Heritage

Artistic, cultural, industrial, natural, gastronomic, scientific, architectural heritage, the Doubs has multiple interests for heritage lovers. Impossible to make an exhaustive list! You will inevitably be seduced by this country which has both exceptional sites classified by Unesco, castles and unusual museums. The Doubs has many places where art and cultures are in the spotlight. The Doubs invites you to contemplate and offers you a unique journey. 

Visit the Citadel of Besançon and its fortifications. See you at the Royal Saltworks, one of the most imposing sites of the Doubs, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Manufacture intended for the production of salt, the Royal Saltworks was created at the will of Louis XV and today offers several temporary and permanent exhibitions in an exceptional setting steeped in history. Take time at Gustave Courbet museum to discover his works and his life journey at the painter's birthplace. Go through the Peugeot museum to immerse yourself in the history of this family that holds one of the most important French industrial heritage.

Addresses not to be missed:

• 30 minutes, The Citadel
• 1h15 minutes The Campaines
• At 1h15 minutes, Joux castle
• 30 minutes, The Museum of Time
• 30 minutes, The Museum of Fine Arts
• 30 minutes, The Comtoise houses museum
• 35 minutes, The Poudrey chasm
• At 1h15 minutes, Montbéliard castle
• 30 minutes, The science pavilion
• 20 minutes, The watchmaking museum

Emblematic companies to visit:

• Fort Saint Antoine
• Emile Pernot Distillery
• Cheese hamlet
• Tipped from grandpa Gaby
• Guy Distillery
• Bell foundries

Gastronomic focus for the pleasure of your taste buds:

• County
• Mountain smokes
• Pontarlier anise
• Emmental
• Gentian aperitif
• Veal cutlet
• Cancoillotte
• Puffed omelette with kirsch
• Grilled carp
• Fondue Comtoise
• Goumeau pancake

Nature

The Jura Mountains are one of the illustrious French massifs. Despite its modest character, it has fairly high peaks, 1463 meters above sea level for Mont-d'Or, the highest of them. The Alps and Jura share a common flora and fauna, chamois, peregrine falcons, eagle owls… They inhabit the rocky escarpments and limestone cliffs of the valleys of the Doubs, La Loue and Dessoubre.

The flowers are not to be outdone with the anemones with narcissus flowers, spring gentians, but especially the yellow gentian, the queen of the floral bouquet, taking root in the mountain pastures.

The nature of the Doubs varies the atmospheres and the decorations. Peaks such as Mont-d'Or or the Great Bull punctuate the path of the ridges. Vast valleys and plateaus (Val de Mouthe, Chapelle-des-Bois, Drugeon valley, Pays de Maîche…) take over to allow nature to unfold. The beech and fir forest also imposes its presence in the mosaic of landscapes. The Risoux and Joux forest parks are home to exceptional trees. These forests are thick and deep.

Water is another constituent element of the geology of the massif. The Doubs, Dessoubre and Loue (dear to the painter Courbet) sometimes impetuous, sometimes nonchalant, meander and sometimes form vertiginous waterfalls to be admired in the Cirque de Consolation or at the Saut du Doubs. 

The department of Doubs attaches paramount importance to the protection of its exceptional biodiversity. Seventeen sensitive natural areas are labeled for the richness of their fauna, flora and diversity of landscapes which delight holidaymakers. The natural spaces are numerous and are full of treasures of biodiversity. Marshes, remote areas, dry lawns, peat bogs, groves, meadows and meadows represent a wide range of colors, species, and natural environments harboring specific animals and flowers that will capture your attention and your soul.

Unmissable natural and wild spaces:

• At 1h20 minutes, The Saut du Doubs
• 35 minutes, The Chailluz forest
• At 1 hour, The Chatelot dam
• At 1h20 minutes, Polar park
• 25 minutes, The Grand Bois karst trail
• At 1 hour, The peat bogs nature reserve
• At 1h20 minutes, The Cendrée belvedere
• 30 minutes, The natural area of ​​La Chaux lawn
• 30 minutes, The source of Arcier
• At 1 hour, The Entreroches parade
• 30 minutes, The Gorges de Nouailles
• At 1 hour, The Circus of Consolation

Hiking and cycling

The Doubs has 400 kilometers of marked trails for hiking! You will have a wide choice of paths suitable for all levels and all tastes. Roaming, shorter walks or city walks, you will inevitably find what you are looking for. These trails are generally punctuated with discoveries or lookouts with breathtaking views! Examples of surrounding circuits: The Montou - Mesmay walk / The Gabelous trail - Arc-et-Senans / Between By and Bartherans - By / The tour of Monniot - Myon / The belvederes of Lison - Cussey-sur-Lison.

By bike, many loops allow you to discover all the assets of the department at your own pace. You will discover forests, exceptional flora and fauna, expanses of water, belvederes, historic sites, rural villages…. The major routes (EuroVelo 6, GTJ cyclo, Bike and Cheese circuit) are waiting only for cyclists and the curious. For those who prefer to get on their mountain bike to hurtle down the many slopes of the mountain ranges, there are 1 km of marked trails that you can travel in the middle of immense spaces. To ensure the quality of the courses and the equipment, sites are even labeled by the French Cycling Federation in Ornans, Val de Morteau, Pontarlier, Château de Joux, Métabief and Val de Mouthe / Chapelle-des-Bois. The La Grotte d'Osselle circuit - Saint-Vit is a perfect example of mountain biking that will allow you to visit an exceptional historical and prehistoric cave.

Water Activities

Swimming pools, nautical complexes, bodies of water, rivers, lakes… You will have many opportunities for swimming. The lake of Osselle and the lake of Saint-Point are famous and bordered by equipped and supervised beaches for swimming. You will also have the choice among recreational activities like sailing, canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, windsurfing. The Le Pays de Montbéliard leisure center also offers jet-skiing and water-skiing. The more athletic in search of sensations will prefer to dominate the fast currents of the Doubs in Goumois or the Loue in canoe-kayak.