Beaune • Châteauneuf-en-Auxois • Semur-en-Auxois • Abbey of Fontenay • Flavigny-sur-Ozerain • Alise Ste-Reine • Vézelay • Château de Guédelon • Bourges • Cluny • Taizé
Map: Beaune Hotels & Restaurants
Map: La Rochepot Scenic Vineyard Route
Map: Routes des Grands Crus/Vineyard Loop near Beaune
Sleeping and Eating in Châteauneuf-en-Auxois
Sights in Flavigny-sur-Ozerain
Sleeping and Eating in Flavigny-sur-Ozerain
Sleeping and Eating in Semur-en-Auxois
Between Burgundy and the Loire
Vézelay and the Basilica of Ste. Madeleine
Sleeping and Eating in Vézelay
The rolling hills of Burgundy gave birth to superior wine, fine cuisine, spicy mustard, and sleepy villages smothered in luscious landscapes. This deceptively peaceful region witnessed Julius Caesar’s defeat of the Gauls, then saw the Abbey of Cluny rise from the ashes of the Roman Empire to vie with Rome for religious influence in the 12th century. Burgundy’s last hurrah came in the 15th century, when its powerful dukes controlled an immense area stretching north to Holland.
Today, bucolic Burgundy (roughly the size of Belgium) runs from about Auxerre in the north to near Lyon in the south, and it’s crisscrossed with canals and dotted with quiet farming villages. It’s also the transportation funnel for eastern France and makes a convenient stopover for travelers (car or train), with easy access north to Paris or Alsace, east to the Alps, and south to Provence.
Traditions are strong. In Burgundy, both the soil and the farmers who work it are venerated. Although many of the farms you see are growing grapes, only a small part of Burgundy is actually covered by vineyards.
This is a calm, cultivated, and serene region, where nature is as sophisticated as the people. If you’re looking for quintessential French culture, you’ll find it in Burgundy.
With limited time, stay in or near Beaune. Plan on a half-day in Beaune and a half-day for the vineyards and countryside at its doorstep. With a full day, spend the morning in Beaune and the afternoon exploring the surrounding vineyards and wine villages (good by bike, car, or minibus tour). If you have a car (cheap rentals are available), or good legs and a bike, the best way to spend your afternoon is by following my scenic vineyard drive to Château de la Rochepot.
To explore off-the-beaten-path Burgundy, visit unspoiled Semur-en-Auxois or Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, the museum dedicated to the historic victory that won Gaul for Julius Caesar (in Alise Ste-Reine), and France’s best-preserved medieval abbey complex at Fontenay. These are all close to each other and on the way to Paris, or doable as a long day trip from Beaune. The soul-stirring church at Vézelay is more famous but harder to reach, and is best done as an overnight trip, or en route to Paris or the Loire Valley. If you’re connecting Burgundy with the Loire, don’t miss the medieval castle construction at Guédelon and the fine “High” Gothic cathedral in Bourges (either of these pairs well with Vézelay). And if you’re driving between Beaune and Lyon, take the detour to adorable Brancion and once-powerful Cluny, then head south along the Beaujolais wine route.
For up-to-date information on accommodations, restaurants, events, and shopping, see www.burgundyeye.com.
Trains link Beaune with Dijon to the north and Lyon to the south; some stop in the wine villages of Meursault, Nuits St-Georges, Gevrey-Chambertin, and Santenay. Several buses per day cruise between vineyards north of Beaune on D-974, though precious few buses connect Beaune with villages to its south (see “Beaune Connections” on here). Bikes, minibus tours, and short taxi rides get non-drivers from Beaune into the countryside. Buses connect Semur-en-Auxois with the Dijon and Montbard train stations. Drivers enjoy motoring on Burgundy’s lovely roads; you’ll cruise along canals, past rolling hills of vineyards, and on tree-lined lanes. Navigate using the excellent (and free) map of the Côte d’Or available at all TIs.
Arrive hungry. Considered by many to be France’s best, Burgundian cuisine is peasant cooking elevated to an art. Entire lives are spent debating the best restaurants and bistros.
Several classic dishes were born in Burgundy: escargots de Bourgogne (snails served sizzling hot in garlic butter), bœuf bourguignon (beef simmered for hours in red wine with onions and mushrooms), coq au vin (rooster stewed in red wine), and œufs en meurette (poached eggs in a red wine sauce, often served on a large crouton), as well as the famous Dijon mustards. Look also for delicious jambon persillé (cold ham layered in a garlic-parsley gelatin), pain d’épices (spice bread), and gougères (light, puffy cheese pastries). Those white cows (called Charolais) dotting the green pastures are Burgundian and make France’s best steak and bœuf bourguignon.
