At Lac de Vouglans, swimming and water sports are available alongside historic buildings and a hiking trail to castle ruins. A trip to La Tour-Du-Meix can therefore combine water-based activities and cultural attractions. The options differ considerably: beaches, water sports and lake cruises are set against historic sites and a hike.
Lac de Vouglans: Shoreline and Water Activities
Lac de Vouglans is 35 km long and France’s third-largest artificial lake. Its wooded shores feature viewpoints, sandy beaches and hiking trails. As well as water-based activities, the lakeside scenery and trails are among the destination’s defining features.
There are three designated, supervised beaches at Lac de Vouglans where swimming is permitted. At Port du Meix in La Tour-Du-Meix, also known as Port du Surchauffant, speedboats and water skiing are the main activities. Lake cruises depart from Port du Meix (Pont de la Pyle) aboard the Bateau le Louisiane. The activities are clearly distinct: swimming at the beaches, water sports at the port, or a cruise on the lake.
Castle History and Hiking Trail
The Château de la Tour-du-Meix was built from the 12th century onward and renovated by the abbots of Saint-Claude. Its fortress controlled the Pyle gorge, one of the access routes to the abbots’ extensive territory in the Haut-Jura. The castle is therefore not only a building but also a site connected with the former control of this access route.
The 12 km “Les Falaises du Surchauffant” hiking trail passes the ruins of the Château de la Tour-du-Meix. There is a car park for the trail at the Surchauffant campsite in La Tour-Du-Meix. Those planning the route can combine the hike with views of the ruins; the trail passes them and is not the same as the castle itself.
Church and Notable Structures
The Église Saint-Christophe is among the oldest religious buildings in the Jura. The church houses the carved, painted and polychrome wooden statues “Vierge et saint Jean”. They were listed as movable cultural heritage on 9 December 1996.
The Pont de la Pyle is 351 m long, 9 m wide and 74 m high. Its dimensions set it apart from the traces of earlier history: the château, the Pyle gorge and the church represent different aspects of La Tour-Du-Meix’s cultural heritage.
As a regional route, the 150 km signposted Route des Lacs leads to the listed church in La Tour-Du-Meix and recommends stops at Port du Meix and Surchauffant beach. By comparison, the 12 km “Les Falaises du Surchauffant” trail is a considerably shorter walk that passes the castle ruins. The options therefore differ both in scale and in whether the focus is on lakeside locations, the church or the castle ruins.
Discover more destinations: Thoirette, Choisey, Menotey, Orgelet, Pont-de-Poitte, Les Bouchoux, Saint-Lothain, La Favière
For the broader travel overview: Jura.
