Poligny brings together several different discoveries: a tour of its architectural heritage, collections ranging from archaeology to art, and routes through wine-growing areas. For planning your visit, it is helpful to know that some options are described with a specific route length or duration, while the church, museum, viewpoint and cycling loop each have their own focus. This lets you plan culture and scenery around how much time you want to set aside for them.
Walking Routes and Church Art
The Parcours de la Tour offers a 1,650-metre loop through the centre of Poligny, showcasing its rich architectural heritage. Another loop on the route, Mouthier-le-Vieillard, is 1,750 metres long. The stated lengths differ by just 100 metres.
The Collégiale Saint Hippolyte can be visited during daylight hours throughout the year. It houses a remarkable collection of 15th-century Burgundian statues, as well as two Cavaillé-Coll organs facing one another. The church thus brings together different aspects of art and music history in one place.
Collections at the Musée de Poligny
The Musée de Poligny offers a different focus: its collections cover ethnology, archaeology, natural history and fine art. Two rooms bring together a herbarium, dinosaur bones, Quaternary fauna, ethnological collections from non-European cultures, and paintings and sculptures. The range spans natural history and archaeology through to human cultures and fine art. If you would like to give your stay cultural variety, the museum complements a visit to the Collégiale with additional subject areas.
Vineyards, Viewpoints and Cycling Routes
The Balade Ă Poligny is an easy 4.1-kilometre walking route with a stated duration of one hour. It passes through the Monts Martin, Grands Roussots and Chevraudes wine-growing areas. This route therefore combines a manageable distance with a walk through three named wine-growing areas.
If you would like to make a viewpoint the focus, consider the Culée de Vaux et Croix du Dan loop, which starts in Poligny. Its viewpoint looks out over the Culée de Vaux, Poligny and the Bresse; on a clear day, you can also see the town of Dole.
For cycling, La Coulée Douce is a significantly longer option: this family-friendly circular route is 46 kilometres long, follows streams and woodland, passes through wine-growing areas and returns to Poligny via Tourmont. This gives you a choice of different ways to spend time outdoors: a one-hour walk, a walking route with a viewpoint, or an extensive cycling loop.
Comté as a Distinctive Feature of the Jura
The Maison du Comté is located in the heart of the Jura, on the road from Lons to Poligny. Its visit, lasting around 1.5 hours, focuses on the Comté industry and is also designed with families in mind. An admission ticket includes a self-guided visit and a tasting of two types of Comté cheese. The approximate duration and the two included elements give you specific points to consider when planning this visit as part of your stay.
Discover more destinations: La Balme-D'épy, Mérona, Saint-Maurice-Crillat, Champagnole, Bois-D'amont, Grange-De-Vaivre, Pont-D'héry, Prenovel
For the broader travel overview: Jura.
