The prefecture of Haute-Saône, Vesoul began to develop in Roman times on La Motte hill. It eventually became a major industrial area, as home to the world parts centre of the car manufacturer PSA Peugeot Citroën.

The town was immortalised in 1968 by Jacques Brel with his song "Vesoul". A French language song festival pays tribute to him every year in October.

Vesoul boasts a beautiful medieval historic centre, built with beige and blue-grey stones from the neighbouring quarries.

Exploring it on foot is the best way to immerse yourself in the peaceful atmosphere of a town built to a human scale. The pretty streets of La Motte hill invite you to discover their elegant façades, peaceful back courts and wine cellars.

Around the Church of St. George, built in the 18th century, there are many old houses from the 16th to 18th centuries. Sight to see: the English garden, a listed Remarkable Garden with its rose garden and themed flower beds, on the banks of the river.

On top of the hill is an oratory, the Chapel of Our Lady of La Motte, built on the former site of a castle and offering a magnificent view of the town. Another nice viewpoint: Le Sabot Nature Reserve, created in 1981, where walkers can see many plant species along a 2-kilometre trail.

3 km from the town centre, Lake Vesoul-Vaivre has a surface area of 90 hectares. This is a nice place for a walk (its circumference of 5 kilometres makes it easily accessible to families for a gentle ramble), water sports in summer, and bird-watching with its ornithological reserve.

Located in Ronchamp, Haute Saône, on Bourlémont hill, the Chapel of Notre-Dame du Haut (meaning "Our Lady of the Heights") has been a listed Historic Monument since 1967 and is the work of the famous architect Le Corbusier. Erected in 1955 on the former site of a chapel, it overlooks the town of Ronchamp.

The world-famous Notre-Dame du Haut revolutionised 20th-century religious architecture. Contemporary in style, the chapel consists of a two-part concrete shell with curved lines, beneath a roof that does not touch the shell. This surprising architecture is complemented by a skilful dosage of light, which enters through the gap left between the ceiling and the concrete walls, and by the colour effects of the stained glass windows. The whole building is conducive to contemplation: in fact, the chapel is an important place of pilgrimage for the Feast of the Nativity of Mary on 8 September, the Ascension and the Assumption.

Access is via the last path coming out of the forest, adding to the solemnity and beauty of this building, which is perfectly integrated into the landscape.

A splendid example of religious art, the Chapel of Notre-Dame du Haut recently benefited from improvements by the architect Renzo Piano and the landscape architect Michel Corajoud, to make it easier to welcome visitors.

This is one of the treasures of the Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park. The Mille Étangs plateau in Franche-Comté, whose name means "A thousand ponds" in French, is the result of a dual phenomenon: the formation of basins after the glaciers vanished 12,000 years ago, and human intervention. Indeed, monks and farmers created these ponds in the 11th century by extracting peat, making them an important resource for the region.

Spread across 220 km², from Lure to Faucogney-et-la-Mer, via Mélisey, Servance, the Col des Croix pass and the Ballon de Servance, the Thousand Ponds (in fact there are 850, measuring at most around ten hectares each) on this plateau in the Saône Vosges nestle among superb landscapes of meadows, moors, lakes and streams, and green forests.

Trekking is the main attraction, on the paths and in the forests of oak, beech, birch and pine, on foot, on horseback or by bike, along with fishing and water sports, of course. Yet the built heritage should not be overlooked: the area is teeming with churches, mills and picturesque monuments.

The plant life is equally remarkable: sundews grow alongside common cottongrass and cranberries. Ferns, broom and heather carpet the prairies.

Outings for all ages are organised by the Saône Vosges House of Nature, so everyone can explore the treasures of this magnificent, unspoilt natural site.

Local events such as markets and traditional festivals are another way to get to know the area, and discover craft and food specialities.

Capital of the Franche-Comté region, the City of Art and History of Besançon is built on a loop of the River Doubs and is dominated by the imposing silhouette of its citadel. Masterpiece by the engineer Vauban, the citadel of Besançon constitutes a remarkable example of the 17th-century military architecture. Besides its fortifications and its magnificent panoramic view of the roofs of the city and the Doubs valley, the citadel is home to many museums: the Comtois museum, the Vauban centre, the Resistance and Deportation museum, and the Natural History museum complete with zoo, evolution trail, insectarium, aquarium, noctarium and climatorium.

