This was not our first time in Burgundy, but it was our first time to Dijon. On a previous trip we stayed in Beaune (also located in the Burgundy region), located about 40 minutes away by car.
Dijon is the capital of the Burgundy region and the very walkable city center boasts various styles of architecture, including half-timbered facades, terracotta roof tiles, Gothic and Neo-Classical .
One of our first activities included in a Rick walk around town to orient ourselves. Below is Place Rude, named after Francois Rude, a French sculptor.
The Musée des Beaux-Arts is currently undergoing an extensive renovation, and much of their collection is unavailable right now. Our admission was free, and we enjoyed the things we were able to see.
Andrew was especially excited to see the exact image depicted on his favorite beer, Duchesse de Bourgogne:
Jardin Darcy:
Dijon also has an incredible covered market, Les Halles. It’s open a few days a week and is the perfect place to grocery shop, pick up some prepared foods or just stare awestruck at the magnificent displays of food.
A HUGE highlight for me was actually shopping at the market for lunch! It might have been my favorite activity, as I had to navigate on my own and use some of my French as Andrew decided that would be an opportune time to return our rental car.
He really wanted escargot, so I got a tray of prepared snails (already stuffed with garlic butter), along with bread, cheese, strawberries, green beans, clafouti and a small slice of jellied ham with herbs.
It was so fun to use the oven and have lunch in our little apartment kitchen.
After lunch that day, we hiked up the Philippe Le Bon tower for views and then took a tour around the city with a guide.
The city’s ‘mascot’ is an owl, and the tourism office does an excellent job of promoting their city with an ‘owl trail’ do-it-yourself walking tour. Each site is marked with a numbered gold plaque and a corresponding description in the booklet. For luck, locals touch the owl sculpture (located on the corner of the oldest church) with their left hands as they pass by.
Place de le Libération:
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