Burgundy
Burgundy is a beautiful part of the world. It’s mostly about the wine, of course, but we liked the area for other reasons, too.
For starters, the region of Burgundy, (or “Bourgogne,” en français), located on the eastern edge of France, is a bit off the main tourist path. We felt like we were mostly among locals wherever we went. (Well, not in Beaune so much, I suppose. But things in Beaune were so laid back that it didn’t matter).
Like many places not at the top of everyone’s bucket list, English is not always spoken here. So if you’re so inclined, take some time to brush up on your French. You can certainly get by without it, but you’ll have more fun if you can meet the locals halfway, language-wise.
Picturesque villages are scattered over rolling hills throughout Burgundy. A handful of towns, (based on our personal criteria), would make a good home base for travelers. Our choice was Dijon.
I was surprised to learn about Burgundian history, which I found fascinating. And when you’re walking through the ancient streets of a Burgundian town, you can’t help but want to know more about it. (The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon is a great place to start).
If you’re thinking about going to Burgundy because you enjoy and are interested in wine, my advice would be to do some homework before you go. There’s a lot to learn, just to have some idea of what’s going on, wine-wise. You’ll enjoy your visit more if you have a passing knowledge of Burgundian wine-making when you get there.
Dijon
Dijon makes a perfect home base for travelers. There’s plenty to do in the town itself, and there are lots of options for good day-trips out of town. Much of central Dijon is pedestrian-only. We walked everywhere.
Dijon has a small airport, but we opted to take the train from Paris. (I’m “on board” whenever there’s an opportunity to take the TGV somewhere). Our ride to Dijon via TGV took about an hour.
Renting an Apartment in Dijon
When we were preparing for this trip, we were amazed at the range of apartments available in Paris. That wasn’t the case for Dijon, but you only need to find one that meets your needs. We certainly did. The location in “centre-ville” was excellent. Everything about it was excellent, in fact.
The owners of the 16th century mansion containing our apartment were accommodating, friendly, and professional. They have a number of places for rent. You can find them here.
This might be a little off-topic, but I have to mention the espresso maker in the apartment. I fell in love with that thing! When we’d return from a day of activities, I’d head straight for the espresso machine. It was intuitively simple to operate, (unlike some others I’ve used). After we returned from our trip, I bought one, and I STILL love it. I doubt that the same model is still in production, but just in case, it was a “Nespresso Essenza C91.”
Dining in Dijon
Our favorite restaurant for dinner was Caffe Cosi, (4 rue Bannelier, in Dijon, just across from Les Halles de Dijon, the Dijon Market). Not expensive. Good food and friendly service. It appeared to be packed full of locals. This is where we had the tiramisu that was so good.
I’m sorry to report that our favorite spot for lunch, L’Assiette, is no longer in business.
The Italian restaurant in Dijon we liked was Osteria Enoteca Italiana. I’d call it high-end italian. We would go back, but if you’re thinking of pizza or spaghetti and meatballs, there are a lot of other good options around town.
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon
This is one of my favorite museums, mainly because of the collection of items from historical Burgundy. This is no surprise, I suppose, since the museum is housed inside the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy. Here’s the website, (French version only).
Beaune
A visit to Beaune makes a great day trip from Dijon. After taking the train to get there, it’s completely walk-able. Other than the world famous wine auction, the Hospices de Beaune is the big attraction for most tourists. Wine tasting opportunities abound. Making the Tourist Office your first stop is a good idea. They were very helpful. A good place to start is their website. It’s excellent.
The Hospices de Beaune
We really enjoyed our visit. Very interesting. You can get a good idea of what the Hospices de Beaune is all about by visiting the Hospices de Beaune page of the Office of Tourism website. There’s information about the wine auction there, too.
Lunch in Beaune
We had one of the best lunches we’ve ever had anywhere at this restaurant in Beaune: Le Conty. The servers were professional, (of course), and they were friendly as well. The food was awesome.
Wine Tasting in Beaune
Wine tasting in France, at least for tourists like us, is always an adventure. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that Beaune provides a number easy options. We only had time to visit one: Patriarche.
Patriarche has a nice showroom, staffed by at least one person who speaks english. They have a number of cellar tour and tasting options to choose from. We didn’t have a lot of time, so we opted for a self-guided tour, as described in the letter/post. We totally enjoyed touring the incredible cellars, tasting wine along the way. I’d love to go back and take the tour with a guide.
The Wine
Burgundy Wine Tour
Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, the fellow who provided the memorable wine tour for us has moved on. My guess is, given the way wine is infused into nearly all aspects of life in Burgundy, many other excellent tour guides are available.
Do Some Homework
For people who enjoy wine, a trip to Burgundy can be amazing. But everything is different there. “Chablis” isn’t chablis. It’s chardonnay. Red “Burgundy” is pinot noir, but you’ll never see that on the label.
Instead of the type of wine being listed on a Burgundy wine label, they seem to list everything BUT the type of wine inside. It can be pretty confusing, but doing just a little homework before you go can make a world of difference.
There are many excellent wine-related websites where you can learn everything you need to know and have a good time doing it. (You might get thirsty, though). One of my favorites is Wine Folly. Search for “Burgundy” on the Wine Folly website.
Photo Credit: Burgundy Landscape: Gavin Sherry/Wikimedia Commons
