Besançon Transportation

The town center of Besançon is located in the loop of the Doubs river, with a 375 m long ship tunnel under the fortress hill. That makes it possible to drive a circuit around the town center by boat - only that the lock at Moulin Saint-Paul was out of order already since some time when we've been there. Also near that lock is a place to moor in case you arrive with your houseboat. Actually we had planned to visit Besançon by houseboat, but as the Doubs had high water it wasn't possible. So we later went there by car.

There are also some companies that offer sightseeing boat tours with a "Bateau mouche". For details please visit the websites www.sautdudoubs.fr and www.vedettes-panoramiques.com.

There are many car parks which are signposted very well, even showing the number of free spaces.
The two little car parks at the eastern end of the tunnel are free, but half of them are private, so it’s not easy to get a parking space there. We therefore drove in direction center and easily found a space at the parking St Paul next to the river Doubs. It costs 50 Cent per 30 minutes and is free for 1,5 hour around noon.

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TGV railway connections

To get to Franche-Comté by train :

Main trains
Besançon-Paris (2 h 40) - 6 return trips per day
Besançon-Lille (3 h 35)
via Marne-la-Vallée and Roissy - 1 return trip per day
Mouchard-Paris (2 h 30) - 2 return trips per day
Pontarlier-Paris (3 h 15) - 1 return trip per day
Dole-Paris (2 h 00) - 4 to 6 return trips per day
Dole-Lille (3 h 15) - 1 return trip per day
Frasne-Paris (3 h 00) - 3 to 4 return trips per day

Railway connections without TGV
Vesoul-Paris (3 h 15) 9 return trips per day
Belfort-Paris (3 h 45) 9 return trips per day

Road connections
Motorways A 36 and A 39

SAPPR (Toll motorway company)
Regional Office Alsace/Franche-Comté
Zac Valentin
F-25048 Besancon Cedex
Tel. 0 803 071 077
www.saprr.fr

This little train is supposed for those who have problems with the steep climb up to the Citadel. I didn't use so I can just refer to the information our guide gave us.

The train has one depart every hour from 10:00 on at Place du Huit Septembre (Hôtel de Ville, Saint-Pierre). Groups have to book in advance. As far I got it the price for the train is included for the Citadel, and you can buy tickets for both at the driver of the train. If unsure just ask him.

A plus of the train is that you arrive at the Citadel in a good shape and you avoid the traffic. Parts of the food path to the Citadel are on street roads, which is not that invitating.

By Plane to Paris CDG- as there are no airports in Besançon. And take the TGV-Train Grande Vitesse from Paris-Gare de Lyon to Besançon Viotte. Journey: 2.5hrs(Attention! Only for TGV it's 2.5hrs)
CTB Bus

The best way to travel to Besançon is to take a TGV from Paris.The duration of travel is just about two hours 15 minutes.
The best way to get around Besançon is to walk..The transportation is easy in Besançon ,there are many bus stops ,where at every 5 minutes a bus arrives..