FRANCHE-COMTÉ
Are you thinking of moving to the Franche-Comté region? We hope that the following information will be of help to you but please also use the links where further details can be found.
Where is the Franche-Comté region?
This region is situated in the east of France, in fact if you go any further east you are in Switzerland. Travel northwards and you will end up in Alsace or Lorraine, go west into Champagne-Ardenne or Burgundy and south into Rhône-Alpes.
Franche-Comté consists of 4 departments : Doubs (25), Haute-Saône (70), Jura (39) and Territoire de Belfort (90). The capital of the region is Besançon, right by the river Doubs, a small but charming 17th century city of Gallo-Roman origin. You will get a wonderful view of this city and the river from the Citadel of Besançon, built by the well known architect Vauban. There are interesting buildings, a cathedral and the Palais Granvelle, a university and a music academy. Being so close to Switzerland you may not be surprised to learn that it has been famous for clockmaking since 18th century and it boasts a world famous watch school.
What is there in Franche-Comté?
Once part of Burgundy and the Roman Holy Empire, Franche-Comté – the Free County - has an interesting history which becomes quite evident when you travel through the area for much of its architectural heritage has been preserved. You will also notice a Swiss influence on this region.
We have already mentioned Besançon, from where hikers venture into the Jura mountains, but before Louis XIV Dole used to be the capital. Another important city is Belfort, located between the Jura and Vosges mountains, hometown of the French company Alstom, which manufactures trains, such as Eurostar and the French TGV high speed trains, and large ships. Partly located in Montbéliard you will find the manufacturing plant of Peugeot and if wine is more important to you Arbois in Jura is the place. Agriculture in Franche-Comté is mostly dairy, some of the better known cheeses are Comté and Vacherin, and as already mentioned there is some viticulture.
Some say that Franche-Comté is the greenest region of France but it is not just the green pastures that have given it this reputation. About half of this region is covered in forests but you will also find lakes and rivers, waterfalls and gorges, caverns and grottos in limestone cliffs and of course, mountains . Along its rivers such as the Saône, Doubs and Loue, where you can expect trout to bite, are picturesque villages. Not only in summer, when ramblers, horseriders and mountainbikers can explore all those paths – take a map! - and watersports can be enjoyed, but in winter too is this a wonderful area, popular with cross-country and downhill skiers (Jura Mountains). If you just want peace and tranquility, do not worry, because with just over a million inhabitants this region is not exactly densely populated so there are plenty of places where you can relax and soak up the superb scenery.
Climate of Franche-Comté:
You can expect the summers to be hotter than in Britain but the winters are cold with snow especially in the mountain areas. With all the greenery it is hardly surprising that it can rain, sometimes heavily, here too!
Property in Franche-Comté:
Property is not cheap in Franche-Comté, probably above France's average, and prices are increasing. However, the area is not particularly popular with foreign house hunters.
Food and wine in Franche-Comté:
Here again you are aware of the Swiss influence. We have already mentioned the cheese and you can expect hearty dishes containing potatoes, sausages, cabbage, pork, ham, veal and cheese and interesting desserts. Foodlovers will not be disappointed! The local wine deserves a mention too (vin jaune – yellow wine).
Famous people:
Quite a number of famous people were born in Franche-Comté but let's name just a few. Victor Hugo, one of France's best known writers - arguably its greatest poet - and creator of e.g. Les Misérables. Louis Pasteur, microbiologist and chemist, to whom we owe pasteurization and vaccinations (rabies), the Lumière brothers famed for being some of the earliest filmmakers and the composer of the French national anthemn, La Marseillaise, Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.
Getting to Franche-Comté:
Airports:
Although not in the region itself there are several airports nearby such as Dijon, Geneva (British Airways, Air France, Swiss Int. Airlines, Thomsonfly, easyjet, bmi baby, Flybe, Fly Globespan, Jet2), Lyon ((British Airways, Thomsonfly, easyjet, bmi,) or even Mulhouse-Basle (British Airways, Swiss Int. Airlines, easyjet) and Strasbourg (Air France), but it may just be cheaper to fly to Paris (British Airways, Air France, Thomsonfly, easyjet, bmi, bmi baby, Flybe, Skysouth, Jet2). Dole has a regional airport. As always, beware of the low cost airlines, we do not know how long the service will last.
Road network:
There is a good road network. To give you an idea : Calais - Besançon takes roughly 6 hrs. You can easily nip over the border into Switzerland or Germany.
Railway network:
The TGV connection serves Besançon so Paris to Besançon takes about 2.30 hrs and other towns are served by the Trains Express Régionaux (TER).
