French-speaking Switzerland with a dog: from Saint-Ursanne to Dardagny
Florine, her aunt and their two dogs Mo and Bow are embarking on a week in a van in French-speaking Switzerland. Discover their adventure in the towns of Romainmôtier, Dardagny, Le Landeron, Valangin and Grandson!
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When I think of the Switzerland, the first things that come to mind are big spaces, green meadows but above all, the chocolate (which we won't talk too much about here for the well-being of our greediest doggies!).
I have already introduced you to top 5 activities to do in Switzerland with your dog or even the most beautiful hikes to discover there with doggie and I'm back today with a new adventure to share with you in three episodes !
So yes, with Musher we have crossed the border a few times but never to stay there very long, so what better than to let Florine and her small team speak to tell us about her magnificent journey in the region of “Rostigraben"?
Florine, the floor is yours!
To remember :
- We often know the Switzerland for its major international cities but we know her less for these charming little villages et bathed in nature. All full of little corners of paradise in the middle of montagne or at the edge of lacs to discover with his dog ;
- If you are looking for a fun, sporty and out of the ordinary activity to share with your chien à Porrentruy, then you will love browsing the Secret Tour ;
- During your walks in this region of the French speaking Switzerland, be careful not to disturb the work of farmers who cultivate their land there.
TRAVELING THROUGH ROMAN SWITZERLAND IN A WEEK ABOARD A VAN WITH YOUR DOG
Switzerland : its wild mountains, its translucent lakes, its pure air...renowned for its natural assets, Switzerland also deserves to be known for its most beautiful villages and cultural values. We take you around these preserved villages, on the west side of the Rostigraben ", the Röstis barrier as we say in Switzerland, this border invisible to the naked eye between the German-speaking part and the French-speaking part.
Personalized banks of the Doubs, at the French border, to the southernmost towns of the country, passing close to the international Geneva, we take you to discover for seven days villages renowned for their architecture, their story, their culture…but also villages which, for some, deserve to be better known for the possibilities of travel with your dog !
But where exactly did this project come from?
For my diploma work in tourism, I focused on tourism dog friendly. And what could be better than applying your research in practice and observing the field? After studying the case of the city of Biel as part of this work, I wanted to go further…and change the format. And if the villages recognized by the association of the most beautiful villages in Switzerland were perfect candidates for traveling with a dog? After all, their advantages are many : often surrounded by nature, a good part of the activities are done at outdoors, which reduces the risk of being refused indoor visits "because of the dog". Restrictions on dogs are rarer here than in the city or in nature parks and protected wilderness areas. Many residents own a dog themselves and their reception is rather favorable, at least on a leash for the most touristic areas.
Tips from Musher and Sophie: “To stay within the theme and if you are more of a fan of city walks, I also share lots of advice for spend a weekend in Geneva with your dog ! "
To carry out this expedition, however, I lacked one essential thing: a dog of my own that I could take on the trip. I then surrounded myself with a team up, calling on my aunt and her dog named Mo, irish setter cross. One year old and recently adopted by my aunt to someone who could no longer keep him for health reasons, this was an opportunity to make him discover the world and strengthen our relationship with him. Lent by a friend of my aunt for her holidays, Bow, 11-year-old crossbred boxer, joined us on the second day of our trip. Two dogs, two humans, a VW bus that would allow us to spend a night camping and off we went for the adventure of roadtrip !
Our route drawn, we set sail on Sunday July 17, 2022, first only with Mo, towards the first villages.
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Saint-Ursanne and Porrentruy, two villages to visit with your dog
Our first day of travel looms around Jura villages. At the edge of banks of the Doubs, St Ursanne welcomed us on the occasion of his craft market, where many dogs accompany their masters. Prohibited however in the enclosure of the cloister and the collegiate church, we recommend to visit the outskirts of the village and the pretty alleys, or even to attempt a walk along the river. Public beaches accept dogs on a leash. On site we will remember to taste the famous Doubs trout!
Tips from Musher and Sophie: “If you want to know even more about your future holidays in the Jura with your dog, you can read the precious advice of Pica and Léticia on the subject."
À Porrentruy, after having lunch At the Petit Café de la Gare, a restaurant that we recommend, a rather exceptional activity was waiting for us: the Secret Tour. In possession of a key, we can open doors inaccessible to the public and visit hidden places. From the depths of the dungeons to the top of the towers of Porrentruy Castle passing through the alleys of the old town, we discover the medieval past of the village and the region, sometimes through sound and visual animations. And it must be said that this adventure was appreciated by Mo, intrigued by the projections and audio effects. He will still have had a great fright in front of a cardboard pig that he will have taken for a real one. the Secret Tour is a activity accessible to any person or dog who can walk about two hours, interspersed with breaks, and climb fairly high steps or be carried. Note that the keys can be recovered either in the Jura Tourisme reception desks, either at Hotel Dieu Museum.
