Besançon Overview

The capital of rural Franche-Comté, Besançon (bess-ahn-sahn; pop. 123,000) boasts a wealth of museums, bargain restaurants, classy boutiques, and hot nightlife. The town’s population of international students provides a constant infusion of energy and personality, and its gay scene is one of the best in France. Tucked in a horseshoe-shaped bend in the Doubs River, Besançon enjoys the beauty of the countryside and the sophistication of cities many times its size.

Trains: Gare de la Viotte, av. de la Paix. Ticket office open M-F 5:10am-9:30pm, Sa 5:40am-8pm, Su 6:25am-9:30pm. To: Belfort (1hr., 24 per day, €14); Dijon (1hr., 34 per day, €13); Lyon (2hr., 8 per day, €25); Paris (2hr., 9 per day, €49-60); Strasbourg (3hr., 9 per day, €30). Gare de la Mouillère, av. de Chardonnet, runs 1 train line to Morteau and Switzerland.
Buses: Monts Jura (☎08 25 00 22 44), in the train station. Open M-F 8:30am-noon and 2:30-6:30pm, Sa 8:30am-noon. #104 runs to Pontarlier (1hr., 8 per day, €7.50).
Public Transportation: Ginko, 4 pl. du 8 Septembre (☎08 25 00 22 44; www.ginkobus.com). Open M-Sa 10am-7pm. Night buses run sporadically until midnight. Tickets €1.20, carnet of 10 €9.80; day pass €3.50. Buy individual tickets on bus, carnets at tabacs, and day passes on bus or at tourist office.
Taxis: ☎03 81 88 80 80.

Orientation And Practical Information

Most areas of interest in Besançon lie within the turn of the Doubs River.

Tourist Office: 2 pl. de la 1ère Armée Française (☎03 81 80 92 55; www.besancon-tourisme.com). From the train station, cross the parking lot and head down the stairs. Follow av. de la Paix straight ahead and continue as it turns into av. Foch. Walk down the hill. Bear left at the river. Follow av d’Helvétie to pl. de la 1ère Armée Française at the 2nd bridge; the office is in the park to the right. Ignore the signs that point to the tourist office; they are for cars and will take you out of your way. Offers the free student guide La Besace and free accommodation booking. Currency exchange available. Open June-Sept. M 10am-7pm, Tu-Sa 9:30am-7pm, Su 10am-5pm; Oct. and Apr.-May M 10am-6pm, Tu-Sa 9:30am-6pm, Su 10:30am-12:30pm; Nov.-Mar. M 10am-12:30pm and 1:30-5:30pm, Tu-Sa 9:30am-12:30pm and 1:30-5:30pm, Su 10:30am-12:30pm.
Tours: Available from the tourist office. May-Sept. tours in French. €6, students €4. Petit train tours Apr.-Sept. in French. €5.60, students €3.10. Check with the tourist office for departure points and times.
Bookstore: Campo Novo, 50 Grande Rue (☎03 81 65 07 70). Small selection of books in English. Open M 10am-7pm, Tu-Sa 9:30am-7pm. MC/V.
Youth Center: Centre Régional d’Information Jeunesse (CRIJ), 27 rue de la République (☎03 81 21 16 16; www.jeunes-fc.com). Info on internships, jobs, school opportunities, and apartments for people under 25; mostly in French. HI cards. Free Internet and Wi-Fi. Open July-Aug. M 1:30-6pm, Tu-F 10am-noon and 1:30-6pm; Sept.-June M and Sa 1:30-6pm, Tu-F 10am-noon and 1:30-6pm.
Laundromat: Laverie Automatique, 54 rue Bersot (☎06 18 84 12 79). Wash €3.50 per 5-6kg, €4 per 7kg, €6 per 10kg. Open daily 6am-9pm. Salon Lavoire GTI, 54 rue Battant. Wash €3.50 per 5kg, €4 per 7kg. Open daily 7am-7pm.
Police: 2 av. de la Gare d’Eau (☎03 81 21 11 22), near pl. St-Jacques. Call for the pharmacie de garde.
Hospital: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, 2 pl. St-Jacques (☎03 81 66 81 66).
Internet Access: At CRIJ (above). Id PC, 28 rue de la République (☎03 81 81 26 25), across from the CRIJ. €3 per hr. Open Tu-Sa 9:30am-noon and 2-7pm. M-Ro@d, 29 rue Ronchaux. €3 per hr. Also offers printing, photocopy, and fax services. Open July-Aug. M-F 10am-noon and 2-5pm, Sa 10am-noon and 2-6pm; Sept.-June M-F 9:15am-6:30pm, Sa 10am-noon and 2-5pm.
Post Office: 23 rue Proudhon (☎03 81 65 55 82), off rue de la République. ATM and currency exchange available. Open M-F 8am-7pm, Sa 8:30am-12:30pm. Branches at pl. du 8 Septembre (open M 2-5pm, Tu-F 9:30am-noon and 1:30-5pm) and 1 rue Battant (☎03 81 25 23 22; open M-F 9am-noon and 1:30-6:30pm, Sa 9am-12:30pm). Postal Code: 25000.