Native cheeses are Époisses and Langres (both mushy and great) and my favorite, Montrachet (a tasty goat cheese). Crème de cassis (black currant liqueur) is another Burgundian specialty; look for it in desserts and snazzy drinks (try a kir).
Remember, restaurants serve only during lunch (11:30-14:00) and dinner (19:00-21:00, later in bigger cities); some cafés serve food throughout the day.
Along with Bordeaux, Burgundy is why France is famous for wine. From Chablis to Beaujolais, you’ll find great fruity reds, dry whites, and crisp rosés. The three key grapes are chardonnay (dry white wines), pinot noir (medium-bodied red wines), and gamay (light, fruity red wines, such as Beaujolais). Sixty percent of the wines are white, thanks to the white-only impact of the Chablis and Mâcon regions.
The Romans brought winemaking knowledge with them to Burgundy more than 2,000 years ago, but it was medieval monks who perfected the art a thousand years later, establishing the foundations for Burgundy’s famous wines. Those monks determined that pinot noir and chardonnay grapes grew best with the soil and climate in this region, a lesson that is followed to the letter by winemakers today. The French Revolution put capitalists in charge of the vineyards (no longer a monkish labor of love), which led to quantity over quality and a loss of Burgundy’s esteemed status. Phylloxera insects destroyed most of Burgundy’s vines in the late 1800s, and forced growers to rethink how and where to best cultivate grapes in Burgundy. This led to a return of the monks’ approach, with the veneration of pinot noir and chardonnay grapes, a focus on quality over quantity, and a big reduction in the land area devoted to vines.
Today the government controls how much farmers can produce (to sustain high quality). This has a huge effect—in Burgundy, the average yield is only about 40 hectoliters per hectare (about 1,000 gallons), whereas in California it’s more than double that. There are about 4,200 wineries in 44 villages in Burgundy. The wineries are tiny here (12-15 acres on average) thanks to Napoleon, who determined that land should be equally divided among a family’s children when parents died. In many cases a farmer owns just a few rows in a vineyard and pieces together enough parcels to make a go of it.
Every village produces its own distinctive wine, from Chablis to Meursault to Chassagne-Montrachet. Road maps read like fine-wine lists. If the wine village has a hyphenated name, the latter half of its name usually comes from the town’s most important vineyard (such as Gevrey-Chambertin, Aloxe-Corton, and Vosne-Romanée). Look for Dégustation Gratuite (free tasting) signs, and prepare for serious wine-tasting—and steep prices, if you’re not careful. For a more easygoing tasting experience, head for the hills: The less prestigious Hautes-Côtes (upper slopes) produce some terrific, inexpensive, and overlooked wines. The least expensive (but often worthwhile) wines are Bourgogne and Passetoutgrain (both red) and whites from the Mâcon and Chalon areas (St-Véran whites are also a good value). If you like rosé, try Marsannay, considered one of France’s best. And les famous Pouilly-Fuissé grapes are grown near the city of Mâcon. For tips on tasting, see the sidebar on here.
You’ll feel comfortable right away in this prosperous, popular, and perfectly French little wine capital, where life centers on the production and consumption of the prestigious Côte d’Or wines. Côte d’Or means “Gold Coast,” (from when the sea covered the valley in the Jurassic era) and the “coast” here is a spectacle to enjoy in late October as the leaves turn.
Medieval monks and powerful dukes of Burgundy laid the groundwork that established this town’s prosperity. The monks cultivated wine and cheese, and the dukes cultivated wealth. A ring road (with a bike path) follows the foundations of the medieval walls, and parking lots just outside keep most traffic from seeping into the historic center. One of the world’s most important wine auctions takes place here every year on the third weekend of November.
Beaune is compact (pop. 25,000), with a handful of interesting monuments and vineyards knocking at its door. Limit your Beaune ramblings to the town center, lassoed within its medieval walls and circled by a one-way ring road, and leave time to stroll into the vineyards. All roads and activities converge on the town’s two squares, Place Carnot and Place de la Halle. Beaune is quiet on Sundays and Monday mornings. The city’s monuments are beautifully lit at night, making Beaune ideal for a post-dinner stroll.
