Besançon
Besançon is the 29th city of France with almost 120 000 inhabitants without the suburbs and more than 220 000 inhabitants counting the urban area. It is located in east France, nearby Switzerland, at equal distance from Lyon and Strasbourg (190 km), and at 2h30 from Paris by train.
There are many things to say about this city. Previously named Vesontio, it is full of history and has been courted by many kings and emperors. Besançon is built in a loop made by the Doubs River and surrounded by mountains all around. It was a great strategic place because of those properties and of its location. It is nowadays a wonderful place to live.
Besançon is the greenest city in France and offers many attractive walks and parks. The architecture has been marked by its history and shows many beautiful constructions. At his time, Louis XIV asked Vauban to fortify it and he did the job without counting so that the Sun King asked him if walls were made of gold!
Besançon is laureate of few nice rankings in France; best transportation network, greenest city, healthiest city, one of the first cities of France on Internet…
Nevertheless, the capitol of the Franche-Comté region doesn’t attract a lot of people. To live happily, let’s live hidden!
