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The Étang de la Gruère under a blue sky, edged by a fir forest.

Gentle self-guided walking · Franches-Montagnes

Franches-Montagnes and the Doubs gorges, at an easy pace

Six unhurried days, from wooded pastures where horses graze to the little medieval town of Saint-Ursanne, following the Doubs. Your luggage travels without you.

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Here, horses graze beneath the fir trees, and the river marks the border.

The Franches-Montagnes are a quiet high plateau, a thousand metres up, where forest and meadow merge into wooded pastures: tall solitary spruces, dry-stone walls, squat farmhouses and, everywhere, horses roaming free. The Franches-Montagnes horse is the last horse breed of Swiss origin, and it is still raised on many of the plateau's farms.

Then you head down to the Doubs, a slow green river that forms the border with France before entering Switzerland, deep in wooded gorges. The path hugs its banks all the way to Saint-Ursanne, one of the prettiest small towns in the country. The stages are short: there is time to stop, picnic by the water and reach the inn early.

The programme

From the plateau to the river, in no hurry

Programme for guidance only: the local partner may adapt the stages to the weather, the season and your pace, or shorten a day by train or bus.

Day 1 · EuroAirport · Saignelégier

Welcome to the Franches-Montagnes

Arrival at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse. Private transfer to Saignelégier, the main town of the Franches-Montagnes (about 1 hour 10 minutes), via the Delémont valley. A free afternoon to rest, or a first stroll around the village.

  • Private transfer ≈ 1 h 10 min
  • Hotel in Saignelégier

Day 2 · Saignelégier · Étang de la Gruère

The Étang de la Gruère

A gentle loop to the Étang de la Gruère, a lake at the heart of a protected peat bog: dark water, birch trees, boardwalk paths and, on a still day, the fir trees mirrored on the surface. Back across the pastures and farms of the plateau. Second night in Saignelégier.

  • 16.2 km · +260 m · −260 m
  • ≈ 4 h walking
  • Hotel in Saignelégier

Day 3 · Saignelégier · Le Noirmont · Goumois

Horses, then down to the Doubs

The day of the wooded pastures: from farm to farm, you pass mares and their foals in the shade of the great trees. After Le Noirmont, the path plunges through the forest to the Doubs and the village of Goumois, shared between Switzerland and France on either side of the river.

  • 13 km · +230 m · −720 m
  • ≈ 3 h 30 min walking
  • Inn on the banks of the Doubs

Day 4 · Goumois · Soubey

Along the Doubs

A day following the water, almost flat: broadleaf woods, old mills, fly fishermen and herons. Along the way, the Doubs leaves the border behind and enters Switzerland. You arrive at the hamlet of Soubey, in a bend of the river.

  • 12.9 km · +110 m · −130 m
  • ≈ 3 h 15 min walking
  • Inn in Soubey

Day 5 · Soubey · Saint-Ursanne

On to Saint-Ursanne

The last stage along the Doubs, through the Clos du Doubs, the great loop the river traces before heading back towards France. You enter Saint-Ursanne by its old stone bridge: narrow lanes, fortified gates and a collegiate church, in a small medieval town that has survived intact.

  • 15.3 km · +250 m · −290 m
  • ≈ 4 h walking
  • Hotel in Saint-Ursanne

Day 6 · Saint-Ursanne · EuroAirport

The bridge at Saint-Ursanne

A free morning to wander the old town and the bridge, watched over by the statue of St John of Nepomuk. Transfer to EuroAirport for your journey home (about 1 hour).

  • Private transfer ≈ 1 h

Evenings on the trail

In the evening, a taste of the Jura.

Tête de moine shaved into delicate rosettes, Ajoie sausage, cheese tart and, to finish, a glass of damassine, the Jura's plum brandy.

The route

From the Franches-Montagnes plateau to the Doubs

Map of the route: arrival at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse, transfer via Delémont to Saignelégier, a loop to the Étang de la Gruère, down through Le Noirmont to the Doubs at Goumois, then along the river via Soubey to Saint-Ursanne, from where you return to Basel.FranceSuisseEuroAirportBâleDelémontÉtang de la GruèreLe Noirmont1Saignelégier3Goumois4Soubey5Saint-UrsanneN
On footTransfers to and from EuroAirportRoute for guidance only
  1. 01Welcome to the Franches-MontagnesPrivate transfer ≈ 1 h 10 min
  2. 02The Étang de la Gruère16.2 km · +260 m · −260 m
  3. 03Horses, then down to the Doubs13 km · +230 m · −720 m
  4. 04Along the Doubs12.9 km · +110 m · −130 m
  5. 05On to Saint-Ursanne15.3 km · +250 m · −290 m
  6. 06The bridge at Saint-UrsannePrivate transfer ≈ 1 h
Download the GPX track
Elevation profile of the walk200 – 1200 m

What's planned

Included and not included

Included

  • 5 nights in hotels and inns, double room
  • Breakfast and dinner (half board)
  • Luggage transfers from stage to stage
  • Private transfers EuroAirport → Saignelégier and Saint-Ursanne → EuroAirport
  • Route notes in English, maps and GPX track
  • Telephone assistance in English during your stay

Not included

  • Travel to Switzerland (flights or train)
  • Lunches and picnics
  • Drinks
  • Travel insurance (cancellation, medical care, repatriation)

Practical details

Departures
We recommend arriving on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; other days are possible on request.
Transfers
Private transfer from EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse (≈ 1 h 10 min), included on arrival and departure. You can also arrive via Zurich Airport or Geneva Airport: we will give you the train connections.
Accommodation
Village hotels and country inns, in double rooms. On the banks of the Doubs, the inns are simple and the cooking generous.
A rocky ridge rises above a hollow of pastures and a red-roofed mountain farm restaurant, near the Chasseral.

Our partners on the ground

Professionals who know the terrain

Travel agencies based in Switzerland

Rando en Suisse works with travel agencies based in Switzerland, chosen for their reliability and their knowledge of the Jura. On the ground, they take care of everything: booking the hotels and inns, transporting your luggage, transfers from the airport and assistance during your walk. The agency sells you the trip and signs the contract with you; you are told which agency it is with your quote. Rando en Suisse advises you, answers your questions and remains your point of contact, from your first enquiry until departure.

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Let's talk about your trip

We reply in English or French, by email or by phone, with no obligation.

Message us on WhatsAppCall +41 78 600 37 36

This trip is organised and sold by a travel agency based in Switzerland, a partner of Rando en Suisse. Rando en Suisse provides information and puts you in touch with the agency; Rando en Suisse does not sell any trips.