Accommodations

Besançon’s hostels are a trek from the vieille ville (15-30min. by bus or a 45min.-1hr. walk) but offer excellent bargain facilities. The Foyer and the Centre are easily accessible by bus lines, but the ride is longer at night.

Foyer Mixte des Jeunes Travailleurs (HI), 48 rue des Cras (☎03 81 40 32 00; fax 40 32 01). Take bus #5 (or night line A; 3-5 per hr., €1.15) from pl. Liberté (dir.: Orchamps) to Les Oiseaux, down the street from the hostel. To get to pl. Liberté from the train station, take a left on rue de la Viotte, then the 1st right on rue de l’Industrie. Turn left onto rue de Belfort, which leads to pl. de la Liberté. The stop is on rue de la Liberté. Houses an international student crowd. Ping-pong and foosball. Clean single rooms with private toilets and showers. Breakfast included before 8am. Cafeteria meal M-Sa €7, Su €4. Free Internet and Wi-Fi. Reception 8:30am-8pm. Oct.-Mar. fewer rooms available. Singles €23 for the 1st night, following nights €18. AmEx/MC/V.
Hôtel du Nord, 8 rue Moncey (☎03 81 81 34 56; www.hotel_du_nord_besancon.com), in the vieille ville. Rooms with windows overlooking the street offer excellent people-watching. All are tastefully decorated, with big closets, satellite TV, and spacious, sparkling bathrooms. Breakfast €6. Free Wi-Fi. Reception 24hr. Check-out noon. Reservations recommended. Singles and doubles with shower or bath €39-51; triples and quads with shower or bath €53-69. AmEx/MC/V.
Centre International de Séjour, 3 av. des Montboucons (☎03 81 50 07 54; www.cis-besancon.com). From the train station, take rue Foch across the parking lot and down the hill; the bus stop is on your left. Take bus #4 (dir.: Founottes or Temis) or bus #8 (dir.: Campus) to Intermarché. From the stop, walk back uphill and turn left on av. des Montboucons; the hostel is in the Pole Sportif complex on the left. Spacious rooms. Caters to international students. Restaurant, TV room, and foosball. Breakfast €4.80. Reception 7am-1am. Check-in noon. Check-out 9am. Singles €26, with bath and TV €30-32; doubles €30/33-38. MC/V.
Hôtel Regina , 91 Grande Rue (☎03 81 81 50 22), in a courtyard set back from the centre-ville. Large, color-coordinated rooms, many of which overlook a garden. Relaxing terrace furnished with wicker chairs. All rooms with wood floors and bath. Decorated with sketches and pictures of the city. Most expensive rooms have kitchenettes. Breakfast €6.50. Reception 24hr. Reservations recommended. Singles €36-46; doubles €41-53; triples €58-63; quads €79. AmEx/MC/V.

Food

Besançon’s dining options are plentiful and reasonably priced to accommodate the city’s large student population. Rue Claude Pouillet, place de la Révolution, and rue des Granges dish out tempting options at steep prices, while out-of-the-way eateries around the university cater to the student budget and to vegetarian diets. For a do-it-yourself meal, try the Marché Beaux-Arts near the Musée des Beaux-Arts, in the square between rue Goudimel and rue Gustave Courbet. (Open Tu and F 7am-7pm.) Groceries are available at Monoprix, 12 Grande Rue. (☎03 81 65 36 36. Open M-Sa 8:30am-8pm. AmEx/MC/V.) Sharp cheddar-like comté fromage is Besançon’s specialty. Wash it down with vin jaune, one of the more famous Arbois wines. Charcuteries along rue des Granges sell saucisse de Morteau, a regional sausage specialty, while chocolatiers tempt with boulets de la Citadelle or noisettines— layered chocolate, nut, and sugar confections.

