Besançon, France

Besancon is known as the greenest city in France.
It is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté région of northeastern France, with approximately 222,500 inhabitants in the metropolitan area (aire urbaine), which covers just over 500 miles². The urban area (unité urbaine) of Besançon covers approximately 75 miles² and has11 municipalities (communes), and has a population of nearly 135,000 people.

Be sure to hire a car to make the most of your time visiting Besancon – you will have a lot of area to cover!

Located close to the border with Switzerland, it is the préfecture (capital) of the Doubs (Dubs in Arpitan language) département.

Besançon is located in the north-east quarter of France on the Doubs River. It is about 215 miles east of the national capital of Paris, 60 miles east of Dijon in Burgundy, and 75 miles northwest of Lausanne in Switzerland. It is located at the edge of the Jura Mountains.

Across the Doubs sits the Forts Brégille and Beauregard. The Brégille (built in 1913) passed from private ownership to public, during its usage until 1987 when it had shut down. To this day, the tracks, stations and even road signs of the funicular remain in place.

Besançon is under the influence of both an oceanic climate and a continental climate, with snowy winters and warm and dry summers.

The year-round average is 50°F. The warmest month is July (with an average temperature of 66°F) and the coldest is January (which averages 35°F). Besançon receives about 44 inches of precipitation per year, the wettest month being May (with a 4.4 inch rainfall average), and the driest being July (averaging 3.2 inches).

Besancon is comparable in climate to the majority of the continental United States and the southern areas of Canada, so be sure to keep an umbrella handy, and to hire a car for exploring the city (especially during the more extreme times of year – both summer AND winter).