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Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon
Attractions in Besançon

The one to see in Besançon: Cathédrale Saint-Jean de Besançon

Besançon’s list takes in 15 forts, 10 museums and 9 châteaux. There are 57 places to visit in Besançon, and 9 more within 5 km of its centre. In town, 10 sites are listed historic monuments. 11 stand within 1 km of the centre, close enough to walk between. Out of town, Saline royale d'Arc-et-Senans is 29 km away.

Photo: Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon, Wikipedro (CC BY-SA 4.0)
In Besançon
57
inside the commune
Within 5 km
9
in the communes around
Museums & galleries
14
in town and nearby
Châteaux & heritage
32
in town and nearby
Historic monuments
10
in town, listed (Mérimée)
Best known

Must-know places in Besançon

After Cathédrale Saint-Jean de Besançon come 2 forts, a museum and a château.

CathedralCathedralCathédrale Saint-Jean de Besançonin townMuseumMusée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançonin townChâteauCitadelle de Besançonin townFortFortFort de Planoisein townFortFortPorte tailléein townGardenJardin botanique de Besançonin town

Best known first: by how many Wikipedia and sister-site articles cover each place (Wikidata’s count). It isn’t a ranking of how good they are.

Map

Map of the places

The map ends at Fort de Chailluz, 9.3 km out.

1234567891011121314151617181920

The first 20 on the list, numbered as below. The shape is the commune of Besançon; the orange dot is its centre. © OpenStreetMap contributors · commune boundary: IGN

By kind

What sort of places

32 are châteaux or heritage sites; museums or galleries come next with 14.

Museums & galleries 10 museums · 4 galleries13 in town · 1 nearby
Châteaux & heritage 15 forts · 9 châteaux · 3 houses · 2 abbeys · 2 monasteries · 1 cathedral26 in town · 6 nearby
Gardens 7 gardens7 in town
Zoos, parks & days out 2 zoos · 1 aquarium · 1 theme park3 in town · 1 nearby
Other attractions 9 attractions8 in town · 1 nearby

Dark: in Besançon. Light: in the communes within 5 km of its centre.

Every place

All 66 on the list

After the 57 in town come 9 more within 5 km of its centre.

The 57 places in Besançon first, then those within 5 km of its centre.

The history of Besançon → · Parks and trails in Besançon →

Further afield

Beyond Besançon

Saline royale d'Arc-et-Senans, at 29 km, heads the 7.

AttractionAttractionSaline royale d'Arc-et-Senans29 km southwest, in Arc-et-SenansMuseumMusée Courbet18 km southeast, in OrnansChâteauChâteauChâteau de Noironte11 km west, in NoironteChâteauChâteauChâteau de Cléron18 km south, in CléronChâteauChâteauChâteau d'Étrabonne20 km west, in ÉtrabonneChâteauChâteauChâteau de Mutigney36 km west, in MutigneyMuseumMuseumAbbaye Sainte-Odile29 km northeast, in Baume-les-Dames

Places within 40 km of Besançon with an article in both French and English Wikipedia, nearest first.

Questions before you go to Besançon

What is there to see in Besançon?

The first on our list in Besançon are Cathédrale Saint-Jean de Besançon, Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon, Citadelle de Besançon and Fort de Planoise. We list 57 places in town. Another 9 are within 5 km of the centre.

Are there museums in or near Besançon?

14 museums and galleries in town or within 5 km, including Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon, Maison natale de Victor Hugo, Musée du Temps and Fonds régional d'art contemporain de Franche-Comté.

Which places in Besançon are listed historic monuments?

10 places on this page in Besançon are listed or registered historic monuments (Mérimée), including Cathédrale Saint-Jean de Besançon, Citadelle de Besançon, Palais Granvelle and Maison natale de Victor Hugo.

What well-known places are within a day out of Besançon?

The nearest with articles in both French and English Wikipedia: Saline royale d'Arc-et-Senans (29 km), Musée Courbet (18 km), Château de Noironte (11 km), Château de Cléron (18 km).

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap and Wikidata: named museums, galleries, châteaux, abbeys, gardens, zoos, theme parks and other visitor attractions whose mapped point lies inside the commune of Besançon, then those in the communes within 5 km of its centre, and well-known places within 40 km. Houses, ruins and gardens need a sign they’re open to visitors; places marked private, closed or disused are left out. The historic-monument link is the Culture ministry’s Mérimée record. A place that isn’t mapped isn’t listed, so this isn’t everything there is to see.

Sources: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), Wikidata (CC0: descriptions, websites, Wikipedia articles), the Culture ministry’s Mérimée database (Licence Ouverte 2.0), IGN commune boundaries. Distances are from the commune’s centre point.

Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (6)

Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.