Au Gourmand, 5 rue Megevand (☎03 81 81 40 56). An astonishing array of meat-and-potato dishes at low prices. Retro clocks and a collection of colorful carafes make it feel like an eccentric friend’s kitchen. Hearty salads €6-8. Rice and pasta dishes €6.50-7.80. Open Tu-F 11:30am-1:45pm and 6:45-8:30pm, Sa 6:45-8:30pm. Reservations recommended. MC/V.
Bêtises & Volup’Thé, 2 rue Bersot (☎03 81 50 83 45). This enchanted-garden-themed eatery is perfect for a girls’ night out. The salad with heart-shaped toppings is particularly adorable. Serves exotic teas (€2.50-3), extravagant salads (€8-13), and milkshakes in miniature planters (€4). Vegetarian menu €13. 3-course menus from €12. Open daily 11am-10pm. Kitchen open noon-2pm and 6-10pm. MC/V.
Qui L’Eût Cru, 3 rue Chifflet (☎03 81 83 25 18). New Age eatery for the adventurous vegetarian. Artistic and deliciously fresh plats du jour (lunch €13, dinner €20-25). Meat option available at dinner. Open Tu-Sa 10am-3pm and 7:30-11pm. AmEx/MC/V.
Bar de l’Université, 5 rue Mainet (☎03 81 81 68 17). Large cheap sandwiches (€3-5) and free Wi-Fi draw local students—laptops in hand—to this red and yellow eatery. Cafe by day and popular student bar at night. Beer from €2. Open daily 9:30am-1am. MC/V.

Sights

Besançon’s vieille ville is an expansive but walkable circuit; it takes 10min. to walk the length of the main Grande Rue —if you don’t stop to gawk at the Renaissance buildings along the way.

Citadelle. A military masterpiece designed during Louis XIV’s reign by the Sun King’s go-to architect, Vauban, this Renaissance-style citadel now holds several museums. Getting there requires a steep, grueling trek from the town, but the visit is worth every step. Summer visitors can take a free navette that runs between the centre-ville and the citadel. (July-Aug. daily every 10-20min., 9am-7pm.) The Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation commemorates the 100 members of the French Resistance who were shot at the citadel in 1944 during the German occupation of Besançon. Vivid photographs and relics of the dead leave nothing to the imagination. Twenty rooms hold a chronological display of the terrors of WWII. Free audio tours in English and German play survivors’ recorded accounts as well as explanations of some of the items exhibited. Children under 10 are advised not to visit the museum. Most artifacts are in French, though extensive information cards in English and German are available in each room. A number of smaller exhibits are on display in the Natural History Museum, including an illustration of Darwin’s theory of evolution that showcases “unfit” taxidermal animals. The insectarium next door is fascinating, but not for the weak-stomached; a kitchen exhibit reveals the buggers that hide inside cupboards. An aquarium, climatorium, zoo, and noctarium make a significant attempt to be interactive; at the fish “petting pool,” children harass dozens of fish crammed into a tiny tank. More conventional is the informative Espace Vauban, which chronicles the life of the citadel’s famous architect with informational cards in English. Those with the strength for further climbing can ascend the Tour de la Reine for a spectacular view of the city below. (☎03 81 87 83 33; www.citadelle.com. Open daily July-Aug. 9am-7pm; Sept.-Nov. and Apr.-June 9am-6pm; Dec.-Mar. 10am-5pm. Most sites wheelchair-accessible. In high season €7.80, students and 1hr. before close €6.50, ages 4-14 €4.50; in low season €7.20/6/4. Includes entrance to every museum and facility. Be sure to buy your tickets at the entrance to the park near the parking lot before you ascend. Audio tour €2.20.)

Musée Du Temps. Captain Hook would have hated this ticking homage to time, where hands-on exhibits cater to young explorers, teaching the principles of physics that underlie mechanical and quartz-based clockmaking. First-floor halls hold clocks dating back to Galileo’s era, while whimsical upstairs rooms present high-tech devices, games, and experiments. After glancing at the glistening showcases of quartz, ascend to the observation deck to see Besançon’s Renaissance buildings; with only the old, intricate roofs visible, the city seems frozen in the past. (Palais Granvelle, 96 Grande Rue. ☎03 81 87 81 53; musee-du-temps@besancon.com. Open Tu-Sa 9:15am-noon and 2-6pm, Su 10am-6pm. Free tour in French Su 3pm. Wheelchair-accessible. M-F €5, Sa €2.50, Su free; students with ID free. Ticket includes admission to the Musée des Beaux-Arts. Free English and German guides available at desk.)

