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Forget Provence - Besançon Is France's Quietest Gem

Storybook Living France

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Few people have Besançon on their radar — and that's exactly why it belongs on yours. A medieval city looped by the Doubs River, just 2 hours 35 minutes from Paris by TGV and a short drive from Switzerland, Besançon offers Alpine nature, university energy, and a cost of living well below Lyon or Annecy. This guide covers everything expats and retirees need to know about moving to Besançon, France: neighborhoods, housing costs, transit, healthcare, salaries, and the community quietly building a life here.

Here's everything we cover in the start of our series and guide to living in Besançon, France:
0:00 Intro
1:03 Location
1:18 France Travel Times
1:40 Airports & Skiing in the Jura Mountains
2:08 Local Impressions
2:22 Populations
2:57 Weather
3:54 Grocery Costs and Eating Out
5:47 Transit Costs
6:32 Coupon/Links
6:43 Annecy Comparison
7:03 Healthcare
8:03 Nature & Parks
9:42 Cycling
10:21 Sports & Gym
11:21 Safety in Besançon
12:10 Religion
12:57 Community
14:03 Retiring in Besançon
14:33 More Local Insights
15:15 Social Scene
15:45 The Reveal

Besançon is what happens when you stop chasing the obvious French cities. For expats and retirees researching the best places to live in France, it ticks nearly every box — a UNESCO-listed citadelle, 30,000 students keeping the energy alive, a full university hospital, and the Jura mountains at your doorstep — at a price that still makes sense. If you're comparing cities in France, planning a move from the US, or just curious what French life looks like off the tourist trail, this is your guide.

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Links mentioned in the video:
Airports
https://www.euroairport.com/
https://www.gva.ch/en/
https://dole.aeroport.fr/
Brunch
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...
Transit
https://www.ginko.voyage/
Health
https://www.chu-besancon.fr/
Parks
https://www.besac.com/tourisme-besanc...
https://www.besancon-tourisme.com/en/...
https://wanderlog.com/place/details/5...
https://en.destination-haut-doubs.com/
https://www.besancon-tourisme.com/en/...
https://parc-animalier-chailluz-besan...
https://www.besancon-tourisme.com/fr/...
Bike Paths
https://cycle.travel/route/summary/16...
https://velocite.ginko.voyage/fr/home
https://www.besancon-tourisme.com/fr/...
Fitness
https://www.besancon-tennis-club.fr/
https://www.basic-fit.com/en-fr/gyms/...
https://www.entre-temps-escalade.fr/

We had many links this week! For the remaining list of links, please go to my website: https://storybooklivingfrance.com/bes...

▶️ WATCH NEXT:
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*Annecy Part 1*: Forget Paris - Annecy Expat Life, the Hone...
*Annecy Part 2*: Renting in Annecy: The Brutal Truth
Bordeaux: The TRUTH About Moving to Bordeaux: Is it ...

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Media, Photo & Image Credits: 🎥:
Music: No.9 “Esther’s Waltz” — Esther Abrami @estherabrami

Master Image Credit Ledger for Storybook Living France https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e...

#BesançonFrance #MovingToFrance #CostOfLivingFrance #FranceRelocation #ExpatsInFrance #AmericanExpat #RetireInFrance #FrenchLife #LivingInFrance #HiddenGemFrance #JuraMountains #BourgogneFrancheComte #BestCitiesInFrance #AffordableFrance #StorybookLivingFrance

6 Comments

@storybooklivingfrance Creator 4 months ago Pinned

Bonjour and merci for watching! 🇫🇷
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À bientôt!

@seamusp5991 4 months ago

Impressive detail as usual. Thank you! It’s a charming city. I visited the birthplace of V. Hugo and the arts museum while I was there. Both were great. 😊

@MrAndreCoutinho 4 months ago

Helo Tia! This is a beautiful city, quite a find! It looks nicer than Dijon and much nicer than Limoges. And with costs slightly lower than Annecy. That's an excellent city to consider moving.

@erickarnell 4 months ago

Great overview. For climate reasons, we're looking for something further north, either in the Loire Valley (Angers, Orléans) or Normandie (Caen, Rouen).

@dkearney7540 4 months ago

I have just come across your site and subscribed. I'm very much looking forward to your 30-city Region Match Calculator! My main criterion, beside reasonable cost, is climate - while Besancon sounds lovely, grey winters are what I'm trying to escape, being based in Northern Ireland! However, I don't want very hot summers either so I'm looking for somewhere with blue skies most of the year, but not too hot in summer - not sure if such a place exists in France???

@devidasa9637 1 month ago (edited)

Well, sorry to be a contrarian, but I've been living in Besançon for the past month...and it is not for me. I'll be moving in 10 days. The river walks are beautiful, a handful of good restaurants, one truly good coffee shop (Cafe Nova), some nice architecture, etc. The locals are not particularly friendly or welcoming. In fact, the only truly nasty interactions I've experienced in all of France...yep, in Besancon. And now I get to my key issue....the homeless / junkie population...and the obvious drug scene in the Battant neighborhood that spills across the river bridge into the "loop" of NW Besancon. Comparison to Annecy is laughable to me. Annecy is a stunning town. Dijon is lovely. YMMV.

My wife and I have chosen a small town <30 min from Dijon that has a TGV train station in its town center (Besancon does not. You need to take a 20 min train to the TGV station outside of town & switch trains ). The other region I want to experience before truly settling down, Caen and surrounding towns like Bayeux. Same for Rouen. Potential cooler summers would be welcomed after the brutal weather we've experienced in France since May.