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Franche-Comté

Things to see in Franche-Comté

32 sights, museums, parks and places worth the stop.

The ramparts of the Citadelle de Besançon, home of the Musée Comtois

Besancon · Historic Architecture

Musée Comtois

Regional history museum in Besançon Citadel
A stone building with a red banner reading "1855/2005" and text referencing Gustave Courbet and Realism, situated behind a low stone wall with greenery and a grassy foreground under a clear blue sky.

Ornans · Historic Architecture

Maison de Courbet

16th-century birthplace of Gustave Courbet
A wide river flowing through a green valley with a town on the left bank and hills in the distance under a blue sky.

Baume-les-messieurs · Guided Experiences

Vallée de l'Ain

Jura village with imperial abbey, waterfalls, and caves
The Renaissance courtyard of Palais Granvelle, home of the Musée du Temps in Besançon

Besancon · Museums & Culture

Musée de la Montre et de l'Horlogerie Franc-Comtoise

Granvelle Palace housing 1,500 timepieces
A large, ornate iron-and-glass market hall building with a prominent arched entrance, decorative brickwork, and French flags hanging from the facade, situated next to a parking lot with cars under a blue sky.

Belfort · Urban Exploration

Marché Couvert

Historic covered market in Belfort's old town
An antique red and black cast-iron wine pump with a large handwheel, displayed on wooden blocks against a rough stone wall, featuring a bilingual label reading "POMPE A SOUTIRER LE VIN / PUMP TO EXTRACT THE WINE".

Arbois · Food & Wine

Musée du Vin et du Pays Arboisien

Château Pécauld museum tracing 1,000 years of Jura viticu...
The abbey of Baume-les-Messieurs at the foot of its limestone cirque

Baume-les-messieurs · Historic Architecture

Abbaye de Baume-les-Messieurs

Imperial abbey in the Jura Mountains
The image shows a modern park fountain featuring three large, moss-covered rock formations set within a rectangular black basin, with cobblestone pathways and green trees in the background.

Ornans · Nature & Parks

Parc de la Gare

Former railway station park in Ornans, France
The image shows a large, paved public square with classical European architecture, including a prominent building with a mansard roof on the left and a curved arcade building on the right, with people walking and sitting on benches under a clear b

Besancon · Urban Exploration

Place de la Libération

Neighbourhood square in Besançon's Chaprais district
A close-up profile view of a massive sandstone lion sculpture carved directly into a rock face, showing the head, mane, and part of the neck against a plain sky.

Belfort · Guided Experiences

The Lion of Belfort

Bartholdi's unfinished sandstone lion
The apse and bell tower of Saint-Jean Cathedral in Besançon

Besancon · Historic Architecture

Cathédale Saint-Jean-Baptiste

Romanesque cathedral on a site used since late antiquity
A gravel path winds through a mown grassy meadow bordered by dense green trees and shrubs under an overcast sky.

Arbois · Nature & Parks

Parc de la Combe

Historic park in Arbois wine town