Musée Des Beaux-Arts Et D’Archéologie. France’s oldest museum, which began with Abbé Boisot’s small collection of art in 1694, houses an exceptional anthology of more than 6000 works by Ingres, Matisse, Picasso, Renoir, and others. Its clever chronological layout ascends a ramp that winds through intimate halls—leading visitors from ancient Egyptian relics to modern oils. (1 pl. de la Révolution. ☎03 81 87 80 49. Open M and W-F 9:30am-noon and 2-6pm, Sa-Su 9:30am-6pm. Tours in French for groups only; reserve at tourist office. Wheelchair-accessible. €5, students with ID free; Su and holidays free. Includes entrance to Musée du Temps. AmEx/MC/V.)

Cathédrale Saint-Jean. Beneath the citadel, this graceful cathedral boasts the Horloge Astronomique, a 30,000-part 19th-century clock that would knock the springs out of any clock at the Musée du Temps. Its 57 faces provide information about all facets of the universe, such as the planets and eclipses. The clock is only shown during a 10min. tour that culminates in the hourly awakening of the wood religious figures at the top. The cathedral also features the Rose de Saint-Jean —an 11th-century white marble altar. (Cathedral ☎03 81 83 34 62. Open M and W-Su 9am-6pm except during mass. Free. Horloge ☎03 81 81 12 76; www.monum.fr. Tours Feb.-Sept. M and Th-Su every hr. 9:50-11:50am and 2:50-5:50pm. Tours €3, under 18 free.)

Doubs River. Vedettes de Besançon runs boat cruises on the Doubs and the citadel canals from Pont de la République, near the tourist office. (☎03 81 83 02 41; www.vedettes-panoramiques.com.fr. Operates Apr.-Oct. daily. 1hr.; 3-4 per day; €10, ages 4-12 €8.50. Dinner cruises by reservation July-Aug.) Bateaux de Besançon, on the other side of the bridge, offers similar cruises. (☎03 81 68 13 25; www.sautdudoubs.fr. Operates Apr.-Oct.; Nov.-Mar. for groups by reservation only. 1hr.; 4-5 per day; €10, under 18 €8. July-Aug. M-F 10am, 2:30, 4:30pm; Sa-Su 10am, 2:30, 4:30, 6pm. Sept.-June call for times.) The tourist office has information on other cruises down the Doubs.

Nightlife

Besançon’s international students pack bars and discothèques until the early morning on weekends and filter into pubs on calmer nights. Students overflow onto the streets between rue Claude Pouillet and place Jouffroy d’Arbans. Small, intimate brasseries crowd the pedestrian section of town.

Carpe Diem, 2 pl. Jean Gigoux (☎03 81 83 11 18). An outgoing owner runs this tiny watering hole according to his philosophy of “le rôle sociale du pub”— bringing together all ages and creeds for genial conversation and idea-swapping. Most solo patrons pore over novels or their own masterpieces beneath eclectic decorations that range from exotic instruments to Jameson whiskey brand towels. Events, films, and concerts held regularly; some are organized, others improvised. Beer from €3. Open M-Th 8:30am-1am, F-Sa 8:30am-2am, Su 9am-2am. MC/V.
Le Bar, 15 rue de Vignier (☎03 81 82 01 00; www.lebar.info). Decorated with homoerotic art, the upstairs bar is a casual pre-club spot until about 2am, when everyone heads over to discothèque Le Privé. Downstairs is another story: from the all-porn video room to lockable “pleasure rooms,” the theme is sex—and everyone is exploring. Clientele is mostly male; some bring female friends. Beer €4. Mixed drinks from €4. Open M-Th 8pm-1am, F-Sa 9pm-2:30am, Su 9pm-2am. MC/V over €15.

Festivals

The tourist office publishes several comprehensive lists of events; make sure to get a Les Temps Chauds de l’Été guide for up-to-date summer information.

Jazz en Franche-Comté (☎03 81 83 39 09; www.aspro-impro.fr), from mid- to late June. Unites international jazz musicians. Tickets €10-18, students €5-12; some events free.
Les Temps Chauds de l’Été, in July and Aug. Theater performances, music and dance expositions, and film screenings. Many events are free. Call the tourist office for info.
Les Concerts de Granvelle, F nights in July and Aug. Brings free musical acts to Palais Granvelle. Call tourist office for info.
Festival International de Musique (☎03 81 82 08 72; www.festival-besancon.com), in mid-Sept. Orchestras from across Europe perform favorites and recent compositions in 85 concerts, many of which are free. Ticketed events €12-45, students €5-20.