Driving tour (Basel to Lake Geneva), Jura

Moutier (alt. 532 m/1,745ft; pop. 8,900), was a former center of medieval monastic culture with watchmaking and manufacture of machine tools. Southwest of the town is the interesting Romanesque chapel of Chalières with ornate frescoes (ca. 1020).The road then runs through a picturesque defile, the Gorges de Court, and continues through the villages of Court, Malleray-Bévilard and Reconvilier (731 m/2,398ft; pop. 2,600; important horse fair), birthplace of the famous clown known as Grock (Adrian Wettach, 1880-1959), to Tavannes (757 m/2,484ft; pop. 4,000), near the source of the Birs. From here the road ascends to the Pierre Pertuis.

From Pierre Pertuis the road ascends through a passage through the rock 12 m/39ft high and 8 m/26ft wide (Roman inscription), and then down to Sonceboz (656 m/2,152ft; pop. 1,370), where the railroad line from Biel to La Chaux-de-Fonds branches off.

The Basle to Lake Geneva route runs through the Vallon de St-Imier, the valley of the River Suze, to St-Imier (814 m/2,671ft; pop. 6,300), an important watchmaking capital, with a 12th C. Romanesque church and the Tour de la Reine Berthe, a remnant of the Romanesque church of St Martin. Cableway up the Mont Soleil (1,290 m/4,332ft). From here there is a direct road to Neuchâtel (30km/19mi), past Le Chasseral (1,610 m/5,282ft; hotel), from which there are beautiful panoramic views. The main road continues to La Chaux-de-Fonds.

From La Chaux-de-Fonds an attractive excursion can be made via Le Locle (9km/6mi) and the Col des Roches (917 m/3,009ft), 5km/3mi beyond which is the watchmaking village of Les Brenets (849 m/2,786ft; pop. 1,200), situated above the Lac des Brenets (753 m/2,471ft). The lake (length 4km/ 2mi, breadth 100-200 m/328-656ft, area 0.69 sq. km/0.27 sq. mi), enclosed by sandstone crags, is a natural formation on the River Doubs, which here forms the frontier between Switzerland and France.

14km/9mi southwest of the Col des Roches we come to La Brévine (1,046 m/3,432ft; pop. 700), and a further 14km/9mi south, in the Val de Travers, Fleurier (743 m/2,438ft; pop. 4,100). To the east of Travers it is a 30-minute round trip to former asphalt mines, (in operation until 1986), where natural asphalt, a mixture of bitumen and mineral (chiefly chalk), was mined.

14km/9mi southwest of Fleurier the town of Ste-Croix (1,092 m/3,583ft; pop. 5,300), famous for its musical boxes, lies in a valley on the slopes of Le Chasseron (1,611 m/5,286ft).Below the road from Ste-Croix to Vuiteboef wheel tracks can be seen in the rock of the old Roman road. The road from La Chaux-de-Fonds to Neuchâtel (22km/14mi) runs past the Vue des Alpes (9km/6mi; 1283 m/4,210ft; inn), from which there is a beautiful panorama of the Alps (Mont Blanc).

Southwest of the Lac de Neuchâtel, via Orbe, is La Sarraz (488 m/1,601ft; pop. 1,000), with a massive 11th C. castle which was given its present form in the 16th C.As part of the project "Renovation 2000" the castle is undergoing extensive restoration (opening hours given). In the former parish church of St-Antoine (now the Town Hall) can be seen the tomb of Count François de la Sarraz (d.1363).

Northwest of La Sarraz, on a by-road to the left of road 9, is the old-world little town of Romainmôtier (658 m/2,159ft) which has a monastery founded in the fifth C. and dissolved in 1537.

The by-road from Romainmôtier leads to the northeast end of the Lac de Joux. An attractive road follows the south side of the lake, passing through the little village of L'Abbaye, dominated by the massive tower of its church.

Just beyond the southwest side of Lac de Joux is Le Brassus (1,024 m/3,360ft), a winter sports resort with excellent skiing terrain (skilifts up Molard, 1,570 m/5,151ft). From here it is possible to continue to Nyon), on Lake Geneva, either by way of the Col du Marchairuz (1,447 m/4,748ft) or (passing through French territory) via La Cure, the Col de la Givrine (1,228 m/4,029ft) and the winter sports resort of St-Cergue (1,043 m/3,422ft); possible detour to the fine viewpoint of La Dôle, 1,677 m/5,502ft.