Cat Cafes in Bourgogne Franche Comte

Besancon, Bourgogne Franche Comte

Café des Félins is a cat cafe on Grande Rue in the historic centre of Besançon, inside the loop of the Doubs and a few doors from Victor Hugo's birthplace. Opened in April 2015, it was one of the first cat cafes in eastern France. Seven resident cats, named after characters from Les Misérables such as Gavroche, Fantine and Marius, live in the cafe; they are the cafe's own cats and are not up for adoption. They have a private room and an inner courtyard to retreat to, and the room is fitted out with climbing routes. Visitors read the house rules before entering: no waking, carrying, feeding or chasing the cats, quiet voices and no flash. Children under 12 are not admitted. The menu includes homemade cookies, tartines, milkshakes and teas, and there are board games. Booking online is recommended for groups, weekends and school holidays.

• Booking recommended

Chalon Sur Saone, Bourgogne Franche Comte

Caféline is a cat cafe due to open in autumn 2026 on Rue des Poulets in the old town of Chalon-sur-Saône, near Saint-Vincent Cathedral, the first of its kind in the town. Founder Isoline Denet, a trained barista who holds the French certificate for keeping domestic cats, is setting it up over two floors, with a ground floor laid out like a traditional coffee bar and a cosier upstairs room fitted with cat trees, hammocks and wall shelves. Five cats will live in the cafe, fostered for the rescue association Nouveau Chat'pitre 71, and visitors who connect with one will be able to adopt it through the association. Coffee and pastries will be served, and the cats will be free to come to guests rather than being picked up.

• Adoptable cats