Driving in Belfort — Crit'Air Beneath a Colossal Stone Lion
Belfort, France · ZFE
Belfort — the fortress city in eastern France set in the strategic Belfort Gap between the Vosges and Jura mountains, famous for the colossal Lion of Belfort, a giant red-sandstone sculpture of a lion carved into the rock below its citadel by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (creator of the Statue of Liberty) to commemorate the city's heroic resistance during the 1870-71 siege, with a mighty Vauban-improved citadel, a charming old town and an industrial heritage — runs a Crit'Air ZFE (foreign cars included) with fines from around EUR 68 for cars. The centre is walkable. Park and walk; the lion, the citadel and the old town are the draws.
Can your car enter Belfort?
Belfort — the fortress city in the strategic gap between the Vosges and Jura, famous for the colossal Lion of Belfort carved into the rock below its citadel by Bartholdi (sculptor of the Statue of Liberty), commemorating the 1870-71 siege — runs a Crit’Air ZFE (foreign cars included) with fines from around EUR 68 for cars.
This page covers driving around Belfort. For the emission classes and zone boundary, see the Belfort ZFE details.
Crit’Air, park and walk
Order the Crit’Air sticker ahead (certificat-air.gouv.fr); without it the ZFE fine is from EUR 68. Park and walk the old town, the Lion and up to the citadel with its ramparts and views. France’s limits: 50 km/h urban, 0.05% alcohol.
When the car helps
Keep it for the Vosges lakes and ballons, the Jura, the Doubs valley, and the route toward Mulhouse or Switzerland — driven from a central car park.
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Winter tyres in France — 2026–27 season
Winter tyres are required in France whenever conditions are wintry — 1 Nov - 31 Mar (mountain law, designated departments).
- Tread minimum: 1.6 mm — France sets no separate winter figure.
- Accepted marking: M+S or 3PMSF
- Studded tyres: restricted
- Penalty: Not published by the French authorities. Note: the obligation is only enforceable where the B58/B59 signs have actually been installed (Code de la route art. D. 314-8).
In French the rule is pneus hiver, and snow chains are chaînes à neige — that is the wording on signs, in hire-car paperwork and on any penalty notice.
Verified against national legislation, August 2026 · Full France tyre law · Compare all countries
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Belfort's ZFE requires a Crit'Air windscreen sticker for all cars, including foreign-registered ones, with the most polluting classes restricted. Order it ahead from the official site (certificat-air.gouv.fr), as it arrives by post. Driving in the zone without a valid sticker risks a fine from around EUR 68 for cars. The walkable centre means most visitors park near the centre and walk in.
The Lion of Belfort is a colossal sculpture, around 22 metres long and 11 metres high, of a recumbent lion carved from blocks of red Vosges sandstone into the cliff below the city's citadel. It was created by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty) to symbolise the heroic French resistance during the long Prussian siege of 1870-71. A powerful national emblem (a smaller copy stands in Paris), it's the city's signature sight, reached on foot below the fortress.
Belfort is crowned by a mighty citadel, a fortress guarding the strategically vital Belfort Gap (the Trouée de Belfort) between the Vosges and Jura mountains, the natural corridor between France and central Europe. The defences, much improved by the great military engineer Vauban, withstood famous sieges. Today you can explore the ramparts and the citadel, which houses a history museum, and enjoy panoramic views, with the lion below. It's the heart of a visit, above the walkable old town.
Use a car park near the centre, with the Crit'Air sticker for the ZFE, then walk. The old town with its pink-and-grey buildings, the squares and the cathedral, the lion and the citadel above are walkable (the citadel involves an uphill walk). Parking once and walking is the easy way around, keeping the car for the surrounding Vosges and Jura countryside and the lakes.
Not for the compact centre, which is walkable, and Belfort is on the rail network (with a TGV station nearby). A car helps for exploring the region around it — the Vosges mountains and their lakes and ballons (rounded summits) to the north, the Jura to the south, the Doubs valley, and the route toward Mulhouse, Besançon or Switzerland — driven from a central car park rather than used in the ZFE centre.
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