The last major French town before the Swiss border, Pontarlier sits high in the Jura mountains and has long guarded the natural pass, the Cluse, that carries the Via Francigena toward Switzerland. A gateway town for merchants and pilgrims heading for the Alps, it stands beneath the cliffs of the gorge and the Château de Joux. The town is also the historic home of absinthe, distilled here in the 19th century.
Highlights
- Historic capital of absinthe, home of the legendary Green Fairy
- The Porte Saint-Pierre triumphal arch closing the main street
- Roman staging post of Ariolica on the road across the Jura
- Ramsar peat bogs of the Drugeon valley with curlew and snipe
- Last French town to sort Swiss francs and a credential stamp
At a glance
| Period | Medieval / early modern |
|---|---|
| Stage | 6 — Wisques to Thérouanne |
Take care
- Pavements can be icy well into spring at over 800 metres
- Real mountain winters — ordinary town care otherwise
History
The town grew from Ariolica, a staging post on the Roman road across the Jura, and in the Middle Ages governed itself as a federation of surrounding villages known as the baroichage. A great fire in 1736 levelled much of the centre, and Louis XV funded the rebuilding commemorated by the triumphal arch of the Porte Saint-Pierre. Henri-Louis Pernod opened his distillery in 1805, and dozens of absinthe houses flourished here until the French ban of 1915.
Myth & legend
Pontarlier is the historic capital of absinthe, the emerald spirit nicknamed 'la fée verte', the Green Fairy, whom Belle Époque poets such as Verlaine hailed as a muse. Legend pictured the fairy rising from the glass to whisper inspiration, until France banned the drink; today Pontarlier distils it once more.
Geology
Pontarlier sits above 800 metres on a high plateau of the folded Jura, at the mouth of the cluse that breaks through the Larmont ridge toward Switzerland. The country rock is Jurassic limestone, and it is karstic: rain sinks into fissures, caves and swallow holes rather than gathering in surface streams, re-emerging in powerful springs at the plateau edges.
Wildlife & nature
The Drugeon valley just north of the town is a Ramsar wetland of peat bogs and lakes where curlew, lapwing, snipe and spotted crake breed among sundews and marsh gentian. In the fir and spruce forests around, roe deer and chamois are common and Eurasian lynx have recolonised the massif since reintroductions in the 1970s.
The view
A high Jura market town strung along the Doubs beneath wooded ridges, its main street closed by the Porte Saint-Pierre arch, with the cliffs of the cluse and the Chateau de Joux just beyond.
Photography
Shoot the Porte Saint-Pierre framed down the main street in early light; the bridges over the Doubs give reflections, and viewpoints south of town add mountain backdrops to the rooftops.
When to visit
June to September suits the Jura crossing that follows; the town sits above 800 metres, so nights stay cool even in summer, and snow is possible late and early in the season.
Getting there
Walkers reach Pontarlier through the Doubs and Loue country on the approach to the Swiss border; the town has a railway station on regional lines and bus links across the high Jura.
Where to stay
The last sizeable French town on the route offers hotels, gites d'etape and chambres d'hotes; credential holders can ask about parish hospitality, and booking ahead matters in high season.
Food & water
Cafes and shops line the centre, so stock up here; refill points thin out on the climb through the cluse and over the border hills, so carry ample water for the next stage.
Safety
Ordinary town care; at over 800 metres the winters are real — pavements can be icy well into spring. In an emergency dial 112.
Accessibility
The town centre is compact and mostly level along the main street, easy going for all; the stages either side climb steadily, with rougher paths towards the cluse and the border.
Visitor tips
Sort Swiss francs and supplies before crossing the border, taste the town's absinthe heritage at its distilleries, and get a credential stamp at the tourist office before the climb past Joux.
The guide, in full
The written guide to this site.
