Things to see and do on a weekend in Dole

Historic centre and walking itinerary

Time to explore the historic centre of Dole. When it comes to heritage and culture, Dole is full of Renaissance features from the town's golden age when it was the region's capital. Make sure you miss none of these architectural gems by following the Chat Perché trail (enquire at the tourist office).

Spotlight on two of the town's key monuments:

• the Notre Dame collegiate church, with its impressive dimensions and 75-metre steeple. You can walk to the top of the tower to enjoy the reward of a 360° panoramic view over the town and the surrounding countryside.
• the old hospital (hôtel dieu), also worth seeing. It has been remarkably well restored to highlight its elegantly understated architecture.

Louis Pasteur and a canal port

A visit to the house of Pasteur

Head for the tanners' district. It's easy to picture these banks bustling with activity as far back as the Middle Ages. The tanners' houses had very wide doorways to their cellars which let in the water from the canal that the artisans used to tan their leather.

Among these houses is that of Jean-Joseph Pasteur, father of a certain Louis…Indeed, this is where Pasteur, the scientist, was born in 1822.

Louis Pasteur remains in the collective memory as the scientist who discovered the rabies vaccine.

But the scope of his research was much wider and covered many different fields (hygiene, microbiology, chemistry, etc.).

To fully appreciate the works of this saviour, a tour of the house where he was born is a must-do. You'll even discover that Pasteur had artistic talent too, as you'll see for yourself from the pastel portraits he painted when he was a teenager.

Visit the house where Pasteur was born

Going green

Dole also has a canal with a lovely port brought to life by dozens of pleasure boats and a decidedly riverside atmosphere, just a stone's throw from the town centre.

There's nothing quite like a peaceful ride in an electric boat or pleasure boat, for a green tour of the former capital of Franche-Comté from a brand new angle. Another option is a bike ride along the EuroVélo 6® cycle path that follows the canal.