Besancon Citadel

The Doubs makes a near-complete loop around Besancon, leaving a neck of about four hundred metres closed by a rock, and Vauban fortified that rock from 1668 into a citadel of eleven hectares with three successive defensive lines. It is among the twelve Vauban sites inscribed together by UNESCO in 2008. The walls rise about a hundred metres above the river and the rampart walk gives the whole loop. Inside are a zoo, an insectarium and, more soberly, the Musee de la Resistance et de la Deportation, since the citadel was used by German forces as an execution site during the occupation. A Roman arch stands in the town below.

What you actually see

• The three defensive lines - Vauban's successive walls across the neck.
• The rampart walk - the river loop and old city seen from a hundred metres up.
• The Resistance museum - a serious account of the occupation years.
• The Porte Noire - a second-century Roman arch in the town below.

When to go

April to October; the citadel opens year-round with shorter winter hours. The walk up from the old town is steep, and a shuttle runs in season. Allow most of a day for the museums.

Honest expectations

The site is large with a lot of climbing and open ground. The zoo inside the citadel sits awkwardly with the historic fabric for some visitors. The Resistance museum is heavy and not suited to young children.

Nearby

Arc-et-Senans lies southwest; Ornans is south.