# Jura region France



## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Off to the Alps soon and decide to go via Jura region to the west of Geneva. I have chosen this purely on the fact that I love Morbier Cheese and Morbier is in Jura.

Looking around last night the region looks a bit like the Alsace. There are a few hills, lakes and some good stopovers by the looks of it.

Anyone been or recommend place to see, things to do and stopovers?

Not sure what route to take. Either through France past Lille and Reims or wack down the toll free motorway in Belgium through Luxembourg then head south. I've kind of done both routes and both are a tad boring but never been to Luxembourg or the bit south of there.

After Jura it's deep into the French Alps then down to the Ardeche through Aveyron an the tarn regions then down to Gavarnie in the Pyrenees and pic de midi.

Then home maybe via dordogne.

Any tips particularly with the first bit appreciated.


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## Curtisden (Mar 23, 2009)

*The Jura*

Well worth a few days. We were there 4 weeks ago and will be going back for sure.
Rolling country and stunning pretty rivers and their sources.
It runs from Belfort to St Die and abuts the swiss boarder. The Loue and its spectacular source are musts as is Ornans as is Belfort. Park up in the Citadel car park free and even overnight. The citadel bistro in excellent for lunch and affords a spectacular view of the historic Belfort Gap and the town below with the famous huge Lion.
The area south of Bresancon which is righ now a huge building site but has a huge Aire right in its centre (if you can find it), is also the best with loads of wild camp opportunities. 
They are building a fast transit system all at once all over the city and no road runs where it should.
Enjoy.
Fe photos to wet your appetite. 
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9w2aq1gzfzk82xh/EFtJbMO422


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## Angelad (Mar 12, 2006)

Have you done the D918 from Argeles-Gazost to Gourette Barry? I thought it was pretty spectacular - (on the Tour de France route so lots on You Tube.) 2 aires in Gourette, both in carparks at ski stations, one at bottom of waterfall , other one in the village has a footpath into mountains. 
If you then take the D934 from Laruns, Artouste is fab to, you can park up overlooking the lake, there's a ski lift that seems to work all year round and a little railway that takes you on a 3 1/2 journey round the mountains. 
And from Artouste, it's only a short scenic run over the border to a large Spanish shopping village full of alcohol!


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Thanks for that. Sounds and looks our sort of thing. Not ever read or heard much about it on here. Wonder if there will be any kayaking or white water opportunities.

Can't wait to get going now but typically I'm getting busy with work!!!

Should threaten to go away more often!


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## trevd01 (Oct 26, 2007)

1. Go to Arbois. 

2. Stay on the muni by the stadium.

3. Drink the wine. 

We'll be back in September...


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## Angelad (Mar 12, 2006)

Col d'Aubisque to Guerette

SPOILER - thought this was one of the best bits - don't know if anybody has done it on a scooter?


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

If it's a clear day with good visibility I recommend a pot of tea (yes a really GOOD pot of tea in France) on the terrace here.

http://www.la-mainaz.com/en.php

There is an aire somewhere near the top of the Col as well.


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## fatbuddha (Aug 7, 2006)

whilst you're down in the Pyrenees I also suggest you take the cablecar from La Mongie (near the top of the Col du Tourmalet) to the Pic du Midi Bigorre - http://www.picdumidi.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pic_du_Midi_de_Bigorre - the views are stupendous if it's clear and they reckon you can see 20% of France from the top (personally I think that's [email protected] but still a lot to see!).

I've skied off the top of it...... 8)

NOTE - there are 2 Pic du Midi in the Pyrenees - the other is the Pic du Midi d'Ossau - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pic_du_Midi_d'Ossau - which is very different although still high


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Good stuff guys. We were going to do the Pic Du Midi in 2010 but never got round to it.

The bike video looks great. "Pig" our scooter will handle that no bother! We have had it up to 7500 ft and it does have a sticker on the back for going across the Col de Bonette at nearly 10000ft but to be fair he was strapped to the back of Hank!  

Ferry booked for 23 July. Lots of planning to do!


