Dear Guest , It’s been 20 years now that I’ve had the pleasure of welcoming you into my houses. And I’ve always heard you say that you’re astounded by the unsuspected riches that the Jura has to offer?

This region of France, always praised for its ski resorts, its smokers’ pipes from St Claude in the Haut Jura, wellconceals many other surprising treasures, cultural or natural. Why? The Jura presents itself like the steps of a stairway which lead you from the Burgundy region to Switzerland over 90km with 1200metres of gradient slopes. You can discover the undulating plains in the region of Dole (Pays Dolois), and the hills and dales of the Jura vineyards , the tablelands, the lake of Chalain, the Hérisson waterfalls, and the hilly Haut Jura. These characteristics condition the vegetation, the landscapes, the different habitats and the economic activities. Its unexpected!

Join us without delay, you won’t be disappointed by the surprising diversity!

 

Starting from our guest house in Darbonnay there is:

Rambling hiking and cycling sojourns with the theme of the vineyard, the “reculées” of , the ponds and the valley of the Loue (series of valleys carved by erosion).

Documents to guide you are provided.

Brochures, topic guides and even the possibility of having someone guide you if you wish

 

From our Bed &Breakfast and our Self-Catering Holiday Gîtes labelled “Gîte de France”, and within a radius of 30 minutes, you can visit:

 

For lovers of natural sites:

 

The “reculees” of Baume - les - Messieurs , the Ladoye , the circus of Ladoye, the «reculées” of Vaux sur Poligny, Les Planches near Arbois.

 

3 caves: Baume - les –Messieurs, les Planches, les Moidons

 

The Chaux Forest, the second stateforestof France, bordered by Arc et Senans and the vineyards to the east and Dole to the west

The Jura Bresse ponds and its waymarked ramblers circuits

 

The first plateau and its “murgers”(low dry stone walls)

The Mont Poupet towards Salins- les- Bains The Chalain Lake The Hérisson and Billaude waterfalls The Vouglans Lake

 

For lovers of patrimony and culture :

• Arlay : “Jura Aire “ , this ensemble of architectural monuments dedicated to Claude Nicolas Ledoux is a surprising showcase for the Jura
• The Arlay Castle and “Jurafaune”
• Poligny , , a real agro alimentary centre, capital of theComté cheese: visit the Comté Cheese House :”Maison du Comté”
• Dole, a city of art and history , Louis Pasteur’s birthplace , guided visits with a theme ,” Hotel Dieu,” theFine Arts Museum, the city is situated at the border of the Doubs and close to the Loue
• Arc et Senans, the royal salt minesof Claude NicolasLedoux
• Salins- les – Bains, small Franche-Comté town in the bottom of a valley and its imposing foothills ( Fort St André and FortBelin) under Mont Poupet’s unchanging “ gaze”(853m) where Louis Pasteur carried out his experiments to prove that spontaneous generationdoesn’t exist.
• Villers Robert and Dole where Marcel Aymé ( born in Joigny) spent all his youth
• All the small Franche-Comté towns which are a real pleasure to visit: Château Chalon, Baume -les-Messieurs, Sellières,Poligny,Arbois,Salins les Bains, Orgelet, Nozeroy
• The Villa Palladienne in Syam: edified in 1818, the Syam castle, called “The Villa Palladienne” square-based on a 8 column peristyle and 3 circular balconies , like a theatre such as the Italien ones of Master Palladio. Concerts, exhibitions

 

 

• The Syam forges are located a few kilometres from the town of Champagnole. Heir of a past that dates back to the XIX th century, the enterprise specializing today in the transformation of metals, has anactive role in the history of Franche-Comté Metallurgy
• Château Chalon and Baume-les-Messieurs are classed among “the most beautiful villages of France”

 

The well known men of the Jura:

Rouget de Lisle, Louis Pasteur, Jules Grévy, Paul Emile Victor

 

For the gourmets: local producers “ close to my part of the Jura”:

Wine-grower in Darbonnay itself

• Smoked pork with juniper
• Apiarist in Toulouse le Chateau (5min)
• Sale of Jura cheeses and local specialities in Château Chalon (10min)
• Goat cheese in Le Chateley (10min)
• Snail producer and derived products in Deux Fays (15min)
• Producer of “gaudes” (corn flour cakes) in Chaussin (20min)
• Special breads and home-made beer in Granges sur Baume (above Baume-les-Messieurs )(20min)
• Bresse chicken and capon in Chapelle Voland (20min)
• Rouget de Lisle beers in Bletterans 20min)

 

The wine route,is a journey full of character, 80 km long , from Salins les Bains to St Amour. Wine growing villages and boroughs like a string of pearls , are revealed one after another at the foot of the sunny slopes covered with grapevines. Today, there are 4geographic areas in the Jura that produce AOC (label certifying origin)wines: Arbois, Côtes du Jura, l’Etoile, Château Chalon and there are 2 AOC products :macvin du Jura and Cremant du Jura)

 

• The network of Franche-Comté gastronomy: a network which unites more than 100 Franche-Comté restaurant-keepers
• The Comté cheese routes : milk and cheese producers, “affineurs”(persons responsible for the maturing of cheese) and restaurant-keepersheartily welcome you onthe“Route du Comté”

 

Do you know that the trademark of the cheese: “Vâche qui rit” ( the cow that laughs) was adopted in Lons le Saunier in 1921?

