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Offered languages
- English
- French
- Spanish
Discover Besançon, a little-known city but rich in history and culture. With its Roman ruins, varied museums and iconic citadel, this city is ideal for exploring on foot. Start with the Lumière brothers’ birthplace, then visit the Palais Granvelle and the Museum of Fine Arts. Don’t miss Saint John Cathedral and the beautiful Vauban quay, while enjoying the surrounding nature. A 5.3 km route awaits you for a total immersion in this city of art and history that reveals itself at every corner.
- 5.3 km itinerary to walk in 2h10
- 25 cultural and historical attractions to discover
Recommended Check-out Point: Place Granvelle
- Ideal for lovers of history and nature, solo or group.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
We build our circuits in the form of a loop so that you can easily start the tour at the point closest to you, the guidance will adapt automatically. If you are nearby, we recommend this ideal Check-out Point.
Itinerary
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(Pass by)
In front of you, this discreet white building pays no price for mines. And yet, this is where a real revolution in the way we see the world began.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
A major Attraction of Besançon on your right, the Palais Granvelle is considered the first large building in Franche-Comté. Its construction, distributed between 1534 and 1547, was requested by Nicolas Perrenot de Granvelle, incidentally Keeper of the Seals and close advisor to Emperor Charles V.
Admission ticket free -
Besancon (Pass by)
Knowing everything about a city is a major challenge. There are always stories, anecdotes or unusual information that escape our radar wherever we set foot.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
To understand the soul and history of Besançon, it is impossible to miss the Loop. And that’s not just a way of saying it: until the 1950s, the city was almost down to this area and the Battant district, a little further north.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
The Temple of the Holy Spirit is a building that has undergone many transformations over the centuries. In the Middle Ages and part of modern times, the building was a hospital run by religious.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
The Museum of Fine Arts & Archaeology is a must-see for the Bisontine heritage and has a long and remarkable history. Born in 1694, almost a century before the Louvre, the site holds the status of the oldest museum in France, but also the most important.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
To approach the banks of the Doubs, there is no better meeting point than the Quai Vauban. While its name refers to the military architect who trained the French defense system like no one else, the site is not included in the list of his masterpieces.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Visibly Catholic, thanks to its few churches established since Roman times, Besançon also keeps in it a face tinged with Judaism as evidenced by its beautiful and large synagogue. The Jewish presence in the Franco-Comtoise city is in fact a long-standing affair dating back to the 1st century.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
A kind of small village at the gates of the city center, the Battant is one of the oldest districts of Besançon. To give you a little idea of its age, its beginnings would date back to the Gallo-Roman era.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
The guardian of Battant is undoubtedly the tall building on your right. The church of Sainte-Madeleine, the masterpiece of a Franco-Comté architect, was built in 1746 and finished in 1830, with the elevation of its two towers.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Welcome to the one called La Grande Rue! In addition to being the busiest artery in Besancon, it is also one of its oldest. You should know that long before you today, it was the Roman chariots, coming from Italy, that once paraded here, one after the other.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
If on your right you are served the seat of the municipal authority of Besançon, on your left, it is its courthouse that reigns in style. Built in 1585 by a Frankish architect, the courthouse stands out in a Renaissance architectural style that is both proud and delightful.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
While its façade is lost in a string of buildings, the Notre-Dame-du-Refuge chapel still manages to attract us to it.
Admission ticket free -
Besancon (Pass by)
Large as the career of the man it commemorates, this statue represents a well-known French writer. Thus, frozen in bronze by a Senegalese artist in 2003, Victor Hugo would almost come back to life.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
A compromise of an old religious site and premises belonging to the University of the city, Notre-Dame de Besançon Church lives with the times. On the leftmost part are the remains of the former Abbey of Saint Vincent, founded in the 11th century.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Whether it’s Les Misérables, Les Contemplations or The Last Day of a Convicted Man, all these works of literature should normally remind you of one and the same man of letters. Before it boils too much in your head, we are obviously talking about the unique and timeless Victor Hugo.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
From the youngest to the oldest, in Besancon, the square Castan is a place that speaks to everyone. On the other hand, for those for whom the visit of the prefecture of Doubs is a first, this stop is an encounter with the unknown.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
An emblematic monument of the Franco-Comtoise city, the Black Door is undoubtedly the most prestigious illustration of Besancon’s Roman past. After conquering the entire territory of Franche-Comté in the 1st century, formerly called Sequania, Roman civilization expanded
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Dominated by the citadel and engulfed by the buildings of the old canon quarter, Saint John Cathedral has not inherited the best location of the city. But, despite an unfavourable environment, the religious building was still born in the 3rd century, from the remains of ancient churches.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
High place of culture and tourism, the citadel of Besançon contributes greatly to the reputation of the city. But, more than having heard of it, do you know a little about its history? While Besancon was under the possession of the Kingdom of Spain in the 17th century, Louis XIV embarked on the conquest of the city and the Franche-Comté region.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
What is good about almost all the defense sites, whether tower, fort, castle or citadel, is the height and perspective it gives us on a city. Perched more than 100 meters away, and surrounded by the meanders of the Doubs, here you are spoiled by a breathtaking viewpoint.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
The remains of the old city walls, the Rivotte gate looks like a house straight out of the Middle Ages. However, it was built in the 16th century, during the reign of the powerful Emperor Charles V, who then ruled vast territories in Europe...
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Not without charm in crossing the historic district of the Loop, Place Granvelle is the kind of good excuse to get out of the city center and its craze for a moment. Originally private, the plot was the pleasure garden of the Palace Granvelle, located nearby.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
If you listen hard enough, you may hear sweet notes of music coming from the Théâtre Ledoux, known for being a performance hall featuring operas, concerts, and other kinds of artistic performances.
Admission ticket free -
Besancon (Pass by)
As for gastronomy, Besançon really has nothing to envy anyone. Here in eastern France, the pleasure of the taste buds is as important as the discovery of heritage, and it would be a shame to miss out on its specialties.
Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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