Arbois Travel Planning with NileGuide

Around Arbois

Salins les Bains to Poligny
By Wink Lorch

This Guide was last updated on 03 September 2009
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Main towns and villages

Arbois

The 'capital' of the wine area, Arbois is the real heartland of the Jura vineyards and a beautiful little town, famed for being where Pasteur grew up – you can visit his house (see ‘Other Attractions’). There is a short, leisurely walk along the pretty River Cuisance signposted from the Maison Pasteur or the main church Eglise St-Just, which gives a flavour of the town. It's an ideal base for visiting the region, especially now that the accommodation offering is improving. A new hotel Les Caudalies opened in 2009 (yet to be visited) and there are increasing numbers of chambres d’hôtes. The centre can be explored in a short time on foot and has some excellent gourmet shops and two very good restaurants. Trap doors on the pavements indicate the presence of a wine cellar, usually for ageing barrels of Vin Jaune – well worth exploring if you get the chance. There are several wine shops, many owned by producers, so if you only have a short time, you can taste and buy right here. The best way to appreciate the true flavour of the town is to attend the Fête du Biou every September (see ‘Local Events’).

Salins les Bains

Today Salins is a sleepy town with one main street which used to be on an important strategic and religious route, guarded by the two forts towering on the hills above it. Once extremely important as a salt production centre it became a spa town in the late 19th century and thermal baths and spa treatments are still available today (see tourist office website listed above for full details). In the north of the wine area, it is not far to visit the vineyards of Arbois (indeed there are even a few vignerons based in the hills around Salins).

Poligny

A town on a major crossroad to Switzerland and the Alps with the main road from Dijon to Geneva running through it, the centre can be very busy with traffic. As well as being surrounded by vineyards, it is also the centre for the production of Jura’s most famous cheese, Comté, a hard Gruyère-type of cheese. The centre has some interesting buildings, notably the Clos des Ursulines, a cloister that is all that remains of a 17th century convent, but for a brief visit to the region, it is best to buy some cheese (see ‘Specialist Shops’ below) and move on.