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The Jura Mountains

Brooding landscapes and inspiring hikes define the sparsely populated Jura Mountains. Extending along the Franco–Swiss border from Lake Geneva northeast to Belfort, these sub-alpine mountains lent their name to the Jurassic period in geology, when they formed. Rising highest is Crêt de la Neige (1720m), in the southwest of the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut-Jura.

In summer, fruitières (dairies) and vineyards unbolt their doors to sell prized regional produce like Comté cheese and unmistakable vin jaune (regional gold-coloured wine) to a mostly French influx of hikers and bikers. Winter attracts cross-country skiers to Les Rousses and Métabief, while the best limber up in the regional park for the Transjurassienne, France's toughest cross-country ski race.

Cultural sights, mostly overlooked by foreign tourists, provide opportunities to catch your breath: the citadels of Belfort and Besançon, modernist architecture in Arc-et-Senans and Ronchamp, and legacies of home-grown luminaries like Victor Hugo and biologist Louis Pasteur.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout The Jura Mountains.

  • See

    Citadelle de Besançon

    Dominating the city from Mt St-Etienne, more than 100 vertical metres above the old town, the 17th-century Citadelle de Besançon – designed by Vauban for Louis XIV – commands sweeping views of the city and the serpentine Doubs River. Along with 11 other similarly impressive military architectural sites, the 12-hectare Citadelle was recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2008. English and German booklets are available at the entrance, including pamphlets aimed at kids. Entry includes audioguides (in French, English and German).

  • See

    Château de Joux

    Clinging to a limestone outcrop, Château de Joux, 10km north of Métabief, used to guard the route between Switzerland and France. Its foundations date to 1034, though medieval towers and Vauban-era walls have fortified it over subsequent centuries. Audioguides and printed information are available in multiple languages. Guided tours, full of gripping tales, are in French but groups of 10 or more can book a foreign-language tour (reserve well in advance).

  • See

    Chapelle de Notre-Dame du Haut

    Bringing to mind a ship's sail or a lighthouse summoning the faithful, modernist Chapelle Notre-Dame (1955) roosts hilltop above the small town of Ronchamp, 20km west of Belfort. Visionary architect Le Corbusier was initially reluctant to design the sanctuary; views of the Jura Mountains from this age-old Marian pilgrimage site changed his mind. Stepping inside the concrete chapel instantly cuts off the outside world, while rough interior walls and sombre lighting make the stained-glass windows seem all the more jewel-like.

  • See

    Saline Royale

    These wondrously symmetrical early–Industrial Age saltworks were designed to be an 'ideal city' by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux. Though Ledoux's plans never came to fruition, the 18th-century saltworks and its outbuildings were listed by Unesco in 1982 for their visionary composition and are renowned in France as an architectural masterwork. They now house displays dedicated to the design concept, Ledoux's life, and the history of salt. Three-star accommodation is available on site.

  • See

    Grottes de Baume

    The 30-million-year-old Grottes de Baume are secreted away in the cliffs 2km south of Baume-les-Messieurs. On guided tours, visitors can weave their way along 2.5km of passageways, with stalactites dangling above and limestone crags looming from the shadows. Allow an hour for the tour, bring a sweater, and listen out for the flutter of resident bats.

  • See

    Musée des Beaux-Arts et d’Archéologie

    France's oldest public museum, founded in 1694, is famous for its stellar collection of local Gallo-Roman archaeology; its Cabinet des Dessins, with some 6000 drawings from the 15th to 20th centuries, including masterpieces by Dürer, Delacroix and Rodin; and its 14th- to 20th-century paintings, with standouts by Titian, Rubens, Goya and Matisse.

  • See

    Abbaye de Montbenoît

    Montbenoît's Renaissance-style tower – emblazoned with a horseback knight – instantly impresses. Inside, explore the old abbey's double-columned cloisters and a 12th-century church, whose wooden stalls bear ornate carvings. Sculpted in the 16th century, several decorations 'warn' monks against the temptations of women (look out for a humiliated Aristotle, being ridden like a pony). Tours are led by the adjoining tourist office.

  • See

    Horloge Astronomique

    The base of 18th-century Cathédrale St-Jean's bell tower houses an incredible astronomical clock, powered by 11 weights, that has run the church's bells since its installation in 1860. The ornate gadget has 30,000 moving parts and 57 clock faces and, among other things, tells the time in 16 places around the world and indicates the tides in eight different French ports.

  • See

    Porte Noire

    Erected in AD 175 in honour of Marcus Aurelius, this 16.5m-high Roman triumphal arch stands very near where the columns of a Roman theatre and the vestiges of an aqueduct (all still visible) were discovered in the late 19th-century.