Travel Guide Champagnole

Welcome to the Champagnole Nozeroy Jura region. Ideally located between mountains and lakes in the heart of the Jura Mountains, at the gateway to the Haut-Jura Regional Nature Park, this area is a concentrate of the Jura, offering a variety of landscapes and sights, in a very short distance, which will not cease to surprise you, but heritage sites and a range of springs, waterfalls, gorges along the river Ain and its tributaries that will not leave you indifferent. Don't hesitate to take the time to travel from the atypical high valley of the Saine to the Nozeroy plateau with its town classified as a "Cité de caractère Bourgogne Franche-Comté", without forgetting to pass by the town of Champagnole, the pearl of the Jura... Thus with the four lakes of Franois and the lake of Chalain, a dozen of tourist sites are ready to show off their talents! Champagnole, a small town of 8,000 inhabitants, set on the banks of the Ain, in a green setting between Mount Rivel and the Bénédegand lookout, enjoys plenty of sunshine on days when the fog invades the lower altitudes of the Jura! Champagnole is a well-known town, particularly suited to fly-fishing, but also has an industrial past, and has developed since the 18th century. Metallurgy, cement works, tanneries, oil mills, sawmills, furniture and toy factories were booming in the 19th and 20th centuries. But this economic dynamism came to a halt from 1970 to 1990. A few companies remain, however, and the exploitation of wood is still very present thanks to the surrounding forests. The town has many local shops and the town centre, which was recently redeveloped, is very pleasant. The plateau of Nozeroy, with its medieval town, which calls itself "the smallest town in France" dominates the upper Ain valley. Its history still shines through and the inhabitants will share their anecdotes with you during the organised guided tours. It is also one of the most important places for the production of Comté milk, where the "fruitières" open their doors to you to discover and taste this famous cheese. The high valley of the Saine is part of the very closed club of the "major sites of the Jura" and is one of the most fashionable spots in the department with its source of the Saine, the Langouette gorges... and the small Nordic resort typically Jura Foncine-le-Haut, will not leave you indifferent.