The main TI is located across from the post office on the ring road’s southeastern corner (look for Porte Marie de Bourgogne on the banner; daily 9:00-18:30, closes at 18:00 on Sun and from 12:00-13:00 Nov-March, tel. 03 80 26 21 30, www.beaune-tourism.com). A small TI annex (called “Point-I”) is housed in the market hall, across from Hôtel Dieu, and has similar hours. The main TI offers free Wi-Fi and rents audioguides for visiting Beaune (€5, 1.5 hours); both TIs have extensive information on wine-tasting in the area, a room-finding service, a list of chambres d’hôtes, bus schedules, and an excellent, free road map of the region. They can also arrange a local guide (€140/2 hours, €190/4 hours).
Ambitious sightseers may benefit by buying the Pass Beaune, which gets you a discount at most key sights in Burgundy (including Hôtel Dieu and the wine museum in Beaune, Abbey of Fontenay, the site of the Cluny Abbey, the museum at Alésia, and Château of Clos Vougeot) and most major wine cellars (including the recommended Patriache Père et Fils and Sensation Vin wine-tastings). The catch: You have to decide what you’re going to see when you buy the pass, so you’re committed to visiting those attractions (5 percent off 2 sights, 10 percent off 3 sights, 15 percent off 4 or more sights; buy at the TI).
For a shortcut into Beaune’s center from the main TI, walk out the back door, cross a small street, continue straight through a long courtyard, and land on Place Carnot.
By Train: To reach the city center from the train station (no baggage storage), walk straight out of the station up Avenue du 8 Septembre, cross the busy ring road, and continue up Rue du Château. Follow it as it angles left and pass the mural, veering right onto Rue des Tonneliers. A left on Rue de l’Enfant leads to Beaune’s pedestrian zone and Place Carnot.
By Bus: Beaune has no bus station—only several stops along the ring road. Ask the driver for le Centre-Ville. The Jules Ferry (zhul fair-ee) stop is closest to the train station. (For details on bus service, see “Getting Around the Beaune Region” on here.)
By Car: Follow Centre-Ville signs to the ring road. Once on the ring road, turn right at the first signal after the modern post office (Rue d’Alsace), and park for free a block away in Place Madeleine. If the lot is full—which it often is—don’t worry, spaces usually open up before long. The Parking du Jardin Anglais at the north end of the ring road (see map on here) usually has spaces and is free. Parking inside Beaune’s ring road is metered from 9:00-12:30 and 14:00-19:00, and there’s a convenient parking garage next to the main TI on the ring road (€5/3 hours).
Market Days: Beaune hosts a smashing Saturday market and a smaller Wednesday market. Both are centered on Place de la Halle and open until 12:30. The Saturday market fires up much of the old town and is worth planning ahead for. For either market, watch the action from the Baltard Café on Place de la Halle, then do as the locals do and have lunch at an outdoor café (many good choices—see “Eating in Beaune,” later, for ideas; sit down by 12:30 or forget it).
Supermarkets: Supermarché Casino has several small shops in Beaune, a store in the town center on Rue Carnot, and a mother-ship store located through the arch off Place Madeleine (Mon-Sat 8:30-20:00, closed Sun except summer mornings).
Internet Access: The main TI (hours listed earlier) offers free Wi-Fi, as does Dix Carnot Café—provided you consume (daily 8:00-19:00, on Place Carnot next to the Athenaeum’s back-door entrance). The recommended Bistrot Bourguignon offers Wi-Fi with wine.
Post Office: The main post office is at 7 Boulevard St Jacques. A handy PTT annex sells stamps and Colissimo boxes for international shipping (see here), as well as credit for any mobile phone (Mon-Fri 13:00-17:00, closed Sat-Sun, 37 Rue Carnot).
Laundry: Beaune’s lone launderette is open daily 7:00-21:00 (65 Rue Lorraine).
Bike Rental: See “Getting Around the Beaune Region—By Bike” on here.
Taxi: Call 06 11 83 06 10 or 06 09 35 63 12.
Car Rental: ADA is cheap and close to the train station (allow €60/day for a small car that includes 100 kilometers—about 60 miles, Mon-Sat 8:00-12:00 & 14:00-18:00, closed Sun, 26 Avenue du 8 Septembre, tel. 03 80 22 72 90). Avis is at the train station (tel. 03 80 24 96 46), and Europcar is less centrally located (53 Route de Pommard, tel. 03 80 22 32 24).
Cooking Experience: Enthusiastic American chef Marjorie Taylor invites traveling foodies to her beautifully appointed, light-filled boutique for a pricey but fun food experience. Marjorie offers a market-day tour of Beaune, followed by a cooking demonstration (there’s little cooking instruction) and a five-course lunch with basic wine (€250/person, Sat and Wed best for the market-day experience, www.thecooksatelier.com, marjorie@thecooksatelier.com).
