The Joie de Vivre of France: Cuisine and Sports Offer a Special Zest for Life

Celebrate a successful Transju’ Worldloppet with a toast from your Lumi trip leaders

France’s long and storied history has made it home to countless traditions, holidays, foods and races. From Bastille Day to the Tour de France to the Transju’ Worldloppet event, we’re exploring how France’s traditions weave together with its love for cross-country skiing to make it a destination for winter enthusiasts and summer visitors alike.

France’s annual Bastille Day celebrations grip the nation with patriotic fervor

Bastille Day: Athletes Show Their Pride

Bastille Day, or La Fête Nationale, is celebrated annually on July 14 and commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille fortress, a pivotal flashpoint of the French Revolution that symbolizes the collapse of the monarchy and birth of France’s unified republic. Today, the holiday is celebrated across the country with grand military processions, spectacular fireworks and lively open-air street parties at local firehouses known as Firemen’s Balls, or Bals des Pompiers.

While a midsummer holiday seems far removed from winter sports, Bastille Day shares a proud tradition with cross-country skiing through the French Military Ski Team. Many of France’s elite Nordic skiers and biathletes are also soldiers, with their training funded by the French military. These world-class skiers march in France’s military parades with their fellow soldiers, blending revolutionary patriotism with athletic pride. It’s no surprise that with a number of soldiers on their roster that France excels at the biathlon. French skiers earned three silver medals across 12 cross-country skiing events at the 2026 Winter Olympics – certainly impressive – but only a fraction of the 13 medals France won across 11 biathlon events, including six Gold medals – narrowly beating out Nordic powerhouse Norway’s haul in biathlon.

Want to try the biathlon yourself?

Skiers on Lumi’s France Transju’ trip visit Les Tuffes Nordic Centre just outside of Les Rousses for the opportunity to practice the biathlon with local experts. The stadium is home to the Premanon Cross Country World Cup and named Jason Lamy Chappuis Stadium after the French-American Olympic Gold Medalist in Nordic Combined. In a special Lumi connection, trip leader Annette is Jason’s mother – a connection guests enjoy learning more about on their trip.

The Tour de France traverses the Jura region’s hilly landscapes

The Tour de France Visits the Jura Mountains

Despite being the world’s most famous bike race, the annual Tour de France travels through many of France’s villages both big and small along its 3300+ km course, including through the Jura region, where Lumi’s France Transju’ trip visits. Centered around the town of Les Rousses, this village is known as a winter getaway and lies only an hour from Geneva, Switzerland, but feels a world away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. Farms and forests dot the countryside, home to over 200 km of groomed Nordic trails. The 15th stage of the 2026 Tour de France races through this scenic region on Sunday, July 19, passing right in front of Lumi’s hotel in Les Rousses. The community is transformed for the bike race, with countless spectators lining the course cheering on racers as they climb the area’s rolling hills.

The Transju’ and Tour de Ski: Winter’s Answer to the Tour de France

Although the excitement of the Tour de France may be just a memory by winter, the changing of the seasons brings about France’s signature cross-country ski race: the Transjurassiene Worldloppet Ski Marathon, commonly known as La Transju’. Held each year in mid-February, the event features 25 km and 50 km options that explore the rolling trails between Lamoura and Les Rousses. In addition to being the mother of an Olympic gold medalist, Lumi trip leader Annette is a former Transju’ race director and knows the ins and outs of this event better than almost anyone, helping to make your race-day experience as smooth as possible. Like the Tour de France, the entire community comes together to host France’s largest Nordic ski race, whether to volunteer or cheer on racers as they traverse the course. It’s an excellent opportunity to connect with the region’s deep love of winter sports.

Interested in an event that combines the thrill of the Transju’ with the perseverance of the Tour de France? The Tour de Ski, part of the World Cup circuit, comprises eight races across nine days in France, Germany and Italy. The upcoming 2027 Tour de Ski kicks off with three days of racing in Les Rousses on the same trails Lumi skiers visit later in the winter. You can watch these exciting races trailside in Italy with Lumi on our Tour de Ski trip in mid-January.

Let your trip leaders handle the logistics of the Transju’ so you can focus simply on skiing

Ski through the French countryside in the Transju’ Worldloppet

Reservations Only: French Trailside Hut Etiquette

Share a meal – and dessert – with your group at a trailside hut

Unlike on other Lumi trips where grabbing a meal from a trailside hut is as simple as settling into a lounge chair in the sun, sitting down for a meal in France – even lunch – is a comparatively formal affair. Reservations are required for nearly all meals, a difficult prospect when many huts aren’t listed online.

Trip leaders on Lumi’s France Transju’ trip make all of the reservations for guests at the trailside huts on the trip, in addition to providing daily trail recommendations for skiers of all skill levels. Meals in France are as delicious as any and feature plenty of locally produced cheeses, including the Jura region’s famous Comté cheese. Guests even tour the Comté cheese fortress, containing close to 200,000 wheels of Comté cheese. Of course, being in France, there are plenty of local wines to pair with the famous cheese. 

Plan Your Nordic Ski Trip to France

Would you like to explore the cross-country ski trails of France’s Jura Mountains before earning a Worldloppet stamp at the Transju’ Ski Marathon? There is still limited space on Lumi’s upcoming France Transju’ trip next winter. Reach out to reservations@lumiexperiences.com for a detailed itinerary or to sign up. We’re offering a $200/person discount through July 31 in honor of Bastille Day and the Tour de France. We look forward to hearing from you and having you on the trip!

See you on the trail,

Garrott Kuzzy
garrott@lumiexperiences.com 
Founder, Lumi Experiences