Franches-Montagnes (Saignelégier, Les Breuleux, Le Noirmont, Montfaucon)
Most of our Jura homes are on this plateau at around 1,000 metres, spread across Saignelégier, Les Breuleux, Le Noirmont, Les Emibois, Le Bémont and Les Enfers. Franches-Montagnes horses graze loose in wood pasture, and Saignelégier hosts the Marché-Concours horse show each August. The Étang de la Gruère, a peat-bog lake ringed by pines, is a short drive. Basel airport is around an hour and a quarter away.
Best for: Walkers, cyclists and riders who want open country and space
Not for you if: You want mountain drama: this is a high plateau of pasture and pine woods, not peaks.
Saint-Ursanne and the Clos du Doubs (Montmelon, Seleute, Soubey)
Saint-Ursanne is a small medieval town on a loop of the Doubs, entered through stone gates and crossed by an old bridge with a statue of Saint John Nepomuk. Canoes and kayaks go out on the river in summer, and the fishing is good. Montmelon, Seleute and Soubey are hamlets in the wooded gorge above and along the river, quiet and remote. Basel airport is about an hour by car.
Best for: Couples who want a small walled town and a river to paddle
Not for you if: You need shops and nightlife: Saint-Ursanne is tiny and most of the valley is farmland and forest.
Porrentruy and the Ajoie (Chevenez, Boncourt, Vendlincourt)
Porrentruy, close to the French border, has a castle above an old town of arcaded streets, and was once the seat of the prince-bishops of Basel. The surrounding Ajoie is open farmland with orchards known for the damassine plum and its spirit. Chevenez, Boncourt and Vendlincourt are farming villages, and France is a few minutes away by car. Basel airport is around 50 minutes away.
Best for: Value, cycling and an old town with a castle
Not for you if: You want hills and views: the Ajoie is the flattest, most agricultural corner of the Jura.
Delémont and the Bernese Jura (Courcelon, Vermes, Tavannes, Champoz)
Delémont, the cantonal capital, has a small old town and a railway junction with fast trains to Basel and Biel. Courcelon, Vellerat and Vermes are villages in the surrounding hills. South over the ridge lie Tavannes, Champoz and Souboz in the Bernese Jura, close to the former abbey at Bellelay, where the Tête de Moine cheese comes from. Les Genevez and Lajoux are nearby. Basel is around 45 minutes to an hour away.
Best for: Families who want a town base with train links and walking nearby
Not for you if: You want somewhere postcard-pretty: Delémont and Tavannes are working towns more than resorts.
Sainte-Croix (Vaud Jura)
Sainte-Croix sits at around 1,100 metres above Yverdon and has a long history of music-box making, told at its museum. Nearby Les Rasses has small ski lifts and cross-country trails, and Le Chasseron, a walk or short drive away, looks over the lakes to the Alps on a clear day. Geneva airport is around an hour and a quarter away.
Best for: Winter cross-country skiing and summer walks with Alpine views
Not for you if: You want to be near the other Jura villages: Sainte-Croix is well to the south-west, closer to Lake Neuchâtel.
Lake Biel (Biel, Twann, Vinelz)
The north shore of Lake Biel is lined with vineyards climbing to the foot of the Jura. Twann is a wine village with a gorge walk behind it, and St Peter's Island, reached by boat or along a causeway from Erlach near Vinelz, is good for walking and swimming. Biel is a watchmaking town with a bilingual old quarter. Zurich and Basel airports are each around an hour and a quarter away.
Best for: Lake swimming, wine villages and boat trips
Not for you if: You want a large choice: we have only a handful of homes around the lake.
