Travers Asphalt Mines

Natural bitumen-bearing rock was identified in the Val-de-Travers in 1711 and mined at La Presta until 1986, and the asphalt cut here surfaced streets in Paris, London and elsewhere - the material was a genuine export of this small valley. About a hundred kilometres of galleries were driven; a section is open with guides who explain the cutting, the heating process that separated the bitumen, and the working conditions. The site's other tradition is culinary and improbable: ham cooked in a cauldron of molten asphalt, which seals it entirely and cooks it evenly, served at the mine restaurant. The valley is better known internationally for absinthe, distilled here legally and illegally for two centuries.

What you actually see

• A century of galleries - about a hundred kilometres cut for natural asphalt.
• A local export to Paris and London - the streets this valley surfaced.
• Ham cooked in asphalt - the mine's own improbable speciality.
• Absinthe country - the valley's other and better-known product.

When to go

All year, on the guided timetable. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Visits are guided at fixed times, mostly in French, and should be booked. It is cool underground. The ham needs ordering in advance at the restaurant. Val-de-Travers is a quiet industrial valley.

Nearby

The Areuse gorges are downstream; the Creux du Van is on the ridge above.