Walking Holidays
France

Jura Wine Trail

Lying to the north east of the Alps in France, the Jura form an impressive arc of undulating limestone hills. The western Jura is lined with a series of dramatic valleys and gorges which harbour medieval towns, stunning waterfalls and a patchwork of vines. The moderate walks explore these “reculée” from above and below. The western part of the French Jura emerging from the lowland lakeland region of Bresse is characterised by its vines, valleys and cliffs. Despite being a relatively small area , the wines produced in this region have a great diversity and it has the distinction of being the first wine region in France to be given an “origin label” in 1936.

The other distinctive features of the Revermont landscape are the reculees or enclosed gorges which form a world cut-off from the surrounding landscape. They are as impressive as they are interesting in terms of their unique features, with spectacular caves, beautiful waterfalls, amazing limestone formations and cliffs, as well as a rich flora and fauna. Historic picturesque villages have found refuge in these valleys or line their cliff tops in defensive positions. One of the most impressive valleys is Baume-les-Messieurs, which hosts one of the prettiest villages where a historic abbey is sited.

Our self-guided walking holiday in the Jura is a linear trail that follows the vines south, allowing you to discover not only the unique Jura wines, which include the famous Vin de Paille and Vin Jaune, among the most prized wines in France, but also historic gems such as Baumes-les-Messieurs and Chateau Chalon. Starting in the historic town of Arbois, your week ends in the amazing reculée or gorge at Baume-les-Mesieurs where you have the option of an extra day to explore this natural wonder.

Holiday Profile

6 - 8 nights / 5-7 days independent walking between guest houses

Dates

Everday of week subject to availability during 15 April to 31 October

Walking Profile & Grade

5, 6 or 7 days of self-guided walking.  The walks are moderate in grade. The average length of walk is about 16km with 375m of altitude gain (maximum in one day 19km & 470m ascent). The paths are generally good, but due to the nature of the terrain include some steep and rocky sections where care is needed. The length of some of the walks can be varied as you choose.

This walking holiday is graded moderate. You should have some experience of day walking and be in reasonable health. See more information about walking grades.

Accommodation & Meals

Charming guest houses & hotels, offering authentic and very comfortable accommodation in B&B style guest houses or small hotels where the welcome is warm and generous. Mainly 3 stars or equivalent. They include townhouses, old farms, village cottages & abbey rooms.

When to Travel

Our self-guided walking holiday in the Jura is available from mid-April to the end of October. From mid-April to October the Jura is generally warm, although it can be hot during the months of July and August. However, relative humidity is often low (except during unstable thundery weather.) Ideal walking temperatures (ie late teens to the low twenties centigrade) are generally experienced from early May to mid-June and from mid-September to mid-October. Rainfall totals are relatively high in the Jura, associated with the Jura massif. The months of May, September and October are the wettest in the walking season. June provides some of the best conditions for walking in terms of temperatures with a daytime high of 23°C and lower rainfall. Rainfall becomes more and more sporadic and linked to thunderstorms as you move from spring to summer. On average there is rain on one in every three days, but this is often for relatively short periods. This holiday is not available before mid-April because the first plateau in the Jura has a cold, continental climate in the winter and there is a risk of late snow still lying on the ground with frosty conditions.

Navigation, Walking Notes & Maps

This self-guided walking holiday follows a mix of local trails waymarked in yellow and the long-distance GR59 trail with red and white markings, which traverses the Jura from north to south. There is a fairly dense network of signposts with place names and directions in the Jura. The walking follows clear paths, tracks and minor roads for its entire duration. Our walking notes are very detailed (more information here) and include intermediate distances for sections of the trail. They also include information about the sites which can be explored along the route. We supply one walking guide per person on this holiday. As well as the detailed walking notes we supply official walking maps produced by IGN at a scale of 1:25,000. Your trail is highlighted on the maps.

Luggage Transfers

On this independent French walking holiday, your main luggage is transferred between guest houses so that you only have to carry a day rucksack with a picnic lunch (most supplied by the guest houses and included in the holiday price), water and spare clothes, waterproofs, camera etc. On this holiday your luggage transfers are carried out by a trusted local taxi company. Please limit the weight of your bags where possible to 20kg. We only use hotels and small guest houses in historic buildings and some of the rooms are accessible by stairs.

Travel Info

Meeting at your guest house in Arbois, France. Taxi transfer at end of the walking holiday to Lons le Saunier.

Train & bus: Eurostar and the TGV run trains from London to Paris. Change and take either TGV to Dole and then TER bus run by train company to Lons le Saunier or TGV to Lyon (this service can also go via Lille from London) and then take train to Lons le Saunier. At Lons take a TER bus to Arbois.   Return from Lons le Saunier by train to Lyon or by bus to Dole.

Flights: The airlines Easy jet, BMI Regional and British Airways have scheduled flights from the UK - Luton, Birmingham, Gatwick, Edinburgh and Heathrow - to Lyon St Exupery airport. Tram service to Lyon Part Dieu station to catch train. As above. There are also several companies who fly to Geneva airport. From Geneva airport, train to Geneva CFF and change for train to Bourg en Bresse, change here for train to Lons le Saunier. Then as above.

Self-drive: Channel crossing by ferry with P&O or DFDS ferries and by rail with Eurotunnel. Once in France, drive time from Calais to Arbois takes about 6 hours, excluding breaks and costs about £40 in motorway tolls. Leave car in Arbois. End of walking holiday, taxi transfer to Lons le Saunier is included in price and then take bus to Arbois.

6 nights / 5 days walking between guest houses

• From €1040

7 nights / 6 days walking between guest houses

• From €1130 

8 nights / 7 days walking between guest houses

• From €1220

• All prices are per person and based on 2 sharing a room (please contact us concerning single supplements)
• Loyalty scheme reduction applies for returning customers (see terms and conditions)