog complex of national importance. Forest, open land and peat bog therefore sit alongside one another as distinct landscape types.
The Tanet-Gazon du Faing sector contains 90 hectares of intact raised bogs. This figure refers to the raised bogs in the sector; 505 hectares is the total area of the nature reserve. This puts the two figures in context without confusing them.
Hiking Trails with Different Features
The Tour de Bramont hiking trail is 11 kilometres long and has a stated duration of two hours and 30 minutes. It is marked with a blue circle and offers views of the Haute-Meurthe Valley. The distance, estimated time and trail marker provide specific guidance for this hike; the view over the valley is another named landscape feature.
The Cascade du Rudlin–Gazon du Faing circular route starts in Plainfaing and heads towards Le Rudlin. An uphill path leads to the Cascade du Rudlin waterfall. The two routes can be compared by their different features: the Tour de Bramont has a stated distance and duration, while the Cascade route focuses on its starting point, direction and the path to the waterfall.
Chapels, Church and Museum
The Chapelle Saint-Jean-Baptiste is located in the hamlet of Le Rudlin, near the Étang des Dames, and was built in the 17th century. During the First World War, its surroundings served as a temporary military cemetery. The chapel’s construction history is thus connected to a later use of its surroundings shaped by the wartime period.
The Église Saint-Nicolas was built in 1783 and houses numerous cultural and historical treasures. Its construction date offers a different historical reference point from the 17th-century chapel. The Musée Collections et Passions adds further topics: the museum houses a collection dedicated to the circus, and an exhibition recounts the history of the Plainfaing fire brigade since 1883.
Visits and Visitor Information
The Confiserie des Hautes Vosges offers free guided tours of its workshops, including tastings. This provides another specific place to visit, alongside the hiking trails and cultural and historical sites. The intermunicipal tourist office of Plainfaing is located at 3020 route de GĂ©rardmer.
Discover more destinations: Golbey, Ban-De-Sapt, Anould, Gerbamont, Granges-Sur-Vologne, Morizécourt, Hurbache, Fontenoy-Le-Château.
For the regional travel overview: Vosges.
