The Jura – A Taste of Traditional France
The Jura region of France is synonymous with fine, distinctive cuisine and excellent wines. This new tour explores the natural beauty of lakes, waterfalls, mountains, meadows and forests, as we visit charming traditional villages in this undiscovered but beautiful corner of France. We base our stay in the quaint little town of Malbuisson, which is so typical of the Franche-Comté region.
7 days from £1059 pp
We offer flexible payment options
Once you have booked your tour either online, or by telephone ( 01709 787 463 ), you have the flexibility of how you pay off the remainder of your balance. You can:
Our contact and online banking payment details will be on your confirmation invoice to remind you of your choices.
Local departure by coach or Door-to-Door service then to northern France for an overnight stay.
Continue south and into the Jura, to Besançon, capital of Franche-Comté. Explore the delightful Old Town, which is built around a loop on the River Doubs. The city is dominated by the imposing medieval Citadel which overlooks the town. See the Renaissance Palais Granvelle, Victor Hugo’s birthplace and the famous Astonomical clock. We include a guided walk of the city before we continue to our hotel in Malbuisson four nights. Enjoy a welcome drink before our 4-course meal in the gastronomic Restaurant le Lac.
After breakfast, head through the rolling Jura mountain foothills to the picturesque wine town of Arbois – which is also the birthplace of Louis Pasteur. Regarded as the Jura’s wine capital, Arbois is known for its rosé wine and distinctive Vin Jaune. Stroll around the pretty winding streets of this little town and then enjoy a local wine tasting. Lunch included at a restaurant in Arbois or Salins les Bois.
This afternoon takes us on a guided visit of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans. Witness fascinating examples of 18th century industrial architecture. Our return journey back to the hotel takes us via a scenic drive via the gorges of the Lison River. Tonight, we enjoy our evening meal at the rustic A La Ferme restaurant.
A short drive this morning takes us to Fort St. Antoine, an old military fortress now used to store thousands of the famous local Comte cheeses. We enjoy a guided visit and tasting of the famous local produce in the fort's cellars. We head back to the hotel for lunch in the gastronomic Restaurant le Lac.
After lunch, we include a one-hour boat trip on the Lac St Point, followed by a walk along the lake shores with a local guide pointing out the local wildlife and flora. We then head by coach to the town of Pontarlier, whose history is inextricably linked to absinthe. In the 19th century, it was the world capital of the infamous drink also called the 'green fairy'. For those brave enough a tasting of absinthe and other local alcohols has been arranged!
Tonight, we enjoy more cheese, where we follow in the footsteps of Rick Stein during his recent Secret France series on Channel 4 and settle down for a meal in the typical Restaurant du Fromage. A Fondue Jurassien, made with local wine and local comte cheese is always a fun experience.
This morning, we include a guided tour to the stunning Chateau de Joux, perched on its rocky promontory dominating the access routes between France and Switzerland. Originally a fort, the building has a long history, including time used a prison and is now a museum. We later head back to the hotel for lunch at the rustic A la Ferme restaurant.
After lunch we travel via the gorges of the Doubs River to Villers le Lac on the Franco-Swiss border. From here, we have arranged a 7km boat trip on the river up to the stunning Saut du Doubs waterfall, a French 'Grand Site National'. We disembark for a walk and to appreciate the 27m waterfall. We finish our day at the Belvedere de la Roche du Pretre with its magnificent panoramic views of the rolling countryside and the stunning consolation rock formations which are home to caves, springs and waterfalls.
Tonight, we enjoy a farewell evening meal at the gastronomic Restaurant du Lac.
We leave Malbuisson and our scenic drive takes us first to the Point de Vue du Moine, which offers lovely views over the whole of the valley. See the River Loue with its stunning waterfall before we head to tranquil Ornans nicknamed 'the little Venice of Franche Comte'. The Vallée de la Loue has inspired many artists and is one of the most beautiful valleys in the Jura.
We call at Ornans in time for lunch, before we head to Paris via a quick stop off at Cleron to admire the medieval fortress on the banks of the River Loue. Overnight in the Paris area.
Return home.
Single Room Supplement from £229.00 (7 days).
Book online OR call our friendly travel advisers on:
01709 787 463
If you prefer, then you can join the tour at the hotel. To do this, we will require a copy of your passport for identification purposes and you must advise us at the time of booking.
No reduction will be given if you should choose to do this.
We are unable to guarantee that the hotel will be able to meet your dietary requirements. We find that the majority of European countries do not generally cater for vegetarians and that the meal supplied may well be what everyone else is having minus the meat.
We will of course endeavour to arrange for a vegetarian meal at the hotel. We do however suggest that you advise us of your dietary requests at the time of booking and recommend that you speak to the receptionist on arrival with regard to your request.
You will stay for four nights at the 3-star Hotel le Lac in Malbuisson. Situated in a charming area of the Jura Mountains, close to the Lake Saint-Point, the family owned 3-star Hotel Le Lac offers panoramic views of the splendid natural scenery. The hotel prides itself on its excellent cuisine, with all meals taken in the traditional and rustic A La Ferme Restaurant or the gastronomic Restaurant le Lac, whilst the fondue night at the Restaurant du Fromage creates a typical local flavour. The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool (subject to season) and gardens which offer beautiful views of the local countryside.
Overnight stays in northern France and Paris will be in city-style hotels.
Front row seats can be reserved for £15pp (up to 6 days duration), £25pp (7 and 8 days duration), £30pp (9 to 11 days) or £35pp (12 days or more) on all European tours. This offer is only available for bookings of two or four persons on our Executive and Silver Service coaches and for one or two persons on our Luxuria coaches and is subject to availability. In addition to this, seats on the second row can be reserved for a supplement of £8pp (up to 6 days duration), £15pp (7 and 8 days duration), £18pp (9 to 11 days) or £22pp (12 days or more).
Guaranteed front or second row seats cannot be reserved on transfer journeys to/from the UK port. Occasionally, front and second row seats may be on a request only basis.
Please note: children under 15 years of age are not permitted to sit in the front seats of any coach.
On some coaches the legroom on front seats, central view seats and seats directly in front of the washroom may be slightly less than that available on other seats due to the presence of a modesty board in front.
If your tour is cancelled or merged for any reason and front or second row seats or central view seats or table seats are not available on your tour, you will be refunded any supplement paid. No other compensation will be payable.
Alternatively, we can take seating requests on your booking. However, requests are not guaranteed. All seat numbers are confirmed on travel documents approximately 7-10 days prior to departure.
Central View Seats are available to pre-book free of charge.
Table Seats are available to pre-book free of charge on our Luxuria coaches.
Transfer coaches are routed approximately 2-3 weeks before departure. The route taken depends on where paassengers are booked to travel from on any particular date as to which route is taken. If you require further detailed information regarding the route to the port you can contact our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 two weeks before you are due to travel.
With regard to the route taken by the main tour coach, this is determined by the driver.
When it comes to getting you to your destination, Leger Holidays make it easy, with a selection of travel options for you to choose from.
We have hundreds of coach joining points throughout England, Scotland and Wales. To find your nearest joining point, search using your postcode below.
*Please note joining points are subject to availability.
To book this tour, just give our friendly team a call on 01709 787 463 or book online at www.leger.co.uk