A Travel Guide to Franche-Comte
To the North of Franche-Comte lies the Lorrain region, the region of Alsace lies to the North East while the Rhône Alpes region lies in the South, the North West is taken up by Champagne-Ardenne and the West by Burgundy. Due to the close proximity of Franche-Comte with Switzerland, the styles of many regional cuisines are similar, for example the well-known Comte cheese is very much like the Swiss Gruyere. Also the region has many watchmakers just like across the border in Switzerland.
The historic town of Besancon is the capital of Franche-Comte. It is located very close to France's border with Switzerland and is also known as the greenest city of France. Even though the region experiences dry and hot summers, the plentiful rain resulting from the summer storms keep it green and lush. The winters are generally cold and harsh with frosts and snow being a regular feature, making Besancon a skiing holiday destination as well.
When it comes to beautiful landscapes, Franche-Comte has a lot and is a great place for adventure sports and outdoor activities. There are beautiful valleys and woodlands that stretch from the mountains of Vosges to the Jura Mountains. It is an ideal place for hiking, nature trails, cycling and horse riding. There are also a number of underground caves with passages that are waiting to be explored.
Additionally the area of Jura is probably the most famous part of Franche-Comte. It offers a number of fun activities for all ages. It has more than 2000 km of rivers and nearly 2400 hectares of beautiful mountain lakes, out of which Lake Chalain is the most famous. Due to the abundance of the natural displays of beauty, the area offers opportunities for many activities such as kayaking, canoeing, rafting, trout fishing, pike fishing, etc.
There are so many other attractions in Franche-Comte, like the old steam train ride, the Dino zoo where you can explore the evolution of mankind and animals, the Llamas centre and parks with reindeers and Greenlander dogs that directly descend from wolves. However most visitors come here come to relax and unwind in the beautiful natural scenery with water falls, mountain lakes, lovely countryside and clean air.
There is a wide variety of self catering holiday accommodation in Franche-Comte ranging from ski chalets and apartments to gites and cottages in the countryside.
