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Travel guide
The Jura
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to June, and September to October
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Welcome
The Jura, in a few days
The Jura does not set out to impress, and manages it anyway. Its blind valleys, closed off by cliffs, shelter Baume-les-Messieurs and its abbey, the Hérisson tumbles down a string of falls including the Éventail and the Grand Saut, and the Chalain lake shines turquoise below the forest.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Hérisson waterfalls free · half a dayA path climbs beside the river from the Maison des Cascades past 31 falls, including the 65-metre Éventail and the 60-metre Grand Saut.
- Afternoon · Pic de l'Aigle and the Four Lakes viewpoint free · 2 to 3 hA short climb to a 993-metre summit over the lakes plateau, with the Alps on clear days, then a ridge viewpoint over four glacial lakes.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel de France€130 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Lake Chalain free · half a dayThe Jura department's largest natural lake, 232 hectares of turquoise water where Neolithic lake villages were excavated; a reconstructed stilt house stands near Doucier beach.
- Afternoon · Baume-les-Messieurs free · 2 to 3 hA cliff-ringed village around a Benedictine abbey whose monks went on to found Cluny, with a 16th-century Flemish altarpiece in the church.
🛏️ Where to sleep · L'Arbézie Franco Suisse€120 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Château-Chalon free · about 2 hA clifftop village, home of the Jura's yellow wine, aged over six years under a veil of yeast and sold in a 62 cl bottle.
- Afternoon · Maison du Comté, Poligny · about 1 hComté is France's biggest PDO cheese by volume, and this museum, redesigned in 2021, follows it from Montbéliarde cows to village dairies and ageing cellars.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Les 2 Lacs€120 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Louis Pasteur's house, Arbois · about 1 hThe house by the Cuisance where Pasteur grew up and spent his summers, with its furniture and the laboratory where he studied wine fermentation.
- Afternoon · Fort des Rousses · about 1 h 30A 19th-century fortress above 1,100 metres, now ageing tens of thousands of Comté wheels in vaulted galleries; the guided tour ends with a tasting.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Le Yeti€110 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €88 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to June, and September to October
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/jura-france
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.