Le Landeron, Valangin and Grandson for great walks with your dog
Living nearby, we spent the night at home. Bow joined us the day before, back from Porrentruy. Next step: The landeron, a village located atBetween-two-Lakes, strip of land between the lakes from Biel and Neuchâtel. Its small colorful center deserves to stop there for a coffee on the terrace, in the shade of the trees. We take advantage of a small morning walk along the Thielle, a canal with natural surroundings and a place very popular with walkers. Flat and tarred, the walk is suitable for everyone. Be careful with respect the work of farmers, who cultivate their fields along the river.
At the end of the morning, the looming heat wave changed our plans. The ground soon became hot still barely allowed us to visit the center of Valangine and its typical architecture and to have a picnic in the shade of the forest. We did not go up to Valangin Castle, but going around it promises a beautiful view of the surroundings.
For the afternoon, we planned to visit the grandson castle, one of the most beautiful and largest in Switzerland, in the shade and in the cool. Bad luck, he is forbidden to dogs. After a quick visit to the village of grandson, without the dogs left in the shade and cool on the bus, we headed to Romainmotier to dine there and spend the night. The restaurant at the Croy-Romainmôtier train station, simple and family cooking, spontaneously offered us water bowls for dogs. It is accessible by a twenty-minute walk in a small nature reserve (dogs on a leash), along the Nozon River. About the guest room at Maison Junod who welcomed us for the night, in addition to being recognized five stars by Switzerland Tourism, our dogs were accepted there free of charge and received the best welcome of the stay. A piano upstairs, a breakfast of local and fresh products delivered to our door and a 24-hour independent check-in are the strengths of this accommodation ideally located in the center of the village.
Romainmôtier and Dardagny, where life is good with your dog
Our third day of travel begins with walking the dogs. We go up the course of the Nozon in a fpreserved gold and meet other canids accustomed to the place and their masters. Back in the village, we find Romainmôtier abbey. Both the inside and the outside are worth a visit, and while there are no signs prohibiting us from taking our dogs with us, we do keep them on a leash inside out of respect for the place. Ideal village to loosen and this recharge ou go on a hike, Romainmotier is among our favorites and we recommend spending several days there to make the most of all its attractions. The premises are also very welcoming and the village is located in the heart of the Vaudois Jura Park.
Small point material | What does Musher put in his bag?
To go hiking or take long walks, it is better to prepare your equipment well! Leash, lanyard, collar, harness, luminous or not. Here is the Emmenetonchien.com store in which you will find very useful products to complete your equipment!
Because of the heat wave, which does not take long to remind us of its presence as soon as we leave the forest, we take the road again towards bursins. Small village perched in the vineyards above the Lake Geneva. We only recommend a brief visit to visit the chapel, which is very pretty, and take a break to interrupt the long road that leads to Dardagny. The rest of the points of interest are in fact private domains. This last aspect, not necessarily well reported, earned us to be chased away in a rather unfriendly and rather immediate way. It was without making us pray any longer that we then headed towards Dardagny, wine-growing village well known in the Geneva region for his quality wines. While waiting for the temperature to go down, we take refuge at the edge of theAllondon. River not yet dried up where fresh water flowed, but not cold, it was good for us there swim with our dogs. Here again located in a nature reserve, dedicated beaches are open to the public. Failing to see the temperature drop enough to visit the village, we decide to wait until dusk and go to dinner at theCommunal inn of Satigny to wait. We were automatically offered water for our dogs, a welcome gesture when the temperature had reached 38°C at the hottest of the day. It is under a pink sky by the sunset that we visited Dardagny, and in particular the surroundings of the castle and the well-appointed park that surrounds it. In the typical streets, we discovered a goldfish fountain, where the dogs lapped up a few sips of fresh water.
For the record, it was undoubtedly in Dardagny that we spent the most eventful night. The temperature being still too high to sleep in the closed bus and two dogs of thirty and forty kilos respectively taking up a certain amount of space, we opened all the doors and the dogs slept for the first time outside, right next to us...this which regularly earned us muffled “wofs” – they made an effort to hold back – as soon as a leaf moved in the campsite. The humans slept as much as possible, but we won't hide the fact that the dogs had little eyes when morning came and looked the same as if they had been partying all night. They must have felt obliged to stand guard. At six o'clock sharp, the storm began to rumble and the sound of large drops falling on the roof put a definitive end to our short night, forcing us to pack up everything and wait for the downpour to calm down before going for a walk in the River bank.
End of this first episode of the Swiss adventures of Florine and her troupe!
I'm sure this first part of the roadtrip has given you some ideas for your next vacation in the Swiss mountains. And in any case, Musher is already packing his suitcase thanks to our great checklist for going on vacation with your dog !
See you soon for the rest of the journey, and don't hesitate to share this article around you!
And if Switzerland won't be your next destination for a mountain vacation with your dog, don't panic! Traveling in Ariège, cross the Puy-De-Dôme, or discover Cantal with your dog... You can find lots of other great ideas for visits, walks and activities andaccommodation solutions on the rest of our website !