Haute-Saone, France
Haute-Saone holiday rental homes - Haute-Saone Houses
The Haute-Saone department is found in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France. Named after the Saone River, the department is overwhelmingly rural. The Haute-Saone offers the perfect gateway to the Vosges and Jura Mountains, Alsace and Bourgogne. The Haute-Saone is actually located at the foot of the Jura Mountains, and includes part of the nature reserve park of the Ballons des Vosges, where you can follow a 60 km landscaped trail. Rent a self catering Haute-Saone holiday home if you enjoy a rural and tranquil holiday experience.
Vesoul is the capital of the department. The spa town of Luxeuil-les-Bains, has many fine sandstone houses and monuments, the ancient abbey of St Columban, with its 13th and 15th century cloisters and restored basilica, the beautiful red stone thermes in a shady park, and a fascinating lace museum - well worth visiting when staying in a holiday house or gite in Haute-Saone, France.
Lure is another town you won’t want to miss. The Abbey of Lure was situated here. In the seventh century, Clothaire II recognised the virtues of Saint Deicolus and considerably enriched the Abbey of Lure, also granting Deicolus the manor, woods, and fisheries of the town which had grown around the monastery.
When you holiday in Haute-Saone, make sure you enjoy the department’s impressive water features. Take time out by the many lakes of the Plateau des Mille Etangs (literally a Thousand Ponds) which are popular for game-fishing. Also enjoy the restful waters of the Saone river by taking a gentle riverboat cruise. You can hike in the Monts de Gy, go canoeing on the Ognon river, and participate in numerous watersport activities at the lakes of Malsaucy, Forges and Brognard.
Perhaps during your stay in the Haute-Saone you’ll be tempted to consider discovering nature in a horse-drawn caravan at Fontenois-la-Ville and Dampierre-sur-Salon. The department has its own local delicacies including the smoked ham of Luxeuil and the world famous kirsch of Fougerolles.
An unmissable sight at Ronchamp, high on a hill and visible for miles, is the chapel of Notre-Dame du Haut, designed by architect Le Corbusier, a stunning creation of which is more like a sculpture than a building, with an interior which uses light and form to create a truly sacred space. At Ronchamp there is also a mining museum, devoted to the story of the local industry and the lives of the miners.
Travelling to your Haute-Saone holiday rental property
By rail: Vesoul has its own train station which connects to Paris Est station. There are several trains throughout the day and journey time is between 3 – 3 ½ hours. There is also a local service which connects to the department’s main towns. By road: The department is well situated on the major European routes. The A5 and A31 are conveniently nearby. Journey time form Paris is just over 4 hours. By air: EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg and Lyon Saint-Exupéry International Airport are the nearest international airports. Both are well-served by the low-cost airline industry operating flights from all over the UK.