Welcome to the Sensitive Natural Area of the Marais de Saône
Come and discover the Saône marshes, a vast wetland of about 800 ha and the last major marshland complex on the Doubs plateaux.
It has a diverse mosaic of wetlands (wet meadows, megaphorbia, sedge meadows, reedbeds, mosses, aquatic vegetation in ponds and pools, willow and alder swamps, alder-oak groves, oak-hardwoods, etc.).
It is still home to a very interesting fauna and flora.
In addition, the water passing through the marsh contributes to the supply of the Arcier spring. The latter is a key factor in Besançon's water resources, supplying 45% of the city's population (some 55,000 inhabitants).
- Guided tours of the marsh:
An annual programme of free visits with specialist guides is available on the website.
Registration is required to find out how the tour will be conducted. The different meeting places are given when visitors register with the Syndicat du marais.
- Self-guided tours: marked trails
The installation of all the equipment structuring the trails began in 2013. In addition, improvements are being made as and when required.
A reception kiosk near the Espace du marais, markers identifying the sites crossed and directional posts enhance the discovery routes.
The trailhead car park is located at the Saône gymnasium car park, in the direction of Collège de Saône (Allée du collège, GPS: 47°13'38.03 "N, 6°06'49.20 "E).
On foot, you must take the pedestrian path towards the Espace du marais hall for 300 metres to reach the kiosk.
Signposts (road signs and directional blades) will help you find your way and make access easier.
From the kiosk, after a connecting route on the theme of "Understanding the marsh" identified by a "Boots" pictogram, you can choose between the small water loop (pictogram "water drop") or the large natural environment loop (pictogram "frog").
Discovery map available for download on the website.
- Discovery booklet:
The paper booklet is available free of charge from the Syndicate and a few copies are available at the trailhead kiosk.
You can also download the full version from the website
Enjoy reading and above all discovering the marsh!
The marsh is often wet, boots are sometimes essential as well as long clothes and a mackintosh sometimes... !
Remember to equip yourself properly.
Among the traditional and ancestral activities of the marsh: the gathering of wicker, the mowing of sedges until 1960 (making ties or for animal bedding), the manufacture of clogs with alder, birch, 1632 to 1893: manufacture of tiles with the sand of La Vèze and the clay of the marsh, the exploitation of ice from the 19th to the 20th century, 1732 to 1914: exploitation of the peat