Best Souvenir Shopping: The Athenaeum has a great variety of souvenirs, including wine and cookbooks in English, with a good children’s section (daily 10:00-19:00, across from Hôtel Dieu at 7 Rue de l’Hôtel Dieu). Le Vigneron, at 6 Rue d’Alsace, is crammed with wine-related stuff, French knives, and more.
A TGV-esque little train will show you Beaune and nearby vineyards (€7, runs April-Oct 11:00-17:00, almost hourly departures from Hôtel Dieu, no morning trips on Wed and Sat market days, 45 minutes).
You have several great choices. These guides can take you on walking or driving tours. For tours that focus on vineyards and Burgundian history, Colette Barbier, a professor of gastronomy and wines at the University of Dijon, is a wonderful guide who is fluent in English and passionate about her region. She knows Burgundy like a local—because she is one (her family has lived in the region for 250 years). Book well in advance, though last-minute requests sometimes work (€260/half-day, €420/day, tel. 03 80 23 94 34, mobile 06 80 57 47 40, www.burgundy-guide.com, cobatour@sfr.fr). Her daughter Emma, raised in the same bottle, guides with as much passion—albeit with a more youthful perspective (mobile 06 83 43 50 78, www.burgundy-winetour.e-monsite.com).
Delightful and wine-smart Stephanie Jones came from her native Britain to Burgundy to learn its wines—which she has, getting her degree in oenology and working in Burgundian wine cellars for years. Today she leads informative, enjoyable tours of the vineyards while also running a B&B (price per person: €95/half-day, €180/day, 2-person minimum, mention this guide for preferable rate, tel. 03 80 61 29 61, mobile 06 10 18 04 12, www.aux-quatre-saisons.net, aux4saisons35@aol.com).
Robert Pygott, British by birth but Burgundian by choice, offers relaxed and interesting tours of Burgundy (€210-240 for all-day tour, tel. 06 38 53 15 27, www.burgundydiscovery.com, robert@burgundydiscovery.com).
Safari Wine Tours offers two-hour van tours of the villages and vineyards around Beaune that get you into the countryside and smaller wineries (though you won’t do much tasting—generally one tasting per tour). There are four itineraries (€42-58, tour #2 is best for beginners; tours depart from TI generally at 12:00, 14:30, and 17:00; tel. 03 80 24 79 12, www.burgundy-tourism-safaritours.com, or call TI to reserve).
Wine Me Up runs 2.5-hour tours of the Côte de Nuits wineries and the Côte de Beaune (€55 for either tour, includes a wine-plus-cheese tasting or wine plus crémant, tel. 03 80 24 40 96, www.winemeup.travel).
Vinéa Tours is more formal and upscale, with three different itineraries that last two to three hours each (€54, mobile 06 73 38 37 19, www.vineatours.com).
Likeable Florian Garcenot at Bourgogne Evasion offers half- and full-day bike tours that follow routes very similar to those I describe later (see “Sights in the Beaune Region,” on here), and include wine-tastings and sightseeing. On the full-day tour, you’ll be shuttled up to the castle of La Rochepot and then you’ll sail downhill back to Beaune, stopping for lunch and at a few wineries (€29/half-day, €120/full day—includes lunch, www.bourgogne-velo.fr, info@bourgogne-evasion.fr, tel. 06 64 68 83 57).
This medieval charity hospital is now a museum. The Hundred Years’ War and the plague (a.k.a. the Black Death) devastated Beaune, leaving three-quarters of its population destitute. Nicholas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy (enriched, in part, by his power to collect taxes), had to do something for “his people” (or, more likely, was getting old and wanted to close out his life on a philanthropic, rather than a greedy, note). So, in 1443 Rolin paid to build this place. It was completed in just eight years and served as a hospital until 1971, when the last patient checked out. The Hospices de Beaune began opening its doors to visitors in the 1950s, although it wasn’t fully open to tourists until the early 1980s. You’ll notice Hospices de Beaune on wine labels in fine shops—they are Burgundy’s largest landowner of precious vineyards, thanks to donations made by patients over the centuries (and still happening today).
Cost and Hours: €7, includes audioguide, daily April-mid-Nov 9:00-18:30, mid-Nov-March 9:00-11:30 & 14:00-17:30, last entry one hour before closing; it’s dead-center in Beaune, dominating Place de la Halle; tel. 03 80 24 45 00, www.hospices-de-beaune.com.