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## brynric (Oct 17, 2009)

We were there briefly in June and thoroughly enjoyed it. We toyed at the municipal in Arbois, the town looked interesting but we had 24 hours of rain so didn't get out much.
We had a couple of days beside the lake in Clairvaux Les Lac, a friendly little site with easy access to the park.
We couldn't find the site in Besancon, too much traffic and tram-line-building for me. As a city stay we went to Belfort which was a bit noisy but with good access to the lake and the town, especially by bike.
The pick of the bunch was a little village called Fresse. It's in the hills surrounded by forest with not much there but it's a haven of peace. We loved it , and the dog had virtually 3 days off lead.
One good day trip was a drive over the Ballon d'Alsace, it's got lovely walks, a couple of bars and strangely the remains of WW1trenches just a few metres from the top at 1200m.
We saw very few Brits, quite a few Dutch and the whole area seemed relatively un touristy, but maybe that's France in June.


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## trevd01 (Oct 26, 2007)

All you need to know about the Jura...

... and this was just the starter!

Fabulous food and wine.

Two unique wines in Arbois - vin jaune (yellow wine) and vin de Paille (straw wine).

From Winegeeks:

_Appellation Details

Located smack dab in the middle between Geneva and Beaune, the little town of Arbois is a delightful secret found in the mountains of Jura. The wines and indeed the town remain unchanged by the test of time. This home to Louis Pateur is also home to spicy and light red wines made from Pinot Noir, Trousseau and Polsard along with bracing and crisp whites fashioned from Chardonnay and Savagnin, though you may be hard pressed to find them outside of Jura.

The winters of Arbois are very cold, which can sometimes make it difficult to acheive ripeness on the vine. However, the wines of Arbois were at one time very popular. The ravages of phylloxera, the movement of rail systems to more popular growing regions, and the use of traditional grape varietals have all taken a toll on this sleepy region in the foothills of the Alps. At one point the wines of this region almost faded away entirely, though they are making a slight comeback today.

Along with a large quantity of red wine Arbois is known for producing excellent dry Rosés. Sparkling wines made from Chardonnay are known here as Arbois Mousseux. The sub-appellation of Arbois-Pupillin refers to wines from the small commune of Pupillin.

The most popular wines of this region remain the Vin Jaunes and Vin de Paille produced here. The Vin Jaune (Yellow Wine) is made in a process very similar to Fino Sherry in that a yeast forms on the surface of the wine as it is kept in large open vats. Under this flor the wine oxidizes and takes on a yellowish hue, along with notes of almonds and bitter herbs. These wines can be very long lived.

Gaining in popularity are the unctuous Vins de Paille, which are made by allowing the grapes to dry on straw mats before fermentation. The wine then spends long periods of time in barrel where it can take on a slightly oxidized character, but also extreme depth and richness. The process may be the same as Amarone, but the end result is a wine heavy in character, weight and residual sugar. A lovely treat if you can find one."_


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## hiker (Jun 22, 2008)

We were there (Alsace & Jura) for the second half of June & it was probably the least pre-planned trip ever. We used the aire at Bergues (free but no facs) for a stopover from, & back to, the tunnel. Thought we'd try the Belgium/Luxembourg motorway route but changed our minds partway along (poor road surface, boring) & headed down through the Ardennes to Charleville-Mézières before travelling across country to Alsace. 

As walking was our main interest we chose centres which our books indicated could be the starting point for several interesting routes, & which had either an aire or an ACSI campsite. For the Alsace/Vosges region it was Ribeauvillé - timber framed houses, storks, tourists, surrounded by vineyards & forested hills, complete with ruined chateaux on rocky outcrops. After that, the lakes area of Jura, at La Tour-du-Meix, then down to the high Jura, basing ourselves at St Claude, Les Rousses & finally Bois d'Amont. It's limestone countryside, a more gentle landscape than we've seen further south. The mountains are long ridges - some limestone cliffs but no real peaks - & mainly forested (spruce & beech). Being June, the wildflowers were spectacular & kept the camera busy! The last two centres are ski resorts close to the Swiss border - one of our walks took us over the border, with fantastic views across Lake Geneva from the top of the ridge. 

On the return route we headed towards Reims from Besançon, though actually went north to Charleville-Mezieres before we reached Reims, eventually picking up the A23/25 again to return to Bergues. Good roads, no tolls, easy navigation!


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Hi folks.

Finally arrived in Jura yesterday and spent the first night at Arbois. Right now up at eagles peak in the mountains looking down on the lakes with Mont Blanc behind me in the distAnce. Lovely weather and very scenic. Found a good central wild spot just now as well.

Took us a week to get here though! 

Going to try And get round as many lakes as possible and hopefully in them as the forecast is hot!

Cheers
Bd


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