Besançon: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Besançon is a city of 128,426 people in France (Bourgogne), 300 m (984 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Dole Tavaux Airport (DLE), 50 km (31 mi) from the centre. It has 2 railway stations on record, including Besançon-la Mouillère station.
Key facts
Daylight in Besançon runs from about 8 h 32 min a day in late December to 16 h in late June (computed for 47.25° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Besançon is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Dole Tavaux Airport (DLE), 50 km (31 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 7,318 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft.
Flights to Besançon: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Besançon-la Mouillère station, Gare de Besançon Rivotte. Trains to Besançon
Buses to Besançon · Driving and car hire
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Muséum de Besançon | 281,288 | 2017 |
| Musée de la Résistance et de la déportation de Franche-Comté | 56,260 | 2019 |
| Time museum | 38,386 | 2019 |
| Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon | 5,700 | 2019 |
| Departmental archives of Doubs | 518 | 2022 |
The busiest is Muséum de Besançon at 281,288 visitors in 2017. Figures are the latest each site has published, so they are not all for the same year.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Besançon
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Paris, 326 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Milan, 314 km (Italy) — flights · trains
- Turin, 274 km (Italy) — trains · tours
- Frankfurt am Main, 374 km (Germany)
- Stuttgart, 290 km (Germany) — tours
- Genoa, 389 km (Italy)
- Lyon, 189 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Zürich, 191 km (Switzerland) — buses · car rental · tours
- Bonn, 395 km (Germany)
- Marne La Vallée, 307 km
Twin towns and sister cities: Freiburg im Breisgau, Pavia, Hadera, Neuchâtel, Aqabat Jaber, Kuopio, Man, Tver, Bistrița, Bielsko-Biała, Charlottesville, Huddersfield, Douroula Department, Matsumae.
Common questions
Which airport serves Besançon?
Dole Tavaux Airport (DLE), 50 km (31 mi) from the centre.
How big is Besançon?
About 128,426 people live in Besançon, across 65 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Besançon in?
Europe/Paris, currently UTC+2.
What currency is used in Besançon?
The Euro (EUR). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Besançon?
Paris (326 km), Milan (314 km), Turin (274 km), Frankfurt am Main (374 km), Stuttgart (290 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.