Self-Guided Tour: While the audioguide delivers key facts and good information, this self-guided tour allows you to prepare ahead and gives your visit more meaning. Tour the rooms, which circle the courtyard, in a clockwise direction (following Sens de la Visite signs). To start your visit, enter the courtyard and find a stone bench in front of you.
Courtyard of Honor: Honor meant power, and this was all about showing off. The exterior of the hospital and the town side of the courtyard are intentionally solemn, so as not to attract pesky 15th-century brigands who would loot whatever looked most rewarding. The dazzling inner courtyard features a colorful glazed tile roof, establishing what became a style recognized in France as typically “Burgundian.” The tiles, which last 300 years, are fired three times: once to harden, again to burn in the color, and finally for the glaze. They were redone in 1902. The building is lacy Flamboyant Gothic with lots of decor—and boasts more weathervanes than any other building in France. Now enter the hospice halfway down the courtyard on the left.
Paupers’ Ward: This grandest room of the hospital was the ward for the poorest patients. The vault, typical of big medieval rooms, was constructed like the hull of a ship. The screen separates the ward from the chapel at the front. Every three hours, the door was opened, and patients could experience Mass from their beds. Study the ceiling. Crossbeams are held by the mouths of creatively carved monsters—each mouth is stretched realistically, and each face has individual characteristics. Between the crossbars are busts of real 15th-century townsfolk—leading citizens, with animals humorously indicating their foibles (for example, a round-faced glutton next to a pig).
The carved wooden statue over the door you just entered shows a bound Christ—demonstrating graphically to patients that their Savior suffered and was able to empathize with their ordeal. Its realism shows that Gothic art had moved beyond the stiff formality of Romanesque carving. Behind the little window next to the statue was the nuns’ dorm. The sisters (who were the first nurses) would check on patients from here. Notice the scrawny candleholder; if a patient died in the night, the candle was extinguished.
Find the small tables near the beds on the right. Rolin, who believed every patient deserved dignity, provided each patient with a pewter jug, mug, bowl, and plate. A painting on an easel at the left shows patients being treated in this room in 1949, 500 years after the hospital’s founding. During epidemics, there were two to a bed. The ward didn’t get heat until the 19th century (notice the heating grates on the floor), and the staff didn’t get the concept of infection (and the basic practices of hand-washing and covering your mouth when coughing) until the late 19th century (thanks to Louis Pasteur). Before then, most patients would have been better off left in a ditch outside.
Chapel: The hospice was not a place of hope. People came here to die. Care was more for the soul than the body. (Local guides are routinely instructed in writing by American tour companies not to use the word “hospice,” because it turns off their clients. But this was a hospice, plain and simple, and back then, death was apparently less disturbing.) The stained glass shows Nicolas Rolin (lower left) and his wife, Guigone (lower right), dressed as a nun to show her devotion. Nicolas’ feudal superior, the Duke of Burgundy, is portrayed above him. Notice the action on Golgotha. As Jesus is crucified, the souls of the two criminals crucified with him (portrayed as miniature naked humans) are being snatched up—one by an angel and the other by a red devil. At the bottom, Mary cradles the dead body of Christ. You’re standing on tiles with the love symbol (or “gallant device”) designed by Nicolas and Guigone to celebrate their love (as noble couples often did). The letters N and G are entwined in an oak branch, meaning that their love was strong. The word seule (“only one”) and the lone star declare that Guigone is the only star in Nicolas’ cosmos.
St. Hugue Ward: In the 17th century, this smaller ward was established for wealthy patients (who could afford private health insurance). They were more likely to survive, and the decor displays themes of hope, rather than resignation: The series of Baroque paintings lining the walls shows the biblical miracles that Jesus performed. As the wealthy would lie in their beds, they’d stare at the ceiling—a painting with the bottom of an angel’s foot, surrounded by the sick waiting to be healed by Jesus in his scarlet robe. An exhibit describes the hospital’s gradual transition to modern practices.
St. Nicolas Room: Originally divided into smaller rooms—one used for “surgery” (a.k.a. bloodletting and amputation), the other as an extension of the kitchen that you’ll see next—this room now holds a model of the steep roof support and more tools of the doctoring trade (amputation saws, pans for bloodletting, and so on). The glass panel in the floor’s center shows the stream running below; the hole provided a primitive but convenient disposal system after dinner or surgery. Living downstream from the hospital was a bad idea. Notice the display case showing the Vente aux Enchères des Hospices de Beaune. Operation of the hospice was primarily funded through auctioning its great wines (made from land donated by grateful patients over the years). Today, the auction of Hospices de Beaune wines is an internationally followed event, and gives the first indication of prices for the previous year’s wines. Proceeds from the auction still support the “modern” hospital in Beaune.
