Towns & cities · Arbois
1 Arbois
Historic capital of the Jura vineyards where Louis Pasteur carried out his research on fermentation, crossed by the Cuisance and its picturesque Capucins bridge.
View full page →What to see in the Jura in 3 days
The Jura is a land of lakes, waterfalls, forests, vineyards and characterful villages. The reculées, those steep-sided valleys, offer spectacular landscapes, and cheese and wine have a great tradition here.
This itinerary spreads the best-rated sites in the catalogue over three days.
Our day-by-day itinerary
The map shows the numbered stops in visiting order, with one colour per day. The line follows the roads where available; otherwise it joins the stops as the crow flies. Distances and times are approximate (by car, without traffic).
Day 1 — Arbois to Grotte des Moidons
This day brings together 3 sites close to each other: towns and cities, natural wonders and caves. It passes through Arbois. Allow half an hour to an hour and a half per site, plus travel time.
Natural wonders · Jura
2 Le Tille de Bracon
A linden tree of about 18 m circumference. Said to have been planted on the order of Charles the Bold in 1477. At Fontaine (Territoire de Belfort), another linden dates from the thirteenth century.
View full page →
Caves · Jura
3 Grotte des Moidons
Ten minutes from Arbois (Jura), discover a real masterpiece of nature.
View full page →Day 2 — Château-Chalon to Lac de Vouglans
This day brings together 4 sites close to each other: villages, waterfalls and lakes. It passes through Moirans-en-Montagne. Allow half an hour to an hour and a half per site, plus travel time.
Villages · Jura
4 Château-Chalon
Famous for its former abbey and its wines, this small village perched on top of a rocky spur has kept the ruins of a fortress built in the Middle Ages to protect a Benedictine nuns' abbey founded on the spot as early as the sixth century.
View full page →
Villages · Jura
5 Baume-les-Messieurs
One of the French people's favourite villages lies in the typical reculées of the Jura foothills and in the heart of an exceptional site classified Natura 2000 and 3 stars.
View full page →
Waterfalls · Jura
6 La Cascade Baume les Messieurs
The Cascade des Tufs: this waterfall has a particularity; it is petrifying: the water, travelling long distances across the plateau, becomes loaded with limestone by dissolution of the rock.
View full page →
Lakes · Moirans-en-Montagne
7 Lac de Vouglans
Created by the filling of the Ain dam in 1968, Lac de Vouglans winds over several kilometres between wooded Jura shores. The third largest artificial lake in France, it has become a flagship water-sports destination.
View full page →Day 3 — Cascades du Hérisson to Le Chapeau de Gendarme
This day brings together 5 sites close to each other: waterfalls and natural wonders. Allow half an hour to an hour and a half per site, plus travel time.
Waterfalls · Jura
8 Cascades du Hérisson
The Hérisson Waterfalls, the Éventail and the Grand Saut: they are located near Doucier, in the heart of the lakes region.
View full page →
Waterfalls · Jura
9 Les Gorges de Langouette
"A sword stroke in the mountain", was one of the formulas commonly used at the beginning of the century to describe the Langouette.
View full page →
Waterfalls · Jura
10 La Source de l'Ain
The Ain is a fine and powerful river. It rises at 750 m altitude, on the Nozeroy plateau, in a magnificent forest setting.
View full page →
Natural wonders · Jura
11 Parc naturel régional du Haut Jura
The Haut-Jura regional nature park was created on 10 February 1986 and then grouped thirty-seven communes.
View full page →
Natural wonders · Jura
12 Le Chapeau de Gendarme
Also called the "Route de Genève", these corniche bends of Septmoncel that make perilous hairpins along the Flumen gorges give a spectacular view of the Saint-Claude valley.
View full page →When to go
Spring and summer are the best seasons for waterfalls and lakes. Autumn is colourful. Winter is cold, with snow on the plateaux.
Getting around
A car is practical, as sites are scattered. Roads are generally easy, but slower in the mountains. Some sites are closed in winter.
Our tips
- For waterfalls, choose spring or the period after heavy rain.
- Wear good shoes for damp trails.
- Taste Comté, vin jaune and local produce.
- Check swimming conditions in the lakes.
If you have more time
Waterfalls · Jura
Cirque et Gorges de Flumen
The Flumen gorges form a canyon of the Jura massif carved by the Flumen torrent, between the communes of Septmoncel and Saint-Claude, in the Haut-Jura.
Waterfalls · Jura
La Cascade du Moulin de Vulvoz
The Moulin de Vulvoz waterfall in the Jura rushes into a slide carved into the rock.
Waterfalls · Jura
La Cascade de la Billaude
Formed by the river Lemme, the Billaude waterfall plunges in two successive drops over a total height of about 28 metres, in the hollow of a wooded limestone cirque near Le Vaudioux, in the Jura.
Waterfalls · Jura
Cascade de la Queue de Cheval
The Queue de Cheval waterfall: accessible on foot from Saint-Claude, it has a 60 m fall in two leaps in a charming site. See also the Queue de l'Âne waterfall.
Waterfalls · Jura
Cascade des Tufs
The Tufs waterfall is in the heart of the Baume cirque, near the village of Baume-les-Messieurs, ranked among the most beautiful villages in France.
Natural wonders · Jura
Les Gorges de l'Abîme
The Abîme gorges are near the commune of Saint-Claude in the Jura département in the Franche-Comté region, at the foot of the Cirque de Vaucluse.
More itineraries
What to see in the Ardèche in 3 daysWhat to see in the Dordogne (Périgord) in 3 daysWhat to see in Corsica in 5 daysWhat to see in Alsace in 3 daysWhat to see in Finistère in 3 daysWhat to see in Vaucluse and the Luberon in 3 daysWhat to see in the Hautes-Pyrénées in 3 daysWhat to see in the Lot in 3 daysWhat to see in Haute-Savoie in 3 daysWhat to see in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in 3 daysAll itineraries →