 

Do you know that salt has been mined in the Jura since the VIIth century? …...and still is today by the Solvay Factory in Tavaux near Dole?

 

• Museums

The Fine Arts and The FRAC: FondsRegional Contemporary ArtsMuseum in Dole presents all the scientific research as well as the Pasteur Institute’s Public Health Acts.

“Baraques du 14”( forest sheds) in the Chaux Forest

Forges Museum in Faisans ( those who made the Eiffel Tower in Paris)

The House of Patrimony in St Aubin

The Foundry Museum, Forges of Baudin, a pilot site of the major industrial leader! It’s an example of industrial activity in the XIXth andXXth centuries. The Museum, gives the visitor, with its foundry ovens, stoves and ornamental foundry parts, a view of the labour and toil of everyday life in the past, the iron-masters’ paternalism and spirituality.

The Louis Pasteur House in Arbois presents the scientist’s family life .

The Grapevine Museum in Arbois. Pécauld Castle, a dynamic presentation of the castle’s interior and exterior, the soil, work related to the vine, the vineyards’ social and economic history, and that of vinification. Charles Pécauld, partner of the event: “Pércée du vin jaune” ( the “coming out” of the yellow wine”).

The Sarret Grozon Museum in Arbois: a XVIIth -XIXth century collection of porcelain, silverware and paintings.

The Carton Ecomuseum in Mesnay: Founded at the beginning of theXVIIIth century in Mesnay (3km away from Arbois), at the entrance of the “Planches”, this paper factory became important locally for the diffusion of carton.

The ancient salines, Salins les Bains: 1000 years of history of salt and its exploitation in the Franche Comté. Magnificent XIIIth century underground galleries and a XIXth century hydraulic pumping system is an example of the methods of pumping salt water. In the building dedicated to stoves , one discovers the exhausting work of the salt workers.

St Andre Fort in Salins

The ” imperial” Baume-les-Messieurs Abbey. The Abbey foundress of Cluny

The Fine Arts Museum in Lons Le Saunier, where the composer of the “Marseillaise” (national hymn of France) was born.

Hôtel Dieu and its apothecary in Lons le Saunier

 

• Sacred Art

Collegiate of the Xth century in a flamboyant Gothic style in Dole

The Acey Abbey:a XIIth and XVIIIth century Cistercian Abbey

Chissey sur Loue (St Christophe church): altar -piece

Château Chalon; XI th century Romanesque church

Mouthier le Vieillard: ( Xith century church) rare collection of statues of the XVIth century Burgundy school

St Lothain: Xith century Roman church and IXth century crypt and abbatial house

 

For sports lovers

• Activities related to water : 10 to 45km

Water and river leisure activities: Ounans Vals Nature

Canoeing, rowing :Ounans Vals Nature

The Vavoy Bridge

Boat promenades: Pont de Poitte and Lac de Vouglans

Pond fishing: Commenailles, Chaumergy, Chapelle Voland

Lake and river fishing: on the spot and in the surrounding area

Sport fishing

• Activities related to the earth : 0 to 30km

Mountain racing (on foot) on the route: Mount Poupet’s international climb in May, the Jurassien Olympus

 

Numerous waymarked and annotated hiking circuits:

-The Dan Cross (Poligny)

-The yellow wine circuit(Château Chalon)

-The lanscape circuit (Brery)

- The Dard circuit (Baume- les- Messieurs)

- 2 ponds circuits (Deux Fays and Sergenaux)

- The Mount Poupet (Salins)

-The Karstic circuit in Besain

- and many others cited in the “Jura nature” book put at your disposal

 

Golf: 15 to 25 km

Chapelle Voland: 9 holes

Parcey: the Val d’Amour Club: 9 Holes

Vermantois: The Val de Sorne Golf Course: 18 holes

 

• Activities between sky and earth : 20 to 35km

Climbing: Ounans Vals nature and Pont du Navoy clubs

Speleology: Ounans Vals nature

Canyoning: Bellecin base

 

4 Aerial activities

Hot Air Balloons: departure from Château Chalon, discovery of the vineyards

Para-gliding: on Mont Poupet

Aviation: first inaugural flights in Lons and Dole

 

For lovers of planned circuits

The Pasteur route: Historical route to discover two major sites , namely, Arbois (Louis Pasteurs House, the laboratory,college, monument) and Dole( birthplace home,statue) connected to numerous souvenirs of Louis Pasteur and his family: Aiglepierre (his school), Lemuy ( his ancestor’s cradle), Marnoz ( the spontaneous generation), Salins- les- Bains (paternal home), Villers Farlay( rabies vaccination)

 

-Archeological circuit

 

-The wine route: from Salins les Bains to Saint Amour. This almost 80 km long itinerary permits the discovery of Jurassien vineyards…. villages and boroughs where the big name Jura wines are elaborated

 

-the savour and savoir faire circuits: with a game case provided, you go and meet craftsmen and local producers

 

• Jura craftsmen, creators’ route
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• the fir tree route : It allows you to penetrate into the heart of the most beautiful fully grown conifer forest in the Franche Comté.( the most prestigious fir plantation of Europe ) ,50 km long, it crosses the Lever, Joux, Chapois Massifs. This route links The Loue Valley to the Ain Valley

 

-“The swallow rail- line”, a mini train trip from Dole to St Claude every Wednesday from June to September. A commented circuit, the train traversesplains, vineyards, plateaus and mountains via Arc et Senans, Arbois, Morez and its aeriel-formviaducts.