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Burgundy road trip: the driving itinerary, stop by stop

A one-week loop from Dijon: the Route des Grands Crus to Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise, Cluny, Autun and the Morvan, Vézelay, the Guédelon building site and the vineyards of Chablis. It is all on toll-free country roads; the real issue is wine tasting when you are driving.

615 kmin total about 11 hoursof driving 6 stops7 nights 5 to 8 daysrecommended
PierrickBy PierrickGoogle Local Guide ★8Updated 1 October 2026
Alcohol0.5 g/l
Wine tastingSpit or choose a designated driver
Speed limits80 km/h on ordinary roads
Dijon low-emission zoneNo cars banned
Fuel (September 2026)≈ €2.15 a litre of SP95-E10, €2.40 for diesel

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The map and the route plan

DaysStopDrive
Day 1DijonStart
Days 2 to 3Beaune41 km · 55 min
Day 4Cluny78 km · 1h35
Day 5Autun78 km · 1h25
Day 6Vézelay137 km · 2h35
Day 7Chablis143 km · 2h30
Day 8Back to Dijon138 km · 1h40

Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.

The itinerary, stop by stop

May, June, September and October: vines in leaf or being harvested, and Guédelon open (2 April to 1 November in 2026). In winter, no winter tyres are required, but Guédelon and Cormatin close.

  1. 1
    Dijon
    Benjamin Smith / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
    Day 1 · 1 night

    Dijon

    What to see

    • Palace of the Dukes and Estates of Burgundy Ducal palace housing the Musée des Beaux-Arts, free for the permanent collections.
    • Tour Philippe le Bon 46 m tower completed in 1455, 316 steps, guided visits only.
    • Cité internationale de la gastronomie et du vin Opened in 2022 in the former general hospital: exhibitions and a wine cellar with 3,000 labels.
    • Fontenay Abbey On the way back from Chablis, via Noyers and Flavigny: Cistercian abbey founded in 1118, UNESCO-listed.

    🛏️ Where to sleep in Dijon

    Chapeau Rouge par William FrachotHôtel des Ducs All places to stay →

    🎟️ Worth booking

    Guided food tour of central Dijon →
  2. 2
    Beaune
    Benjamin Smith / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
    Days 2 to 3 · 2 nights

    Beaune

    🚗 41 km · 55 min of driving from Dijon

    The D974, the Route des Grands Crus, via Gevrey-Chambertin, Vougeot, Nuits-Saint-Georges and Aloxe-Corton. Toll-free, unlike the parallel A31.

    What to see

    • Gevrey-Chambertin Village producing 9 of Burgundy's 33 grands crus, with a 13th-century fortified château.
    • Château du Clos de Vougeot Built by the monks of Cîteaux from the 12th century, seat of the Chevaliers du Tastevin.
    • Hospices de Beaune Hôtel-Dieu founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, glazed tile roofs, Van der Weyden polyptych.
    • Côte de Beaune Pommard, Meursault and the Château de La Rochepot, 15 km to the south-west.

    🛏️ Where to sleep in Beaune

    Alfred Hotels Beaune La MadeleineHotel La Villa Fleurie All places to stay →

    🎟️ Worth booking

    Wine tour in the Côte de Nuits, with no need to drive →
  3. 3
    Cluny
    Benjamin Smith / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
    Day 4 · 1 night

    Cluny

    🚗 78 km · 1h35 of driving from Beaune

    The D974 via Meursault, then the D981 via Rully, Givry and Cormatin, through the vineyards of the Côte Chalonnaise. No tolls.

    What to see

    • Château de Cormatin Château built 1606-1612, Louis XIII interiors, box hedge maze; open from April to November.
    • Cluny Abbey Founded in 910; its great church, 187 m long, was the largest in Western Christendom until 1506.
    • Roche de Solutré 493 m rock, a prehistoric site above the Pouilly-Fuissé vineyards, south of Cluny.

    🛏️ Where to sleep in Cluny

    Hotel de BourgogneHotel Saint Odilon All places to stay →
  4. 4
    Autun
    GO69 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
    Day 5 · 1 night

    Autun

    🚗 78 km · 1h25 of driving from Cluny

    The D980 then minor country roads via Marigny and Saint-Eusèbe, with no motorway.

