Besançon

The City of Time, city of Holiday in France

The heart of the city, nestling in a loop of the River Doubs, offers visitors the charming spectacle of its myriad narrow streets. The 16th century townhouses with their robust pediments on the façades, the 18th century mansions, the powerful colours that differ from façade to façade thanks to the use of Chailluz limestone.

From the Battant quarter, formerly the wine-growers quarter, to the streets around St John's Cathedral, Besançon offers a surprise around each corner. Inner courtyards whose staircases are adorned with wrought iron balustrades or wooden balusters, fountains of crystal clear water, beautifully maintained parks and gardens which give Besançon the reputation as the greenest city in France. But Besançon is not all about history.

Today the city centre beats to the rhythm of commerce and craft trades.  The know-how of skilled craftsmen is handed down in the workshops where stringed instruments makers, gilders, glassblowers and others open their doors to visitors and share with them their passion.

As the focal point of a conurbation which can boast many a high-tech industry, Besançon has become known around the world as a capital of microtechniques, thanks to the work of the Local Action Committee.