As major regions of France go, I feel like Burgundy (known in French as Bourgogne) tends to fly a bit under the radar. The first reason for this? It’s famous (to the extent that it’s famous) for wine, and many visitors to France simply assume that places like Bordeaux and Champagne are the only worthwhile destinations for that.
(Fun side note: Did you know that the French word for dark red—what we in English might call “burgundy”—is…wait for it… bordeaux?)
The good news? You don’t need to know a single word of French for my Burgundy itinerary to be useful to you. The better news? Burgundy is absolutely amazing.
Burgundy: A Day Trip from Lyon, or an Overnight Stay?
Obviously, if you search for them, you’ll find plenty of beautiful Burgundy hotels, whether amid the cobbled streets of Dijon or Beaune, or deep within the wine country. Some of them are a bit more…rustic than what you might find in Paris or Bordeaux, but what they lack in luxury they more than make up for in local charm. On the other hand, I only usually recommend staying overnight in Burgundy if you’re on a longer trip, or if you’ve taken multiple trips to France before—in other words, if you’ve covered the “basic” destinations.
To be sure, taking a day trip to Burgundy is surprisingly easy. Specifically, you’ll want to ride a TGV directly from Lyon’s Part-Dieu Station to Dijon-Ville Station, and then take your time exploring the city. You may or may not have lunch here. If you don’t, ride a local TER train down to Beaune Station and then have lunch in the town before exploring its wineries, ideally with a rental bike. That doesn’t sound too hard, does it?
Things to Do in Dijon and Beaune
Take a tour to Dijon’s best viewpoint
I first became fixated on visiting Dijon more than a decade after I actually got there, having seen the city’s Gothic cathedral out the window of a TGV to Paris. Oddly, the church itself (which I now know to be Cathédrale Saint-Bénigne de Dijon) was not the highlight of my time there. Rather, it was the view from Tour Philippe le Bon, which is accessible only via (free) organized tour through the Dijon Tourist Office.
Visit a small but fabulous art museum
Another highlight of my Lyon to Dijon day trip? The Musée Magnin. Although this is not the largest or most important museum in Dijon, I loved how it managed to juxtapose modern art (in this case, the work of Djamel Tatah) with classical art in a way that was subversive but not disrespectful. Certainly, if you visit Dijon in the middle of the summer like I did, an art museum will be a great place to beat the heat.
Shop for mustard—of course
Another way to get out of the elements? Shop for mustard, whether at big-name boutiques like at La Boutique Maille or La Moutarderie Edmond Fallot. You can also book a mustard making tour—which, like the tour of Tour Philippe le Bon, is through the Dijon Tourist Office. It might seem cliché or anticlimactic to focus on Dijon mustard while in Dijon, but it’s actually one of the best ways to spend your time.
Have lunch (and sightsee) in Beaune
I may eventually create a dedicated Beaune itinerary, but for now what I’ll say is that you should ride one of the frequent TER trains ~20 minutes from Dijon-Ville Station to Beaune Station. From here walk due westward into town. You can have lunch (ideally, at a place serving iconic boeuf bourguignon) and explore Beaune’s attractions, be that the markets within and outside Les Halles, to the Hospices de Beaune museum.
A train tour, really?
Unless you happen to visit on a Sunday (when bicycle rental offices are closer) like I did, one of the best things to do in Beaune is to rent a bike (or more ideally, an e-bike) and ride between the wineries located just west of the town center. If you do visit on a Sunday, not to worry. There’s a conspicuous booking counter just south of Les Halles, where you can book a spot on one of the tourist trains that traverses the wineries without you needing your own set of wheels.
Burgundy vs. Bordeaux
As I’ve written about often on this site, Bordeaux is not my favorite city in France. The wine country around Bordeaux, most notably Margaux and Saint-Emilion? Well, I’m a great deal more amenable to those places, as I’ve also written about. Still, I do think that to a large extent, Bordeaux does not live up to the image of it that exists in popular culture. For some travelers, this reality is welcome—they prefer a little grit along with their glamour—but I digress.
Part of why I come out on the bourguignon side of the Burgundy or Bordeaux debate, to be sure, is that I simply had fewer expectations for Burgundy going in. That’s part of why I decided to visit on a day trip, rather than devoting an overnight stay to Dijon, Beaune or elsewhere. On future trips, that will possibly change; I will obviously come back to this guide at that time to add information and insights.
Other FAQ About Visiting Burgundy
Which is better to visit, Dijon or Beaune?
I would probably say that Beaune is more enjoyable than Dijon, since you can have an urban-ish experience in its town center, before renting bikes and having an afternoon of tastings in its surprisingly rural wine country. Dijon, by contrast, is a bit more one-note, even if its architecture (and, unsurprisingly, its mustard shops) are excellent.
Is Burgundy, France worth visiting?
Burgundy, France is worth visiting, without even the slightest doubt. The key question is whether you come on a day trip from Lyon or devote an overnight stay (or two) to a place like Beaune or Lyon. This will ultimately depend upon how much slack you have in your broader trip to France.
What are some must-see tourist attractions in Burgundy?
Burgundy has a surprising wealth of tourist attractions for a place that isn’t especially touristic. My two favorites are probably Tour Philippe le Bon (which offers an absolutely magnificent view of Dijon, not to mention a great workout) and the Hospices de Beaune in Beaune.
The Bottom Line
On one hand, not many travelers are seeking out a Burgundy itinerary. The region (at least among English speakers) is woefully under-explored; most travelers (like myself, 13 years before I wrote this) simply passed through Beaune or Dijon on a Paris– or Lyon-bound TGV completely oblivious as to what might await them if they disembarked. Let their ignore be your salvation. For some travelers, Burgundy is a two-in-one day trip: Riding that same TGV from Lyon to Dijon and then, after a morning exploring the city, heading down to Beaune for lunch and wine tastings. In other instances, you’ll want to stay overnight and dig deeper. No matter your plan, I do hope you’ll consider hiring me to plan your trip to France.
