The département of Haute-Saône is quiet and ruralised, but it has not always been thus: at the beginning of the 19th century it was one of the most industrialised areas of France. Many of these industries have been assigned to the history books, but some forges and furnaces can still be seen at Beaujeu and Pesmes, and Champlitte remembers the traditional crafts in its regional museum. These include linen weaving, pottery, lace-making, and glass-blowing.

Despite the fact that the landscape is so unspoiled, tourism is not particularly developed in this corner of France. Ronchamp is perhaps the biggest stop on the tourist trail - and that only to see Le Corbusier's famous chapel, built in memory of the men who fought and died in World War II.

The primary resort is stylish Luxueil, which has been a spa town since Gallo-Roman times. The remains of the Luxovium baths can still be seen, and the town's museum contains other artefacts from the period. Another building of interest in Luxueil is the Spanish House, whose name has nothing to do with its looks: it refers to the fact that the Franche-Comté had just become a part of the Spanish Empire when it was built.

Holidaymakers who come to this area are generally on the lookout for peace and quiet: a boating or a walking holiday. The museums and visitor centres in the area reflect the simpler things in life, including the life of the forester; the wildlife of the forests; the history of distilling, coopering, textiles, beekeeping or glass-blowing. There are vineyards in the département, although they are not so well known as those of the Jura to the east. There are many lakes and waterways in the département, and many of the regional culinary specialities are fish-based; principally pike or carp. Pôchouse, for example, is a local freshwater fish stew.

Vesoul, a somewhat industrial town standing on a tributary of the Saône, is dominated by the piton de la Motte, topped by a statue of the Virgin on the site of a former medieval castle, and offering a serene vista out towards Langres in the north-west. Several other old buildings in Vesoul survive from the 15th–18th centuries, including the 18th-century museum (a former convent) and, most notably, the Hôtel Thomassin and the Maison Baressols.

Also in the north-east, between Lure and Belfort in the Vosges foothills, the chapel of Notre-Dame-du-Haut makes its striking white presence felt on a hilltop near the old miners' town of Ronchamp. Despite stark materials, the curves of the chapel roof and other design details reflect forms from the natural world and, for all its modernity, arrow-slit windows forming shafts of natural light inside, and the pure simplicity of the interior have all the resonance of an ancient place.

The castle at Champlitte, north of Gray, houses three museums: the folk art museum, the wine press museum, and an early-20th-century artisanal museum. Pesmes, on the southernmost edge of the département, is classed as being amongst the most beautiful in France, and the nearby River Ognon also offers a relaxing setting for walking or bathing. Also in the south of the département is the château de Gy, a former feudal fortress that can be visited during summer.