The visit of Besançon continues with the discovery of the historic centre situated below the citadel. The Saint-Jean cathedral and its magnificent astronomical clock made of 30,000 pieces; the very lively Grande-Rue and Revolution square; the Granvelle palace, a magnificent building of the Renaissance period today home to the Time museum dedicated to clock-making; the Vauban quays and its arcaded houses along the River Doubs; the birth house of the famous writer Victor Hugo, and the beautiful mansions of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries are some of the many places of interest to be discovered on a walk round the town.

Not to be missed also, the Fine art and Archaeology museum, situated on the Revolution square in a former 19th-century corn exchange which houses archaeology and art collections.

Boasting numerous green spaces, the town of Besançon also appeals to park and garden lovers, with the botanical garden and its numerous sorts of plants, trees and flowers, and the Micaud Promenade, a pleasant three-hectare park situated along the River Doubs.

As illustrated by its period houses and buildings, the City of Art and History of Montbéliard boasts beautiful architectural heritage. The places of interest there include:

• The castle of the dukes of Wurtemberg, flanked by two Renaissance towers, which is home to a museum dedicated to archaeology, history and natural history;
• The Saint-Pierre square and its monuments, such as the Saint-Martin temple dating from the beginning of the 17th century (oldest reformed church in France), the town hall, the Forstner house, and the Beurnier-Rossel mansion and its Art and History museum;
• The very well-preserved covered market hall dating from the 16th century and the pierre à poissons, a stone slab on which fish used to be sold on market days;
• The pedestrian streets lined with colourfully-fronted houses...

In Sochaux, the factories of the famous French car manufacturer Peugeot, as well as the Peugeot Adventure museum, can be visited.

Nicknamed the little Venice of France-Comté, the town of Ornans is very charming with its beautiful old houses built on stilts reflected in the waters of the River Loue. This picturesque scene can be admired from the Grand Pont bridge and the footbridge which span the river.

To visit: the Courbet museum, located in the birth house of the painter Gustave Courbet, which exhibits numerous works by the famous artist.

Sports fans can canoe-kayak on the River Loue to their heart's content.

A spa resort in Haute-Saône in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, Luxeuil-les-Bains is a gateway town that provides access to the Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park. It is located some thirty kilometres from Vesoul.

Covered in deciduous forest, the town boasts some beautiful architectural heritage, in particular the many mansions from the 15th and 16th centuries: the Spanish house, the Bailiff's house, Cardinal Jouffroy's house and its Flamboyant balcony, the oldest suspended stone balcony in France, the house of Francis I traversed by arcades, the octagonal Échevins tower (an archaeological museum also dedicated to the painter Jules Adler), and the Pusel mansion.

Also worth mentioning are its religious edifices spanning various eras: the Romano-Gothic Basilica of St. Peter; the old 13th-century medieval abbey featuring a superb pipe organ from 1617 held up by a statue of Atlas and a pretty cloister; the Church of St. Martin and the monastery.

Luxeuil is also known for its lace (you can visit the Lace Conservatory in a superb setting, the former kitchens of the abbey) and for a local speciality: smoked ham.

Yet Luxeuil's main focus throughout history has been the Thermal Baths, which were already a visitor attraction in the Celtic era and then in Roman times. People enjoyed the hot water that sprang from the ground there in the open air. A beautiful building made of pink Vosges sandstone, the spa built in the 17th century is a listed Historic Monument. The oligo-element-rich waters of Luxeuil are prescribed to treat phlebological, gynaecological and rheumatological disorders. People also go there for fitness breaks, relaxation, backache treatment, pressotherapy, etc.

A few kilometres from Belfort, Lake Malsaucy covers 55 hectares and is part of three municipalities: Évette-Salbert, Lachapelle-sous-Chaux and Sermamagny.

Many water activities are available there at its leisure centre. Mountain biking, sailing, kayaking, rowing, windsurfing, climbing, orienteering, archery and fishing are all part of life at the lake, especially in season. Swimming is supervised during the summer months.

The region is also concerned with protecting the site's biodiversity, which includes 49 animal species and 8 protected plant species: part of the lake is not accessible to the public. The Departmental Environment House organises events to discover the local countryside, such as walks, exhibitions, storytelling and meetings.

Lake Malsaucy is known for hosting a famous rock festival, Les Eurockéennes de Belfort, which takes place there every year in early July.