    What to see

    • Cathédrale Saint-Lazare Last Judgement tympanum signed by Gislebertus, 12th century, spire from 1469.
    • Roman theatre 148 m in diameter, at least 14,000 seats, the second-largest in Gaul.
    • Temple of Janus Walls of a Gallo-Roman sanctuary over 20 m high, outside the ancient town walls.

    🛏️ Where to sleep in Autun

    Hôtel le TerminusHotel ibis Autun All places to stay →
  5. 5
    Vézelay
    Grahamec / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
    Day 6 · 1 night

    Vézelay

    🚗 137 km · 2h35 of driving from Autun

    The D3 and D18 via Mont Beuvray, then Château-Chinon and the Lac des Settons: the narrow, winding roads of the Morvan.

    What to see

    • Bibracte (Mont Beuvray) Capital of the Aedui at 821 m; Vercingetorix was given command there in 52 BC.
    • Lac des Settons 366 ha reservoir at 586 m, created in 1858 for floating timber.
    • Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine Romanesque abbey church built from 1120 to 1140, on the hilltop, UNESCO-listed since 1979.

    🛏️ Where to sleep in Vézelay

    Les Glycines VézelayHôtel Restaurant De La Poste & Du Lion D'or All places to stay →
  6. 6
    Chablis
    CocktailSteward / CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
    Day 7 · 1 night

    Chablis

    🚗 143 km · 2h30 of driving from Vézelay

    The D951 and D957 towards Puisaye, Guédelon and Saint-Fargeau, then the D965 via Auxerre to Chablis.

    What to see

    • Guédelon Castle Castle under construction since 1997 using 13th-century techniques.
    • Château de Saint-Fargeau Six pink brick towers, where La Grande Mademoiselle was exiled in 1652.
    • Auxerre Cathedral (Saint-Étienne) Gothic, begun in 1215; Romanesque crypt and a fresco of Christ on horseback.
    • Chablis vineyards Chardonnay only; seven grands crus on the right bank of the Serein.

    🛏️ Where to sleep in Chablis

    Hôtel de la PosteAux Lys de Chablis All places to stay →

    🎟️ Worth booking

    Chablis tasting with a winegrower →
  7. ↩

    Back to Dijon

    🚗 138 km · 1h40 of driving from Chablis

Less time? The 5-day version

Skip Cluny and Autun: from Beaune, take the A6 to Avallon (€8.40) then the D957 to Vézelay. Nights: Dijon 1, Beaune 1, Vézelay 1, Chablis 1.

Hiring the car

Price per day

Self-drive hire, Dijon average≈ €43 a day (Kayak, Sept 2026)
Small car≈ €35 to €49 a day
Cheapest month, January≈ €38 a day
Most expensive month, May≈ €55 a day

Good to know

Your own carThe simplest option: the A6 then the toll-free A38 from Paris, €22.20 in tolls.
Where to pick it upAt Dijon-Ville station (Avis, Hertz, Sixt, Enterprise and others). It's a loop, so no one-way fee.
VehicleCity car or compact: narrow lanes in the wine villages and narrow roads in the Morvan.
AgeAt Europcar, from 18 with 1 year's driving experience; under 26, €40 a day extra.

⚠️ May is the most expensive month in Dijon, €55 a day against €38 in January: book early for the spring bank holiday weekends.

Compare car hire companies →

Driving rules and tips

Alcohol0.5 g/l

0.2 g/l on a probationary licence. Up to 0.8 g/l: €135 and 6 penalty points; above that, a criminal offence.

Wine tastingSpit or choose a designated driver

Use the spittoon with every glass, or have a driver who does not drink. Carrying a breathalyser has no longer been compulsory since 2020.

Speed limits80 km/h on ordinary roads

90 on part of the network: 20% in Côte-d'Or, 31% in Yonne, 3% in Saône-et-Loire.

Dijon low-emission zoneNo cars banned

Zone covering 10 municipalities since 2025, under a general exemption reviewed every year. Check before you go.

MotorwaysToll-free A38

From Dijon to the A6. The A31 Dijon-Beaune costs €3.20; the parallel D974 Route des Grands Crus is free.

Speed camerasFixed and unmarked cars

Privately driven speed-camera cars. Radar detectors banned: up to €1,500 and 6 points.

WinterNo winter tyres required

Côte-d'Or, Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire and Yonne do not apply the winter equipment requirement of the Mountain Law.

