Overview

The Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Burgundy is a newer region (2016) located in easter France, created from a merger of the historical regions of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. A famous motto in this eastern French region is “Comtois rends toi! Nenni ma foi!”, “Comtois, surrender! Not on your life!” And this phrase alone gives you a sense of the landscape and the violent history of the place, where conflict was a part of life up to the mid-20th century. Discover this area offers historic forts and monuments commemorating the feats of bravery.

It is a perfect area for nature lovers. The countryside boasts natural, diverse landscapes and large open spaces thanks to the wealth of Vosges Massif, the Jura mountains, and its many lakes, waterfalls, and forests.

This region was also the birthplace of the likes of Louis Pasteur, Victor Hugo and Gustave Courbet, giants of French culture and science.

Things to see and do

Take the time to discover the main historical and architectural heritage of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté but also the numerous outdoor activities that the region has to offer, from wine trails to inland waterway trips, cycling holidays, gastronomic trips, incredible hikes, and alpine skiing.

Discover the Citadelle de Besançon sitting high on Mount Saint-Etienne. The 17th-century military mastermind Vauban designed this citadelle with no expense taken on any details. It was listed as a UNESCO site in 2008, and the walk up from the rest of the city isn’t for the faint of heart. Once you arrive atop the walls though, the rewards of beautiful panoramic views and the sight of the Doubs River will make you glad you did. Explore the ramparts, gun towers, and the excellent museum about the French Resistance.

Lion of Belfort, located next to the citadel in Belfort, was created by Frédéric Bartholdi, the man who sculpted New York’s Statue of Liberty. The lion stands 36 feet tall and 72 feet long, and is made from red sandstone. It was completed in 1880 to commemorate the Siege of Belfor during the Prussian War, when 17,000 men were able to withstand the 40,000-strong Prussian assault for 103 days.

Discover the beautiful Fort de Joux, a fortification that has been in existence since the 1000s, but it was Vauban who had the biggest impact on the site. In the late-1600s he added a system of bastions, batteries and barracks, and dug the well, which at 482 ft. was the deepest in France at the time. The work was done to such high standards that the fort was even included as an artillery position in the Maginot Line before the Second World War. While here, check out the museum, with 600 antique weapons, or descend the famous spiral staircase.

Located just outside of the village of Nans-sous-Saint-Anne, the Source du Lison is the second-most powerful spring in the Jura after the Loue. This fabulous site of the blue-green water emerging from a cave at the bottom of limestone cliffs, before spilling over a series of cascades and down the slopes through forests is not to be missed. Climb up the path to the side of the falls for a look around the cavern.

Explore the 18th century historic Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans located in the department of Doubs, 22 miles outside of Besançon. The historic building was designed by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, a prominent Parisian architect of the time. The building offers great insight about the region and also gain perspective on what France was like in the 1700s and 1800s. You will also learn about the importance of salt to Franch-Comte in this time, how it was extracted from local brine and how the unpopular salt tax was one of the many things that brought about the French Revolution.

Located in Besançon, the Notre Dame du Haut is a world UNESCO site and considered one of the world’s greatest 20th-century religious buildings. The 1913 chapel was destroyed in a storm, but replaced in 1955. The structure is made of recycled stones from the chapel’s predecessor, held in a concrete frame, and may surprise people familiar with Le Corbusier’s work because it has curving lines instead of right angles.

Dole is a city of art and history, and a beautiful place made for exploring. The city was the seat of the Burgundian parliament and a regional center for learning in the 1400s. It remained part of the Habsburg Empire until it was taken by Louis XIV in the 1660s, after which its parliament and university were shifted to Bensacon. At the time, this was a humiliation for the city, but it also means Dole has become fixed in time. Take time to explore the charming and harmonious houses from the 1400s and 1550s on tightly-packed streets where wells, coats of arms, stone bridges and palaces bring a lovely ambiance.

Château d’Oricourt in the Haute-Saône department is a French Historic Monument, built in the 1100s and completely open to the public. It’s considered the best-preserved piece of Medieval military architecture in the entire region. There are two rings of walls and ditches: The outer containing the manor’s farm buildings, and the inner has structures dating from the 1100s to the 1400s and all guarded by two 25-metre-high stone towers. It is fascinating to discover all the surviving details, like the original bread ovens, distant, well, cellars and the large vaulted dining hall.

If you visit during the warmer summer months, check out Les Cascades du Hérisson, a beautiful natural wonder in the Jura Lakes. The seven falls are caused by the Hérisson River descending 984 ft. elevation in just 1.8 miles.

The charming riverside commune of Ornans sits in the Loue River Valley in the valley of the craggy Roche du Mont hill. Take note of the riverfront from one of Ornan’s two bridges from the 1600s. The old houses here, with their sloping roofs, seem to huddle up against each other next to the water. The realist painter, Gustave Courbet was born here, and his famous work Burial at Ornans was painted in the town, as the title reveals. There’s a museum about him in the town.

An even smaller, but just as charming village, discover Lods also on the River Loue. This is another of France’s “plus beaux” villages and like Ornans, the best vantage point is from the bridge of the Loure. Historic stone houses line the bank up to the steep green valley, many belonging to the winegrowers of the past. The small Museum of Vigne et du Vin offers some insight into Lods’ viticultural heritage. There is also an ethnological museum showing the tools of local trades in history, from the wine press to the blacksmith’s forge.

Located at the center of the Jura Department, the French Jura Lakes Region is characterized by the abundance of its natural lakes, 15 in total, and all created by glacial activity. The wooded landscape is serene, with wooded karst escarpment forming the backdrop, and the larger lakes offer campsites and fun both on land and in the water in summer. Come in the summer to enjoy the three beaches.

The village of Baume-les-Messieurs lies within the most extensive of the steephead valleys of the Jura escarpment, Ruculee de Baume. It is therefore almost surrounded by limestone cliffs about 650 ft. high. A highlight in town is the Baumen Abbey, which dates back to the 6th century. Today, most of the Abbey is gothic, and the fabulous renaissance retable behind the altar. Also take time to explore around the village, visit the caves, and check out the Cascade des Tufs, a beautiful set of waterfalls.

Regional Cuisine

Food and Gastronomy in Franche-Comté are closely related to the life that once led shepherds and other inhabitants of this region of France. The traditional Franche-Comté dishes are rustic and warm and used to help these people to live in hard and demanding environments. Overall the traditional recipes of the Franche-Comte are more caloric, often with fatty sauces. Nowadays French gourmets benefit from traditions that have been kept alive, often for centuries.

The Franche-Comté cuisine is mostly about cheese and charcuterie, with some variations depending on the department. From the Saucisse de Morteau and Saucisse de Montbéliard to the outstanding Franche-Comté cheeses, this region has a lot on offer for every French food gourmet. The traditional honey is also an absolute must.

In the Jura, many recipes are based on yellow wine, wine characteristic produced almost exclusively in this department.

Being that the region is located near Switzerland requires a majority of restaurants in Franche-Comté to offer a multitude of dishes made of cheese. Fondue is an institution here in the developed state of the art, and the fondue of Jura contains only Comte. But fashions change and chefs know how to adapt to the tastes of our time.

Absinthe is also distilled in Franche-Comté and there’s even an Absinthe Trail, winding through the Jura Mountains and entering Switzerland. At Maison de l’Absinthe in Môtier and the Pontarlier Museum you can find out all you need to know about the “Green Fairy” made notorious by late-19th-century artists and writers.