Besançon
Besançon is the capital of the eastern French region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
Get in
By plane
The nearest airport is EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (BSL IATA) in Basel, Switzerland.
Saint-Exupéry International Airport (LYS IATA) in Lyon, can be reached in about 2 hours, it is also easy to land in Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG IATA) and continue by train.
By train
Located just outside the city, and connected to it by a regular shuttle from the city station of Besançon Viotte, the Besançon TGV station has about ten direct high speed services a day to and from Paris, plus direct high-speed trains to Strasbourg, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Zurich, Luxembourg, Frankfurt and more destinations.
By bus
Eurolines [dead link] from all over Europe.
By car
Autoroute A36 from Paris.
Get around
The easiest way to get around this small town is by foot.
Ginko operates public transit including buses and two tram lines. Tickets can be purchased from bus operators or vending machines at tram stops. Tickets: €1.40 for one hour, €4.50 for a day (December 2019).
There is a good bike rental system, which is combined with the public transit network.
See
Besançon is a well-preserved Renaissance city and the historic part, located in the "Boucle" of the river is simply breath-taking with the remains of what is perceived to have been a theatre in Castan Square-eight Roman Corinthian columns among the most ancient of the town's attractions.
- 1 The Citadel (Citadelle de Besançon). Built by the famous architect Vauban in the 17th century is the major attraction in this town, comprising both a museum and a zoo-where lions, baboons and fish you can touch all provide a fantastic experience for the young and old alike. There is the opportunity to see impressive views of the countryside and the town on a walk around its fortifications.
- Granvelle Palace (Palais Granvelle). The museum of time, is yet another must-see in this authentic French town. The Tuscan, Ionic and Corinthian columns along with three gothic windows, once the features the Granvelle Palace, have become part of the impressive museum of time; another riveting place to visit.
- Museum of Fine Arts and Archeology. renowned as one of France's oldest and richest museums has collections from Primitive and Renaissance painters, and again provides a place that would be tragic to miss!
- 2 Besançon Cathedral.
Do
There are many guided tours to satisfy all interests including around various museums and the town.
There is certainly no shortage of sport and leisure activities with canoe trips and other water sports, boat trips around the city, self-service bicycles, climbing, pony rides all being available.
As one has come to expect of a French town, Besançon has a plethora of cycle tracks which allow exploration further into its beautiful scenery - and they certainly do not disappoint. Velocity Besançon is 200 bikes spread over 30 stations - one every 300 meters in the heart of town! This system, successfully adopted in other major cities like Paris, Lyon and Aix-en-Provence, is really a form of "individual transportation". The first 30 minutes are free.
Cinemas include:
- Cinéma Marché Beaux-Arts
- Le Plazza Victor Hugo Ciméma art et essai.
- Cinéma Mégarama
Buy
Shops in Besançon cater for all needs and tastes with the shops ranging from department stores like Galeries La Fayette to small French boutiques.
Other shops include Promod, Pimkie, and various book, gadget and sports shops.
Eat
A tribute to the infamous Cuisine Francaise, the flavours of Besançon can be enjoyed throughout the town in various restaurants. Of course, these days, a city wouldn't be a city without its fair share of fast-food which manifests itself in a Subway and several chicken and pizza places.
French baguettes filled with savoury delights at reasonable prices and the city's famous cheese - Comté, make the impressive gastronomy often associated with the French commonplace throughout Besançon.
Drink
Sleep
Besançon offers practically every type of accommodation imaginable, regardless of your budget.
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