Parking in VézelayPaid from 09:00 to 20:00

Every day, throughout the commune, except from 21 December to 31 January. Unpaid parking charge: €12.

Novice drivers110, 100, 80 km/h

Probationary licence: 110 on motorways, 100 on dual carriageways, 80 elsewhere.

Fuel, tolls and parking

Fuel

≈ €2.15 a litre of SP95-E10, €2.40 for diesel (23 Sept 2026)

Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Today's price: prix-carburants.gouv.fr →

⛽ 615 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €90 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.

National averages from French ministry data. Prices vary widely between stations: compare on prix-carburants.gouv.fr.

Tolls and parking

A6 Paris (Fleury-en-Bière)-Pouilly-en-Auxois, then the A38 to Dijon€22.20; the A38 is free
A6 Paris (Fleury-en-Bière)-Beaune Nord€25.90
A6 Paris (Fleury-en-Bière)-Avallon, for Vézelay€16.50
A31 Dijon Sud-Beaune€3.20; the D974 Route des Grands Crus is free
Stages of the loopToll-free; direct return Chablis-Dijon on the A6 (Nitry-Pouilly): €6.80
A6 Beaune Nord-Avallon, short version€8.40
Hôtel-Dieu, Hospices de Beaune€12.50, audio guide included
Château du Clos de Vougeot€12, €5 for ages 8 to 16
Cluny Abbey€11, free for EU residents under 26
Guédelon Castle€19 to €21 per adult, €13 to €15 for ages 5 to 17; free parking
Fontenay Abbey€11.50 (2025 rate)
Beaune, Tanneries and Charles-de-Gaulle car parksFree, near the Hospices
Crit'Air sticker€3.85 on certificat-air.gouv.fr

Seasonal road closures

Guédelon CastleFrom 2 April to 1 November 2026, closed on some Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Château de CormatinOpen from April to November only
Château du Clos de VougeotClosed on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January
Hôtel-Dieu de BeauneOpen all year, closed at midday from mid-November to March

Plan the rest of the trip

🗺️ Things to do, stop by stop →📖 The printable travel guide →🛏️ More hotels, by budget →📅 Best time to visit, month by month →🌍 The destination guide →

Frequently asked questions

How many days for a road trip in Burgundy?

Allow 8 days for this loop of 6 stages and 7 nights from Dijon: the Grands Crus, Beaune, Cluny, Autun, Vézelay, Guédelon and Chablis. With 7 days, spend only one night in Beaune and see the Côte de Beaune on the way to Cluny. With 5 days, skip Cluny and Autun as well.

How much does a Burgundy road trip cost?

With your own car, about €80 of petrol at September 2026 prices for some 600 km of loop, with no tolls. From Paris, add €22.20 in tolls each way. Hiring in Dijon, about €300 for 7 days at €43 a day (Kayak). Entry fees: Hôtel-Dieu €12.50, Clos de Vougeot €12, Cluny €11, Guédelon €19 to €21.

How do you go wine tasting when you are driving?

The limit is 0.5 g/l, or 0.2 g/l on a probationary licence. Between 0.5 and 0.8 g/l: €135 and 6 penalty points; above that, it is a criminal offence. Spit with every glass, choose a designated driver who does not drink, or book a minibus tour from Beaune. Spending two nights in Beaune lets you taste without getting back behind the wheel.

Do you need a Crit'Air sticker to go to Dijon?

Dijon Métropole has had a low-emission zone since 1 January 2025, covering 10 municipalities inside the ring road, including Marsannay-la-Côte, the start of the Route des Grands Crus. But a general exemption lets all vehicles drive there, Crit'Air 5 included. It is reviewed every year: check the Métropole's website before you go.

What is the Route des Grands Crus?

A 60 km tourist route between Dijon and Santenay, created in 1937 and signposted since 1954-1955. It passes through 38 villages of the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune, including Gevrey-Chambertin, Vougeot and Nuits-Saint-Georges, mostly on the toll-free D974. Allow a day with stops.

What is the best time for a road trip in Burgundy?

May, June, September and October. Guédelon is open from 2 April to 1 November in 2026 and Cormatin from April to November. The Hospices de Beaune wine auction takes place on the third Sunday of November, 15 November in 2026. In winter, no winter tyres are required in any of the four départements.

Sources

Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.

Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/burgundy · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026