CYCLING THE JURA WINE ROUTE (FURTHER DETAILS)

General information:
Upper 2 cycle level

Each cycling day is varied, with routes winding through oak forests, emerald vine terraces and along lazy rivers to discover mediaval hilltop villages, ancient abbeys and thundering water falls

Location:
On this holiday you cycle through picturesque flower-bedecked wine villages, along shady little forest routes and past sleepy farming villages. The wine region is bordered by impressive limestone cliffs, and as you ride along you can explore the dramatic underground caves beneath them and visit stunning waterfalls. Its fairly relaxed cycling, with the occasional climb to get those muscles working, but well worth it for fantastic views.

Along the way you explore the interesting medieval town of Arbois, capital of the wine region (and where Louis Pasteur spent his childhood) and Poligny, home of Comté cheese. Other highlights include the cliff-top village of Château-Chalon and the 11C-16C abbey at Baume-les-Messieurs.

Who would this holiday appeal to?
Would best suit couples or families with older children. Routes are quite long and fairly tough, so not suitable for young children.

Similar to which other holidays?
We think this holiday is similar to our holidays in: Burgundy, Provence, the Dordogne and Catalunya.

Possibility of non-standard departures?
This holiday can be shortened to 4 nights.This means the itinerary does not change, but the rest days are not taken. The start date is every 2 days from May 13 to September 20th.

The holiday can be extended by having extra nights in the tour hotels, either at the beginning or end of the cycling holiday, or even in the middle when 2 extra nights are booked in this case.

Other details:
Excellent food-Gastronomic! Many specialites of the region including trout, pigeon and a large variety of cheeses. Vegetarians would be catered for with notice. Excellent hotels, all with pools.