This French City Will Surprise You With Its Livability, Walkability, and Beauty

Sign up for my email list and get practical info about life in France delivered straight to your inbox: https://fired-up-in-france-2.kit.com/dacaa289dd

I’m Suzi, I’m American, and I’ve been living in Dijon, France since 2008. I decided to visit Besançon, a hidden gem of a city just one hour away that currently ranks 2nd in France. In this comprehensive comparison, I spent two days exploring Besançon to see how it stacks up against Dijon. From affordable housing, to excellent walkability, clean air quality, and outstanding student satisfaction rates (94.74% of students in Besançon would recommend it), Besançon surprised me with its perfect balance of urban amenities and small-city charm. The city offers TGV connections to Paris and other major cities, a modern, comfortable tram system, bike sharing, car sharing, and cultural attractions including the famous Citadelle and other museums. Whether you're planning to retire in France, study in France, or relocate to eastern France, this honest comparison covers everything from housing costs to quality of life factors to help you decide which French city might be perfect for your new life abroad and will encourage you to consider both Dijon and Besançon as possible destinations.

Coming to Dijon? Stay with us! Check out our listing on Airbnb: airbnb.fr/h/dijonauditorium

Signing up to host on Airbnb? Get a 🎁 BONUS after you complete your first qualifying stay as a host by using our link: www.airbnb.fr/r/suzannap62 and then click on “get started.” Once your listing is up, we can meet online for an hour, during which time I’ll give you some feedback and you can ask me any questions you may have. Contact me at firedupinfrance@gmail.com

OTHER WEBSITES MENTIONED:
Ville de Rêve city rankings: https://www.villedereve.fr/
Besançon travel guide: https://imperfectidealist.com/besancon-france-travel-guide/
Tensiomètre locatif: https://www.locservice.fr/tensiometre/
Walkability score data: https://www.ffrandonnee.fr/Media/Default/Documents/PLACEAUXPIETONS_2023_DP_RESULTATS_BAROMETRE_VILLES-VILLAGES-MARCHABLES.pdf

OTHER FINANCE IN FRANCE BONUS CODES (subject to change):
Wise - to send money abroad. Open a Wise account and get your first transfer up to $600 free: https://wi.se/firedupinfrance-november (New customers only)
La Première Brique, get an extra 1% interest on your first project using this link 👉 https://app.lapremierebrique.fr/fr/users/sign_up/0KBUNI (***Do your own due diligence before investing in any crowdfunding campaign.)
Fortuneo -🎁 BONUS for you of 100€ if you open a PEA - and Fortuneo reimburses all transfer fees up to 2000€ if you have a PEA already somewhere else, or 🎁 BONUS of 120€ if you open an assurance vie. When you open your account, type my referral code 👉 13043713
🎁 Great deal on cell phone service: 15€ bonus if you sign up for Red by SFR using this code: REDD26D52C
📌All of these product or service links are things that my we (my husband and I) personally use and would recommend even without an affiliate link.

Chapters
0:00 Introduction to Besançon
05:13 Housing Costs
07:23 Livability Factors
08:54 Transportation & Accessibility
13:30 The Intangibles
14:52 The Verdict

#LivingInFrance #Besançon #Dijon #FrenchCityLife #RelocateToFrance #RetireInFrance #FranceRealEstate #AffordableFrenchCities #QualityOfLifeFrance #MovingToFrance #FrenchCityComparison #ExpatLifeFrance #BestFrenchCities #EasternFrance #FrancheComté #Burgundy #WalkableCities #AmericanInFrance #FrenchCostOfLiving #HiddenGemsFrance #FrenchLifestyle