visit Besançon

One of the finest creations from Louis XIV’s engineer Vauban. Perched on an impressive spur of the first Jura plateau and Unesco World Heritage listed since 2008, it hides three National Museums behind its ramparts, all offering fascinating visits: Musée Comtois, a regional history museum, Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation, on the theme of France during the occupation, and the natural history Museum.

Our 1,000 km of signposted pathways dotted with lookout platforms that provide breathtaking views in a privileged natural setting, our rivers, streams, and lakes, our in-town strolls, our green landscapes are a delight for ramblers, hikers, and mountain bikers out to conquer the hidden treasures of our region.

Fine arts and archaeology museum—a forerunner in prestigious collections, renovated and inaugurated by President Emmanuel Macron as recently as November, 2018. It is one of the jewels in Besançon’s cultural crown. France’s oldest public collection has 1,000 restored works on view along with several prestigious collections, all shown off to great effect by the surprising architecture.

This house that witnessed the birth of the great literary figure on 26th February, 1802 celebrates the commitments and combats of an author who was very often in the forefront of thinking during his epoch. An exhibition venue accessible to all, instructive and attractive, Maison Victor Hugo is designed to be a living space of reflection and exchange.

At the heart of Palais Granvelle, this museum looks back at the great moments in Besançon clockmaking, reciting a dialogue between the history of time measurement and that of the town, all with a display of Fine Art collections. The concept of Besançon as a “clockmaking capital” integrates with the museum through the town’s heritage collections.

Three strolls have been marked with arrows in the town to enable easy discovery of its heritage. Follow them to discover a wealth of hidden city treasures. In a few strides you can turn back the centuries of history that have shaped this good-living town.