"Again a vineyard, again a serial nomination." Ever since hiking through the Piedmont and then later the same year the Prosecco hills have I a certain skepticism when it comes to any site featuring vineyards. Luckily, my skepticism in the case of Burgundy was not warranted as Burgundy to me is primarily a late medieval landscape that happens to have some surrounding vineyards.

The two main locations of the site are Dijon and Beaune. I managed to see both in half a day. Dijon is the regional capital and boasts quite a large old town. For me the Ducal Palace and the Place de La Liberation were the highlights of the town.

To see the vineyards I traveled to Beaune. Beaune is way smaller than Dijon and within 15min you are on the edge of town where the vineyards begin. For those interested there are multiple hiking trails. To get started walk to Park de la Bouzaize (Northwest of the old town). For me this was not an option due to time reasons. And I have seen plenty of vineyards as it stands.

Beaune features the Hôtel-Dieu or Hospices de Beaune. The Hôtel-Dieu is probably the single most iconic component of the inscription with its polychrome roof. It was also featured prominently in my French book in 8th grade.

Based on a donation by the then chancellor of Burgundy, Nicolas Rolin, the Hospices have operated since the 15th century. The initial funding came from another WHS: Salins. Over the centuries several donations were made to the Hospices with the effect that the Hospices now own some of the best vineyards of Burgundy. In modern times, the original building was turned into a museum and the hospital was moved.

Getting There And Away

Dijon is well connected to all parts of France by TGV: Lyon (South), Paris (Northwest) or Besancon (East) are all a short train ride away. You can also connect by direct train to Lausanne in Switzerland (that's how I arrived). For all TGV rides you plan to take, book well in advance as they sell out and prices go up quite significantly as the departure date nears.

Beaune is a 30min train ride from Dijon on the regional train line to Lyon. I combined Beaune, Dijon and Arc-et-Senans into a single day and felt this was okay. If I had to choose I would recommend visiting Beaune and skipping Dijon.

While You Are There

Apart from drinking Burgundian wine, Kir is the local drink of choice. It's a mix of Cassis and Wine/Cremant. Dijon is also world-renown for the mustard. Personally, I think Moutarde de Meaux is superior. But that may be home town bias.

From Dijon there are several nearby WHS that can be explorer as day trip. Check out our Burgundy Hotspot connection.