Château de Joux — Attraction in Pontarlier

Highly recommended! A fascinating fort with an intriguing 900-year history. Out of season, you need to go on a guided tour - takes about 90 minutes. There are quite a few steps, so wear comfortable shoes! A couple of places are a bit unnerving if you suffer from vertigo. Our guide, Lionel, was brilliant. Passionate, funny, knowledgable and we could understand about 90% of what he said (I'd guess we're a good 'A'-level standard of French). Lionel was a natural storyteller and entertainer! There are written foreign language guides available, just ask when you book. They've got big plans for developing the site further, so we'll definitely visit again next time we're in this enchanting...

Stopped here on a drive from Beaune to Lucerne - about midway through the trip. Pretty facade and you get a guided tour (albeit in French, so make sure to grab the paper guide at the entrance station). Tour takes about 1.25-1.5 hours, but was actually quite interesting as you hear the whole history of the fort/castle over the centuries. Also, very interesting history related to the American/Haitian slave trade and imprisonment of a major leader of the uprisings by Napoleon. By far the coolest thing was near the end of the tour when the guide drops water to the bottom of a well (in complete darkness) and it takes several seconds for it to hit - unique and...

We visited Chateau joux by chance, passing it by car and found ourselves in awe of the view. We quickly decided to take a detour and pay the castle a visit. We did not regret our choice at all. The staff is very friendly and even if you dont take a guided tour, guides stand at certain locations giving you explanations if you wish for it. The history, the view and the staff made our visit very worthwhile. If you happen to pass this site, we highly recommend a visit. Just drive up to the castle parking and...