Pontarlier is the last French town of any size on the road to Rome, and it feels like a threshold the moment you arrive. It stands above eight hundred metres on a high plateau of the folded Jura, strung along the young River Doubs beneath dark wooded ridges, with the cliffs of the cluse and the towers of the Chateau de Joux waiting just past the last houses. Walkers have been stocking up here for two thousand years. The town began as Ariolica, a staging post on the Roman road across the Jura, a place to change animals and gather your nerve before the climb. In the Middle Ages it governed itself in an unusual fashion, as a federation of surrounding villages known as the baroichage, which pooled its rights and ran its own affairs. A great fire in seventeen thirty-six levelled much of the centre, and Louis the Fifteenth paid for the rebuilding; the handsome triumphal arch of the Porte Saint-Pierre that closes the main street is the town's thank-you note in stone. Then came absinthe. In eighteen oh five Henri-Louis Pernod opened his distillery here, and Pontarlier became the world capital of the emerald spirit that the Belle Epoque called la fee verte, the Green Fairy. Poets including Verlaine hailed her as a muse, and the legend pictured her rising out of the glass to whisper inspiration into a writer's ear. Dozens of absinthe houses flourished in these streets until France banned the drink in nineteen fifteen and much of the town's livelihood vanished with it. The ban was lifted long ago, the stills are working again, and you can taste the local version in the town today, cloudy and green and pungent with wormwood and anise. The plateau around Pontarlier is limestone, and it is karst country, which explains why the ground can look so oddly dry. Rain does not gather into streams; it disappears into fissures, sinkholes and caves, travels underground through the rock, and comes back to daylight in powerful springs at the edges of the plateau. Keep an eye out for swallow holes in the fields, and for little rivers that simply stop. Just north of the town lies one of the finest wetlands in France, the Drugeon valley, a Ramsar site of peat bogs, pools and wet meadows where curlew, lapwing, snipe and spotted crake breed among sundews and marsh gentian. In the fir and spruce forests all around, roe deer and chamois are common, and the Eurasian lynx has quietly recolonised the massif since reintroductions in the nineteen seventies. You will not see one. It has very probably seen you. This is a practical stop as much as a lovely one, so use it well. Sort out Swiss francs, replace anything worn through, buy food for the crossing, and ask at the tourist office for a stamp in your credential before you go. Refill points thin out badly once you start climbing through the cluse and over the border hills, so fill everything you carry. At this altitude the nights stay cool even in high summer, pavements can be icy well into spring, and mountain weather arrives without much warning. Take a slow turn around the main street this evening, look up at the Porte Saint-Pierre with the light going, and let it sink in that France is nearly behind you. Tomorrow the road threads the gorge beneath the castle and lifts you towards Switzerland, the lake, and the great pass beyond. Sleep well, pilgrim.
Common questions
How old is Pontarlier and the Cluse de Pontarlier?
Pontarlier and the Cluse de Pontarlier dates from the Medieval / early modern period.
How do I get to Pontarlier and the Cluse de Pontarlier?
Walkers reach Pontarlier through the Doubs and Loue country on the approach to the Swiss border; the town has a railway station on regional lines and bus links across the high Jura.
Is Pontarlier and the Cluse de Pontarlier accessible?
The town centre is compact and mostly level along the main street, easy going for all; the stages either side climb steadily, with rougher paths towards the cluse and the border.
When is the best time to visit Pontarlier and the Cluse de Pontarlier?
June to September suits the Jura crossing that follows; the town sits above 800 metres, so nights stay cool even in summer, and snow is possible late and early in the season.
Is there food and water at Pontarlier and the Cluse de Pontarlier?
Cafes and shops line the centre, so stock up here; refill points thin out on the climb through the cluse and over the border hills, so carry ample water for the next stage.
Where can I stay near Pontarlier and the Cluse de Pontarlier?
The last sizeable French town on the route offers hotels, gites d'etape and chambres d'hotes; credential holders can ask about parish hospitality, and booking ahead matters in high season.
What should I know before visiting Pontarlier and the Cluse de Pontarlier?
Sort Swiss francs and supplies before crossing the border, taste the town's absinthe heritage at its distilleries, and get a credential stamp at the tourist office before the climb past Joux.
Is Pontarlier and the Cluse de Pontarlier safe to visit?
Ordinary town care; at over 800 metres the winters are real — pavements can be icy well into spring. In an emergency dial 112.
Nearby on the route
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