Top towns and villages to visit in Burgundy

Burgundy is a region packed with historic towns and picturesque villages. This leaves you with a multitude of choices of visits to suit your tastes. So take the time to stroll around and open your eyes in these towns in the four corners of Burgundy, soaking up their atmosphere and heritage.

       Where to go in Burgundy?
 

Here are a few towns and villages that are well worth a visit:

Dijon, the city of the Dukes of Burgundy

Dijon, capital of Burgundy and prefecture of the Côte d'Or, is also known as ‘the city of the Dukes of Burgundy’, in reference to a succession of four dukes who gave Dijon a lineage of royal blood. It is a historic city where the Dukes of Burgundy left their mark on the city's remarkable architecture.

The main places to visit are the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, a must-see in the city, whose architectural style was designed to showcase the power of Louis XIV, and he succeeded marvelously! This tour is an opportunity to visit several other sites, including the Musée des Beaux-Arts, one of the oldest and most important in France, and the Tour Phillipe Le Bon with its superb panorama.

Another must-see in Dijon is its ‘owl trail’. This route takes in all the city's major sites and monuments, right in the heart of the historic centre, giving you a great overview of the city of the Dukes. The tour ends in front of the owl statuette in Notre-Dame church, which has become a symbol of the city thanks to the legend that stroking it with the left hand can grant a wish.

Finally, take a trip to Les Halles de Dijon, the perfect opportunity to discover Burgundy's gastronomic riches! 

Mâcon, a gentle town on the banks of the Saône

Situated in the south of Burgundy, Mâcon is a small town that will amaze you not only for its beauty, but also for its rich history and heritage.

The ‘Tracé de la Plume’, a pedestrian route right through the heart of the town, is an excellent way to discover all its treasures. With its mix of architecture, literature, gastronomy and history, the route will take you from one monument to the next.

For the more inquisitive, there's the route ‘in the footsteps of Alphonse de Lamartine’, which takes in places that are emblematic of the poet's life, such as the Musée des Ursulines and its Espace Lamartine, the Hôtel Senecé, home of the Académie des Arts, Sciences et Belles Lettres de Mâcon, where Lamartine was a member for 58 years, and the Cathedral of Saint-Vincent, where the poet's funeral took place.

Auxerre, a well-protected old town

With its many half-timbered houses and protected buildings, Auxerre is a town with a rich medieval heritage. Between the historic centre and the quays along the Yonne, Auxerre is a town of charm and character with plenty to offer!

On the one hand, you can take a stroll along the quays to discover the remarkable scenery along the Yonne and its moored barges.

On the other, you can immerse yourself in the town's historic centre and its 534 timber-framed houses, full of history and charm. Must-sees in the town centre include Saint Germain Abbey, founded in the 5th century and rich in Auxerre history, Saint-Etienne's Cathedral and its elegant Gothic style, and the clock tower, built in the 15th century and a symbol of the town's independence and prosperity.  

Beaune, the capital of Burgundy wines

Beaune is a town steeped in history and the art of living, inviting all lovers of medieval escapades to enjoy an unforgettable experience. It is also renowned for being the capital of Burgundy wines, making it an essential stop-off point for discovering Burgundy's gastronomic culture. There are many monuments to visit in this city, rich in cultural and gastronomic heritage. THE must-see monument in Beaune and emblematic of Burgundy is the Hospices de Beaune, a veritable masterpiece of late medieval civil architecture, with its large inner courtyard, tiled mosaic roofs and dormer windows adorned with gilded weather vanes. Many tourists marvel at this building.

The collegiate church of Notre-Dame is another of the town's historic monuments. Remarkable for its Romanesque architecture, this building has been transformed and extended over the centuries. You can also immerse yourself in Beaune's past by strolling through the streets of the old centre and along the town's ramparts, a perfect opportunity to discover many buildings steeped in history and many different viewpoints during a one or two-hour stroll.

From a gastronomic point of view, Beaune is also a great way to discover local gastronomy, with the Cité des Climats et des vins de Bourgogne (Burgundy wine and climate centre) to learn more about wine culture, and the 200-year-old Fallot mustard factory to discover the origins of Burgundy mustard.

          Numerous picturesque villages with character
 

Burgundy is also full of charming little villages, each with its own style and identity.

Among the best-known of these is Vézelay, a village with over 1,000 years of history that has been a stopover for thousands of pilgrims for centuries, with its Romanesque Basilica of Sainte-Madeleine, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There is also Noyers-sur-serein and Semur-en-Brionnais, both of which are listed among the 159 ‘most beautiful villages in France’. In each of them, you'll find a historic atmosphere as you stroll through the narrow streets of the village, where churches, châteaux, ramparts and charm all come together to plunge you into a film set right in the heart of Burgundy!

However, there are other lesser-known but equally unusual villages that are well worth a visit!

Bèze is the most romantic of them all, with its walk along the ‘promenade de la source’, a real gem for nature lovers and charming landscapes.

Wine lovers will be delighted by the village of Pommard. As its name suggests, this village is the origin of the ‘Pommard’ wine appellation, some of which are world-famous. An unmissable visit, with its historic village and vineyards as far as the eye can see!  

Finally, Meursault is a village well known to the seventh art. In fact, the village was used to film a section of the film ‘La Grande Vadrouille’, one of the great successes of French cinema. It's an opportunity for connoisseurs to take a trip down memory lane. But Meursault is also a village of character, with its town hall covered in Burgundy glazed tiles in shades of yellow, green and black, forming pretty ripples.