Discover Besançon, France, a hidden gem in eastern France known for its stunning citadel, fascinating Roman ruins, beautiful cathedrals, and ties to Victor Hugo. In this video, we take you from Dijon to Besançon by train and explore the city’s top attractions:
✨ Victor Hugo Museum – birthplace of the legendary French writer. ✨ Cathedral Saint-Jean de Besançon – Romanesque & Gothic architecture with its famous astronomical clock. ✨ Saint Peter’s Church – neoclassical design with centuries of history. ✨ Citadel of Besançon – a UNESCO World Heritage fortress designed by Vauban with incredible views. ✨ Ancient Roman ruins that tell the story of Vesontio.
Whether you’re planning a Besançon day trip or a longer stay, this travel guide highlights the best things to do, see, and experience. From its military past to its cultural heritage, Besançon is one of the most underrated cities in France.
📍 Join us on this journey through history, architecture, and breathtaking views!
👉 What was your favorite part of Besançon? Let us know in the comments.
Welcome back to the road. Today we're ditching the car, and taking the train from Dijon to Besancon.
What can I say about the train system in France? When it wants to, it works. When the workers
don't like something, it doesn't. I'm not taking sides here, its just a fact of life.
Luckily the light rail always seems to be operating as intended,
so we can at least get to the train
station. Today the train is a go, so after a bit of waiting at the train station, we get to board
without delay for Besancon. Despite its potential for strikes, delays, and cancellations due to
strike, the train offers a view of the French countryside you can't really get any other way.
It's an experience all its own. This one is a short ride, just over an hour and we arrive
in Besancon. Besancon is an old city. It seems fitting that the place is famous for a military
structure considering Julius Ceasar was the first one to mention the town of Vesontio. As far as
we can tell, the ves, or wes in the name refers to mountain in the Celtic language being used at
that time. Today that has been replaced with the letter B, yes, the Bes in Besancon. In either
case, the place became part of Rome, and some of their ruins still remain. Nobody's really sure of
what the ruins were, but part of it was fed by an aqueduct. I love old things like the ruins, but
even more than old buildings, I love old writers. Victor Hugo, one of my favorite old writers,
was born here. As you may have expected, there is a museum in his honor. Victor Hugo was born here,
but that's about all. His father was an
Victor was a few months old, they moved to
trend of military families has not changed since
themes championed by Victor Hugo and the French Republic. Maybe there's some Daoist imprint left
on me from my Chinese upbringing, but I have
especially the ones dedicated to an important historical figure. In either case, we're leaving
a temple of the secular variety for a religious one. Saint Johns Cathedral is the main catholic
cathedral for the area, and dates back to the
John the Evangelist. The building is mostly
centuries. It's a beautiful place to reflect on
It also acts as a touchstone with all the people who came before, so many of them would have come
into these walls for prayer and devotion. Now we move on to another of the great churches Besancon
has to offer. I love visiting these old churches. Maybe its just the thought of climbing up to the
citadel, but I don't feel like rushing to leave this place. It's as if sitting here allows you
to join in fellowship with the many people who have come within the walls over the centuries, and
in a way, to pick up some of the spirit of what they left behind Now that we've rested our legs a
little, its time to climb up to the citadel, and what a climb. The citadel sits high above the
town, but what a view once you reach the top. The spot on which the citadel sits today was once an
acropolis in Roman times. I have heard that there are still remnants of a temple up here.
The current structure was built at the end of the 17th century and into the early part of the
18th century. It is considered a masterpiece of military architecture. The architect behind it,
Sabastein Le Prestre de Vauban, built an entire series of these fortresses in the area. It has
a number of museums inside, so you won't likely run out of things things to see. I love the
views out here, and wonder if the soldiers stationed up here had any time to look out,
and if they felt the same about it. I just can't get over the views. Just climb up on the wall,
and you get the best view of the old city below.
we have records of the place. It has grand
of countless people going back thousands of
as we have now left ours. I hope you enjoyed this visit to Besancon, France. Let us know what
you think, and leave your comments below.
