I visited the Fontenay abbey on the 27th of february 2024. I took a train early in the morning to travel from Dijon to Montbard.I had reserved a bicycle with the local tourist office( just outside the railway station in Montbard) beforehand. Since I arrived around 9.45 I had to wait some minutes before they opened the tourist office.Within a few minutes I got a bike and was on my way to the abbey. I took me around 25 min to reach the abbey which is open-daily-from 10.00-12.00 and from 14.00-17.00 in the  winter months from novembre till march. From the end of march on the abbey is open from 10.00 till 18.00.

The old Abbey of Fontenay (12th century) was one of the first monuments to be inscribed on the Unesco world heritage list.It consists of a church, a cloister, a refectory, a dormitory, a bakery and a forge.It also has a small but beautiful garden. To my surprise the abbey even had a small prison as it exercised lower legal jurisdiction in its realm.The abbey was founded in 1118 by Saint Bernard and is today the example par excellence of a cistercian abbey.

The cistercian order was created in France during the 12th century and its spiritual movement founded on the simplicity and humbleness of monastic life spread throughout Europe.

All buildings are still in good shape and intact.However,there are almost no furnishings inside the accessible buildings.1-2h are enough to see everything in detail inside the abbey. The entrance fee is 12€. For visitors who dont have much time 45min - 1 h are also ok. I guess during the high season the abbey will be quite overcrowded with visitors which makes the visit far less enjoyable than a visit during the winter months. I for example had to share the abbey with only 2 other visitors.There is a self-service cafe just outside the entrance.

I truly enjoyed my visit there.Around 12.30 I was back to Montbard where I visited the small old town and the park Bouffon.I then rode the bike along the canal du Bourgogne as I had time till 14.20 when my train left for Dijon. 

PS: it is better to reserve a bike via email beforehand as in high season the demand can be huge.