Dijon & Beaune

Dijon, the old capital of the Duchy of Burgundy, is famed for mustard and fine food; heading south, the Route des Grands Crus passes legendary villages such as Vosne-Romanée on its way to the Hospices de Beaune — a mecca for wine lovers.

Dijon and Beaune lie in the Côte-d'Or department of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Dijon was the capital of the Duchy of Burgundy: in the 14th–15th centuries, four Valois dukes ruled from here over a powerful state stretching from Burgundy to the Low Countries, leaving behind the Palace of the Dukes, many churches and private mansions. The historic centre was added to the World Heritage list in 2015 along with the Climats of Burgundy vineyards, and the city is the home of mustard, crème de cassis and pain d'épices. South of Dijon, the roughly 60 km Route des Grands Crus runs through the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, linking famous villages such as Gevrey-Chambertin, Clos de Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée and Meursault. Near its end, Beaune is the centre of the Burgundy wine trade, renowned for the Hôtel-Dieu of the Hospices de Beaune with its glazed, multicoloured tile roof.

A visit falls into three parts: Dijon's old town (Palace of the Dukes, Museum of Fine Arts, the Owl's Trail, Les Halles market, and the Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin) for 1–2 days; the Route des Grands Crus and Beaune for 1–2 days, based in either Dijon or Beaune, by car, by bike or on a wine-tasting tour; and a day trip by car northwest to Fontenay Abbey, Alésia and Flavigny.

The best seasons are May–Jun and Sep–Oct. Harvest runs from mid/late September to early October, and the Hospices de Beaune charity wine auction on the third weekend of November is the liveliest event; winters are cold and many small wineries close. Getting there: the TGV from Paris to Dijon takes about 1 hour 40 minutes, and regional trains from Dijon to Beaune take about 25 minutes. Most winery visits require advance booking — don't drink and drive.

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