Visit Besançon Capital of Time
Get away from it all in Besançon
Set in an exceptional natural environment, Besançon—a multifaceted destination—offers a unique experience: it provides visitors with the opportunity to immerse themselves in history, enjoy a wide range of outdoor activities, and experience all the charms of “French-style” living in a vibrant and innovative city. All around, nature is bountiful, with rivers, trails, forests, and marshes creating a landscape of great diversity.
Whether you’re staying for a weekend or a longer visit, depending on your mood, you can
stroll through the charming streets, visit one of France’s most beautiful fine arts museums, or take in a breathtaking view of the city from the wooded trails.
Besançon is a city of many facets: a city of water, the capital of time, the birthplace of great men (Victor Hugo foremost among them), a wine-growing town with its historic Battant district, a land of invention and innovation… and a capital of biodiversity.
2,000 years of history
For over 2,000 years, the exceptional site of Besançon has been inhabited by humans: first by the Gallic tribe of the Sequani, then by the Romans, following in the footsteps of Julius Caesar, who admired the site’s defensive qualities, “where the river forms a bend that looks as if it were drawn with a compass.” Indeed, Besançon’s geographical location is remarkable, and it has always been fortified.
Following the medieval period, during which the archbishop established himself as a prince of the Holy Roman Empire, came the flourishing Renaissance, epitomized by the Granvelle family, and then, at the end ofthe 17th century, the French conquest by the armies of Louis XIV. From that point on, Besançon became the capital of Franche-Comté, a French-speaking province that had long been part of the Habsburg Empire. Vauban, on the orders of his sovereign, built city walls and transformed the citadel into a true architectural masterpiece. This earned Besançon a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as part of the major sites of the Vauban network.
Since then, the city has continued to grow, first within the bend of the Doubs River and then beyond, spreading across the slopes of the site’s natural amphitheater.
Starting with the Revolution, the watchmaking industry bolstered the city’s vitality, and watchmakers, initially arriving from Switzerland, settled in the heart of the city until the industry became one of its main economic activities. During the Second Empire, nearly 400 workshops were established in the city, each specializing in a different aspect of watch manufacturing. The creation of a watchmaking school and an observatory in the late 19th century ensured the transmission of knowledge and the development of an industrial sector. Besançon became the capital of French watchmaking.
Besançon’s watchmaking expertise was inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in December 2020.
Besançon, City of Art and History
Besançon has been a City of Art and History since 1986
A stroll through Besançon is like taking a journey through centuries of history; the old neighborhoods offer visitors their architectural treasures, but it’s also an escape into the surrounding forests or along the Doubs River, which encircles the old town like a natural rampart, complemented by the walls built by Vauban.
As you wander through the streets, you can admire the facades of beautiful mansions (nearly 200, mostly built inthe 18th century), stroll through Battant, a former winegrowers’ district built on slopes that were once covered in vineyards, and explore the Saint Jean district, nestled on the slopes of the citadel around the cathedral of the same name. This building, dating back to the early Middle Ages, houses numerous treasures, including masterpieces of Italian Renaissance painting and the famous astronomical clock, of exceptional complexity. Across the bridge, you can visit the casino, located in the heart of the old spa district that once welcomed Colette, among others.
You can also head to the lower town, around the covered market, grab a table at a terrace
, or stroll through the main shopping streets, which are, of course, pedestrian-only.
A dense, rich, and varied cultural program offers shows, concerts, activities, and events throughout the year
centered around music, contemporary art, the fine arts, and dance.
There are many outdoor activities to enjoy in Besançon and the surrounding area: canoeing and kayaking, hiking and biking, rock climbing, swimming, gliding, caving, horseback riding, golf, and more…
Must-Sees
The Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology in Besançon
It houses one of the richest and oldest public collections in France. Masterpieces by renowned artists—from Bellini to Bonnard and Courbet—justify the collection’s reputation. Its Department of Drawings, which contains 5,000 works on paper, is considered one of the most important in France.
The Museum of Time
Part history museum, part clock museum, and part science museum, the Musée du Temps, housed in a magnificent Renaissance palace, pays tribute to Besançon’s history and watchmaking tradition.
Victor Hugo's Birthplace
Designed as an educational space, this house—where the great writer was born—uses interactive exhibits to explore the key causes championed by Victor Hugo, who always remained deeply attached to his hometown.
The FRAC
(Regional Contemporary Art Fund) in a magnificent architectural masterpiece designed by Kengo Kuma, on the banks of the Doubs River—a venue for exhibiting contemporary art in all its forms and manifestations.
The Comtois Houses Park Museum (Nancray)
On the upper Jura plateau, 20 minutes from downtown, an open-air museum featuring nearly 30 historic buildings that have been reconstructed here to showcase traditional rural life, offering a program focused on the relationship between humans and nature.
Useful
Besançon in the bag
Find sightseeing routes, major attractions, and all the shops in the city center, as well as the events calendar, at visiter.besancon.fr. The site is freely accessible via Wi-Fi (visiter.besancon network), 4G, or by scanning the QR code shown here.
For more information, visit theGreater Besançon Tourist Office website.
A great way to explore Besançon
Tourism Pass available for purchase at the Tourist Office and throughout the Ginko network, particularly at the Ginko Citadel line departure point.