Franche Comté / Doubs : MONTBELIARD

In the shadow of its castle, the historic town and region of Montbéliard is made up of brightly coloured houses, giving way here and there to temples, museums or a thousand other treasures.
This ancient capital of a Principality of the Holy Germanic Empire is your setting-off point for exploring the Doubs, a river which has dug its bed out of the chalky Jura mountains. The combination of the two has made for a magnificient, deep valley where you can cruise far from the hectic rhythm of city life and enjoy the wild countryside and wildlife, or the charm of the villages and market-towns.
The Doubs is lined by a string of feudal ruins and keeps, slowing down a bit at Baume les Dames. The town's Benedictine history presents a fascinating tale. Further along, Besançon, set in a bend in the river, offers its own marvellous sights - the Citadelle de Vauban embankments, the museum-town with its lovely fountains, its nobles' houses and the lively town centre. Your cruise will take you as far as Dole, the town with 12 convents, known as "La grande dame comtoise (The Great Lady of Franche-Comté).
Heading East, towards Mulhouse and Niffer, you'll leave the wild Doubs valley for calmer waters. In a rural setting, towns and villages bedecked with flowers in the colours of Alsace will invite you to make a halt and taste the local specialities in one of the waterside cafés or small restaurants. Here in Franche-Comté hospitality is a pleasure and a way of life.

The attractions :
Wide choice of cruises
Canal and river cruises
The river Doubs itself !
Full range of boats available
The wines of the Jura

 

How to get to the base :
Easy access to Montbéliard by A36 motorway & train

A 2 day week-end

Itinerary Km / Locks
Montbéliard / Clerval and return 73km, 36 locks + 2 draw bridges

Tourist places
Navigation on the Doubs

Mini week

Itinerary Km / Locks
Montbéliard / Baume les Dames and return 110 km, 50 locks

Tourist places
Museums in Baumes les Dames (total, 5). Notre Dame Abbey in Baume les Dames.

1 week

Itinerary Km / Locks
Montbéliard / Besançon and return

ONE WAY:
Montbéliard / Dole
180 km,70 locks

144 km,55 locks

Tourist places
Besançon citadel
Osselle caves. Dole with its cathedral, and its old quarters.

10 days

ItineraryKm / Locks

Tourist places

2 weeks

ItineraryKm / Locks

Tourist places