This eastern French city curves along the Doubs River, crowned by an 18th-century citadel. Home to France's oldest public art museum and a rich watchmaking tradition since 1793.
Besançon wraps around a bend in the Doubs River in eastern France. A massive citadel towers 118 meters above the city's streets, where you can walk from Victor Hugo's birthplace at 140 Grande Rue to Roman ruins and Renaissance squares. Inside centuries-old buildings, watchmakers still craft timepieces using precise mechanical movements, while students gather at outdoor tables along rue Mégevand, sipping coffee and wine late into the evening.
Getting to Besançon
The city's TGV station, Besançon-Franche-Comté, connects to Paris in about 2.5 hours. The closer station to the center, Besançon-Viotte, serves regional trains and some TGV routes. The nearest major airports are EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg and Lyon Saint-Exupéry, both requiring additional ground transport to reach the city.
The Citadel of Vauban
The limestone fortress rises 118 meters above the city, constructed between 1678 and 1771 under Louis XIV's military architect Vauban. The citadel opens daily from 9 AM to 5 PM in winter and until 7 PM in summer, with entry at €10.60 for adults. Inside this UNESCO World Heritage site, you can explore three museums covering regional history, resistance during WWII, and natural history. A 20-minute walk up the path leads to panoramic views of the Doubs Valley.
Museums and Culture
The Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology opened in 1694, making it France's oldest public art museum. You can see paintings by Bellini, Goya, Picasso, and Matisse in its galleries. At the Museum of Time in the 16th-century Palais Granvelle, you'll learn about precision timekeeping through displays of chronometers, pendulums, and atomic clocks.
Local Food Scene
Comté cheese, produced in the nearby mountains, defines the regional cuisine. Visit Cave aux Fromages on rue Gustave Courbet to taste 6, 12, and 24-month aged Comté varieties - each aging period creates distinct nutty flavors. At Le Poker d'As, you can try local dishes prepared with morille mushrooms and vin jaune, a yellow wine that ages under yeast for six years.
University Quarter
Students from the University of Franche-Comté concentrate in La Bouloie area, with popular meeting spots at Bar de l'U and Café de l'Industrie along rue Mégevand and place Marulaz. During term time, you can catch live music at Le Bastion or watch performances at the Centre Dramatique National in the Battant neighborhood.
Roman Architecture
The Porte Noire, a 2nd-century triumphal arch on rue de la Convention, stands 16.5 meters high with carved scenes from Greek mythology. Look for sections of the original Roman bridge beneath the modern Pont Battant crossing the Doubs. Near the cathedral, Square Castan contains the remains of a 15,000-seat Roman amphitheater.
