Abbaye Impériale

The Jura Mountains


Baume-les-Messieurs' abandoned Benedictine Abbaye Impériale has an exquisite polychrome Flemish altarpiece dating from the 16th century (the time when the abbey, which grew from a simple 7th-century monastic cell, was at its apogee).

Combined tickets to the Grottes de Baume and the abbey cost €13/6 per adult/child.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The Jura Mountains attractions

1. Cascades des Tufs

1.3 MILES

Near the Grottes de Baume, the Tufs waterfalls slosh dramatically over limestone boulders into the Dard River. There are picturesque walking trails nearby.

2. Grottes de Baume

1.37 MILES

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…

3. Musée de la Vigne et du Vin du Jura

14.79 MILES

The history behind the Jura's prized vin jaune (barrel-matured wine with a distinctive yellow hue) is told at this understated museum, between the turrets…

4. Maison de Louis Pasteur

14.87 MILES

Louis Pasteur's laboratory and workshops have been preserved at his familial house, which still sports its 19th-century fixtures and fittings. Digital …

5. Grande Saline

19.23 MILES

The salty history of the Jura is well-explained in the town of Salins-les-Bains, which derives its very name from the salt trade. Step inside the Grande…

6. Parc Naturel Régional du Haut-Jura

21.85 MILES

Rippling along the border between Switzerland and France is this 1780-sq-km regional natural park, a peaceful, under-explored slice of the Jura Mountains…

7. Saline Royale

23.21 MILES

These wondrously symmetrical early–Industrial Age saltworks were designed to be an 'ideal city' by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux. Though Ledoux's plans never came…

8. Parc Polaire

23.91 MILES

Get close to scampering chamois, Greenland huskies and wild horses on two-hour guided walking tours around this nature park in Chaux-Neuve, 25km southwest…