Art, Salt, and Smiling Cows: A Sophisticated Day in Lons – le – Saunier
Darling, put down that heavy Dutch landscape catalog and listen. If you think my beloved Haarlem is the only place where history breathes through the cobblestones, you are delightfully mistaken. I have found myself in Lons-le-Saunier—or simply Lons, as the locals say when they aren't busy being charmingly provincial—and it is a fever dream of salt, Enlightenment architecture, and, strangely, very famous dairy products. It is early spring, the air in the Jura mountains has that crisp, "I need a vintage trench coat" quality, and I have mapped out the perfect day for us. Grab your sketchbook; we have aesthetics to dissect.
Morning: Caffeine, Arches, and the Art of the Bust
We begin at 9:00 AM at the Place de la Liberté. You cannot miss it; it is the heart of the city and looks exactly like a movie set where someone is about to start a revolution or a very elegant protest. We are seeking coffee first, because an art critic without caffeine is just a person with a bad attitude. Find a small table at one of the cafes lining the square and look up at the clock tower—it chimes the first notes of the Marseillaise every hour. Why? Because Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle was born right here. Yes, the man who wrote the French national anthem is a local boy. It’s very dramatic, very Jura.
Once you are sufficiently caffeinated, we are walking two minutes to the Musée des Beaux-Arts, tucked inside the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall). This is a rare gem. It isn't the Louvre, thank goodness—you won't be elbowed by tourists trying to see a tiny portrait. Instead, you get the breathtaking sculptures of Jean-Joseph Perraud. His work is visceral; the way he carves marble to look like soft, yielding skin is enough to make one weep. The museum also houses a surprising collection of 17th-century northern paintings. It feels like a private collection we’ve accidentally stumbled into. Tip: Spend time in the sculpture room when the morning light hits the plaster casts. It is pure Caravaggio lighting, for free.
Midday: The Architectural Catwalk
By 11:30 AM, we need to move. We are walking down the Rue du Commerce. This street is an architectural marvel featuring 146 stone arches. It’s like walking through a very long, very chic tunnel from the 17th century. It was rebuilt after a great fire, and the uniformity is soothing to my soul. We are stopping at the Librairie des Arcades. It is one of those bookstores where the smell of old paper is more intoxicating than a glass of Vin Jaune. They have a brilliant selection of art monographs and local history. I expect you to buy something obscure that we can pretend to have read later.
For lunch, we are being "healthy-ish." In the Jura, this usually means something with local trout or a salad so large it requires its own zip code. However, I’ve found a little bistro near the theater that occasionally serves fresh oysters flown in from the coast. There is something wonderfully rebellious about eating oysters in the middle of a mountain range. Pair them with a glass of local Crémant du Jura—it is bubbles with a PhD in sophistication. The acidity is the perfect palate cleanser for the afternoon ahead.
Afternoon: Pop Art and Equestrian Elegance
At 2:00 PM, we are going to the most controversial stop on my list: La Maison de La Vache qui rit (The House of the Laughing Cow). Now, don't look at me like that. As an art critic, I insist that branding is the contemporary art of the masses. This museum is built on the site of the original 1921 workshop. It is a masterclass in pop culture, graphic design, and kitsch. The red cow with the earring is an icon of French industrial design. It’s vibrant, it’s funny, and it’s a necessary break from the "serious" art of the morning. Plus, the gift shop is a goldmine for ironic Christmas presents.
After the cow, we need some fresh air. We are heading towards the Haras National (The National Stud). While we might not see a full dressage performance, the architecture of the stables is neo-classical perfection. Horses have a nobility that painters have tried to capture for centuries, and seeing these magnificent creatures against the backdrop of Lons’ greenery is a spiritual experience. It’s the "horses" part of my personality coming out, darling—just accept it. The walk there takes you past the Thermal Baths, which are housed in a beautiful 19th-century building surrounded by a lush park. It’s very "Jane Austen goes to France."
Evening: Rococo Dreams and Jura Gold
As the sun begins to dip, we are heading back to the center to admire the Théâtre de Lons-le-Saunier. It is a miniature opera house in the Rococo style, all gold leaf and red velvet. If there is a performance, we are going. If not, we are simply standing outside and admiring the facade, which looks like a tiered wedding cake made of stone. This theater matters because it represents the town's historical wealth—salt was "white gold," and they spent that money on beauty.
Dinner is at 8:00 PM. We are going somewhere cozy, with low ceilings and thick stone walls. We are ordering a Comté cheese soufflé—because we are in the land of Comté and it would be a sin not to—and perhaps some chicken with morels. The local wine, Vin Jaune, is a must. It is aged for six years and three months under a film of yeast, giving it a nutty, complex flavor that is an acquired taste, much like me. It is the color of a sunset in a glass.
Conclusion: The Art of Living
Practical tip for the night: Lons is quiet. It doesn’t have the frantic energy of Paris, and that is its greatest strength. People here value "la douceur de vivre"—the sweetness of living. Wear comfortable shoes, as those arches are pretty but the stones are uneven, and don't expect anyone to hurry. In Lons-le-Saunier, time is an art form, and today, we have painted a masterpiece.