"With Snopy, my faithful four-legged friend by my side, we decided to cross Switzerland on foot, from north to south. The diversity of the landscapes between the Jura, the Plateau, the Alps and finally the Ticino was more than inviting to our eyes. What's more, we would be crossing three of the country's four linguistic regions. We were still unsure how much time to allow for each stage, but we certainly had to start at the beginning... So we took the train towards the northern borders of Switzerland and reached Porrentruy. At times in this small student town, we might have thought we were in France. Then we headed for St-Ursanne, crossing one of the first folds of the Jura mountain range and passing by the Chalet of the Friends of Nature at Les Chainions. It was a Saturday, so we had the chance to quench our thirst on the premises. After that, we walked along the ridge and saw the Vacherie Mouillard cowshed down below with the steeple of its chapel dating from 1888 (as I will learn later). After walking for just under five hours, we reached the banks of the Doubs and spent some time discovering the medieval town of St-Ursanne. A wonderful first stage!"
Jean, 40
The full route comprises 32 stages between Porrentruy and Mendrisio.
Info
Section 1: Porrentruy - Seleute - St-Ursanne
Duration: 4h50
Distance: 16 km
Gradient: 620 m
Section 2: St-Ursanne - Soubey
Duration: 3h55
Distance: 15 km
Gradient: 280 m
Section 3: Soubey - Saignelégier
Duration: 4h25
Distance: 12 km
Gradient: 840 m
Section 4: Saignelégier - St-Imier
Duration: 4h55
Distance: 18 km
Gradient: 460 m
Difficulty
Technically: easy (hiking trail)
Physically: medium
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