Perched on the edge of a high cliff, the Roche du Prêtre viewpoint in Consolation-Maisonnettes, offers a magnificent panoramic view of the green landscapes of the Consolation rock formations. Renowned for its former convent, this wild place rich in fauna and flora, is home to a number of caves, springs and waterfalls. Not to be missed: the big waterfall of Lançot, a magnificent 47-metres high waterfall! And there's no better way to discover the area's treasures than walking along the waymarked footpaths.

Fort Dorsner, named after a General of the Empire, is part of the Upper Moselle's defensive curtain. It is also known as Fort de Giromagny. It is a defensive structure made of pink Vosges sandstone, erected in the last quarter of the 19th century, and falls within the municipalities of Giromagny and Auxelles-Bas. It connected the entrenched camps of Épinal and Belfort and protected the north-south axis, from the Ballon d'Alsace to Belfort, and the east-west axis, from Haut-Rhin to Haute-Saône.

You can explore it yourself from July to mid-September, and there are guided tours by appointment during the rest of the year. You can discover the fort's particular architecture, with its barracks for 650 men built on two floors around an octagonal yard, the two Mougin turrets, named after their inventor (who was also the pioneer of French armour plating), indirect fire casemates, caponiers and artillery batteries.

Renowned for its traditionally-produced kirsch, the charming village of Mouthier-Haute-Pierre, nestling in the heart of the Loue valley, enjoys a magnificent natural setting. Mouthier-Haut, with its 15th-century church and its old houses, and Mouthier-Bas, on the river's edge, are within walking distance from each other.

Surrounded by rock faces, the village is a good climbing base.

Near the village of Ouhans, a pleasant road lined with vegetation leads the walkers to magnificent rock formations. It is in this magnificent natural site, at the foot of a high cliff, that the River Loue rises as a reemergence of the River Doubs.

The capital of the Territory of Belfort, the smallest department of France created in 1922, the city is located in the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region, in the Belfort Gap. The latter is a plateau connecting the Vosges and the Jura, but is also an easy passage between the Alsace plain and the Rhone Valley. Surrounded by hills, Belfort enjoys a natural environment that is ideal for outdoor activities: hiking, cycle tourism, water sports, golf, etc.

Yet the city has above all been shaped by its history and in particular by its resistance to Prussia and annexation by Germany, starting in 1870. From its past as a strategic and defensive city, Belfort has kept its reputedly impenetrable citadel and its ramparts, designed by Vauban in the 17th century.

From the fortifications, you can enter the citadel or head to the old town via the Brisach Gate, which has symbols of royalty, fleur-de-lys and King Louis XIV's motto on top of it. At the foot of the citadel, the famous Lion of Belfort, carved from pink sandstone by Auguste Bartholdi between 1875 and 1879, is a monument measuring 22 metres in length and 11 metres in height. It has a lookalike statue on Place Denfert-Rochereau in Paris and seems to be guarding the city.

Sights to see include the La Miotte Tower in the Belfort Heights, once part of a medieval castle and offering a beautiful view of the city and the Vosges; the Cathedral of St. Christopher, an imposing monument built from pink sandstone in the 18th century; the pretty Place de la Grande Fontaine; and the Museum of Fine Arts, based in an old fortified tower. There are pretty town squares with cafés all around the city.

Belfort also hosts a major festival, Les Eurockéennes, in early July at a site by Lake Malsaucy, 6 kilometres from the city. It puts on an average of 75 concerts each year, in a wide range of musical styles: rock, electro, metal, reggae, pop, folk and more.

Les Entrevues de Belfort, a festival that supports young, independent filmmakers, takes place at the end of the year.

The Doubs gorges, situated between Villers-le-Lac and Goumois, near the Swiss border, offer to hikers beautiful landscapes of wild nature.

Not to be missed are the three steel "Ladders of Death" (formerly made of wood, these ladders were used by smugglers!), which let walkers climb up the cliff to a wonderful viewpoint 100 metres above the river. The view over the forest and the rock faces along the River Doubs is stunning.

The Doubs waterfall (saut du Doubs), situated near Villers-le-Lac, is among the most renowned natural sites of the departement. It is in a beautiful wild and green environment that the River Doubs forms a 27-metre high waterfall! Two viewpoints allow to admire this magnificent waterfall, which is all the more impressive after heavy rains.

Nestling in the Doubs valley, the French-Swiss village of Goumois is a very popular stopping point with fly fishing, canoeing and hiking enthusiasts.

The scenic Goumois coastal road, which overhangs the River Doubs, offers a beautiful view of the roofs of the village and the magnificent surrounding nature.