Concise lies between Lake Neuchâtel and the mountains. By the shore, a small pebble beach and a harbour are part of the village scene; inland and in the village’s history, you will encounter winegrowing, lake dwellings and historic buildings. When planning your visit, you can choose from different focal points: time by the lake, a signposted hike, or the cultural history of Concise and La Lance.
Lake and Harbour
The small pebble beach in Concise is next to the harbour and bordered by reeds. There is a picnic table and a barbecue area. A playground is nearby, and the view from the beach stretches to the Alpine range. The beach is a great setting for a family day out; Concise also has a marina. So by the shore you can choose between a place to take a break and the harbour as a destination in its own right.
Routes with Specific Times
The Sentier du Cerf offers three signposted routes for discovering the landscapes and historical heritage of Concise and Corcelles. The route is 7.8 kilometres long, graded easy and takes around two hours. Route details may change; check the current route before setting out. Gare–Plage de Concise is both the start and finish point. For the Sentier du Cerf, parking and a bus stop are located at the train station.
The route also includes a game for children aged five to ten. A small explorer’s bag containing discovery materials is available at the harbour in Concise. The age range makes the activity clear, without confusing the route with a longer hike. For planning your time, the roughly two-hour duration remains the clearest guide.
Winegrowing and Routes
Concise is in the Bonvillars appellation winegrowing region. The Bonvillars AOC wine tour passes through the appellation’s vineyards and the winegrowing villages of Champagne, Onnens, Corcelles-près-Concise and Concise. This places the village in the broader context of regional winegrowing, as the route is not limited to Concise.
The Bonvillars Vineyard Route is based on SuisseMobile Route No. 476. In Concise, it includes stops in the old town and at the harbour. This gives you a different perspective on the area: while the AOC wine tour links several winegrowing villages, the named Vineyard Route stops are in Concise itself. Both perspectives focus on winegrowing, but they differ in whether the emphasis is on the appellation and its villages or on stops in the village.
Lake Dwellings, Church and La Lance
There were 28 successive lake-dwelling villages at the same locations within the territory of Concise. The prehistoric lake-dwelling settlements have been protected as cantonal historic monuments since 1900 and are among Europe’s most important archaeological lake-dwelling sites. This long history of settlement sits alongside the Church of Saint John the Baptist: it dates from the late 11th century and is already mentioned in 1228.
The church also offers a glimpse into more recent design history. The five-lobed rose window was made around 1883 to 1885 by Daniel Doret, a sculptor and marble worker from Vevey. The stained-glass windows in the choir tell the story of Concise and Corcelles. Also depicted are the coats of arms of the Counts of Savoy, the Lords of Grandson, the Bishopric of Lausanne, and the common bailiwicks of Bern and Fribourg.
The Chartreuse de La Lance was built in the 13th century in the valley of the Diaz. Its foundation dates back to 1317: under the influence of Pierre de Grandson, Lord of Belmont, it was intended to seal the newly concluded peace with the Lords of Neuchâtel and serve as a family necropolis. The intact Gothic cloister dates from 1318. The chapel dedicated to the Virgin was built between 1318 and 1328 and later converted into a wine press and a library.
La Lance offers guided tours with tastings. The Chartreuse is privately owned; visits are possible by appointment only. Confirm access in advance. In a clearing east of the estate, you can visit the Raisse quarry, also known as Carrière de La Lance. Its sloping working surface has several grooves that were used to mark off the blocks to be extracted; several stone blocks are still there. The yellowish-white limestone was quarried in Roman times and used, among other things, for Roman monuments in Avenches.
The Battle of Grandson
At the site of the Battle of Grandson near Concise, an information panel explains the events of 2 March 1476. On the morning of that day, the Swiss Confederates saw the Burgundian cavalry assembling on Chante Merle hill.
Discover more destinations: Champvent, Bonvillars, RomainmĂ´tier-Envy, Yvonand, Le Sentier, Vallorbe, Bullet Vd, Vuiteboeuf.
Return to the regional travel overview: Northern Vaud Jura.
