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Travel guide
Burgundy
4 days · 7 things to do
Best time to go: May to June, and September to October
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Welcome
Burgundy, in a few days
Burgundy reads like a history book laid over a vineyard. In Dijon the dukes left a palace, glazed tile roofs and a mustard-based cuisine; in Beaune, the Hôtel-Dieu of 1443 shows off its patterned tiles above cellars where the great wines lie.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 1 thing
- D2 Day 2 1 thing
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 3 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Hospices de Beaune · about 1 h 30A hospital founded in 1443 that treated patients until 1971, with glazed yellow, green and red roofs and a 50-metre ward of red-curtained beds.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel des Remparts ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€140 a night
D2
Day 2
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- All day · Route des Grands Crus free · a full daySixty kilometres from Dijon to Santenay through 37 wine villages, among the dry-stone walls of the climats, UNESCO-listed in 2015.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel des Remparts ↗€140 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Château du Clos de Vougeot · about 1 hIn a walled vineyard founded by the monks of Cîteaux, a Renaissance château with four huge oak presses, home of the Tastevin brotherhood.
- Afternoon · Dijon and the Palace of the Dukes free · half a dayFollow the owl trail through the old town to the dukes' palace, whose fine arts museum holds their tombs and alabaster mourners.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel des Remparts ↗€140 a night
D4
Day 4
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Fontenay Abbey · about 1 h 30Founded in 1118 by St Bernard and UNESCO-listed in 1981, one of the most complete Cistercian abbeys, with its church, cloister, dormitory and 12th-century forge.
- Afternoon · Vézelay Basilica free · about 1 h 30Where the Second Crusade was preached in 1146, and a start of the road to Santiago, with a carved tympanum and two-tone arches.
- Late afternoon · Rock of Solutré free · about 2 hA 493-metre limestone crag above the Pouilly-Fuissé vineyards that gave its name to the Solutrean culture, explained in the museum at its foot.
Further afield (over 130 km from the base hotel), best as a separate stop: Guédelon Castle.
📲 Book things to do in Burgundy on GetYourGuideBefore you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €120 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to June, and September to October
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/burgundy
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos: Pexels and Wikimedia Commons (John Picken, CC BY 2.0) · Details are indicative, check before you leave.