Kitchen: The kitchen display shows a 16th-century rotisserie. When fully wound, the cute robot would crank away, and the spit would spin slowly for 45 minutes. The 19th-century stove provided running hot water, which spewed from the beaks of swans. A five-minute, French-only sound-and-light show runs every 15 minutes.
Pharmacy: The nuns grew herbs out back, and strange and wondrous concoctions were mixed, cooked, and then stored in pottery jars. The biggest jar (by the window in the second room) was for theriaca (“panacea,” or cure-all). The most commonly used medicine back then, it was a syrup of herbs, wine, and opium.
St. Louis Ward: A maternity ward until 1969, this room is lined with fine 16th- and 17th-century tapestries illustrating mostly Old Testament stories. Dukes traveled with tapestries to cozy up the humble places they stayed in while on the road. The 16th-century pieces have better colors but inferior perspective. (The most precious 15th-century tapestries are displayed in the next room, where everyone is enthralled by the great Van der Weyden painting.)
Roger van der Weyden’s Last Judgment: This exquisite painting, the treasure of the Hôtel Dieu, was commissioned by Rolin in 1450 for the altar of the Paupers’ Ward. He spared no cost, hiring the leading Flemish artist of his time. The entire altarpiece survives. The back side (on right wall) was sliced off so everything could be viewed at the same time. The painting is full of symbolism. Christ presides over Judgment Day. The lily is mercy, the sword is judgment, the rainbow promises salvation, and the jeweled globe at Jesus’ feet symbolizes the universality of Christianity’s message. As four angels blow their trumpets, St. Michael the archangel—very much in control—determines which souls are heavy with sin. Mary and the apostles pray for the souls of the dead as they emerge from their graves. But notice how both Michael and Jesus are expressionless—at this point, the cries of the damned and their loved ones are useless. In the back row are real people of the day.
The intricate detail, painted with a three-haired brush, is typical of Flemish art from this period. While Renaissance artists employed mathematical tricks of perspective, these artists captured a sense of reality by painting minute detail upon detail. (The attendant is dying to be asked to move the magnifying glass—le loup—into position to help you appreciate the exquisite detail in the painting.) Stare at Michael’s robe and wings. Check out John’s delicate feet and hands. Study the faces of the damned; you can almost hear the gnashing of teeth. The feet of the damned show the pull of a terrible force. On the far left, notice those happily entering the pearly gates. On the far right, it’s the flames of hell (no, this has nothing to do with politics).
Except for Sundays and holidays, the painting was kept closed and people saw only the panels that now hang on the right wall: Nicolas and Guigone piously at the feet of St. Sebastian—invoked to fight the plague—and St. Anthony, whom patients called upon for help in combating burning skin diseases.
The unusual 15th-century tapestry A Thousand Flowers, hanging on the left wall, tells the medieval story of St. Eligius.
Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, during the transition from Romanesque to Gothic architecture, Beaune’s cathedral was a “daughter of Cluny” (built in the style of the Cluny Abbey, described on here). The church features a mix of both styles: Its foundation is decidedly Romanesque (notice the small windows and thick walls), while the 14th-century front-porch addition is Gothic.
Enter the second chapel on the left to see frescoes depicting the life of Lazarus, and then, behind the altar, find five vibrant, 15th-century tapestries illustrating the life of the Virgin Mary (buy the €2 English explanation for frame-by-frame descriptions).
Cost and Hours: Free, tapestry open daily 9:30-12:30 & 14:00-17:00, until 19:00 during high season.
• To get to the wine museum (listed next), walk 30 steps straight out of the cathedral, turn left down a cobbled alley (Rue d’Enfer, or “Hell Street,” named for the fires of the Duke’s kitchens once located on this street), keep left, and enter the courtyard of Hôtel des Ducs.
From this well-organized folk-wine museum, which fills the old residence of the Dukes of Burgundy, it’s clear that the history and culture of Burgundy and its wine were fermented in the same bottle. Wander into the free courtyard for a look at the striking palace, antique wine presses (in the cuverie, or vatting shed; good English explanations), and a concrete model of Beaune’s 15th-century street plan (a good chance to appreciate the town’s once-impressive fortified wall). Inside the museum, you’ll see a model of the region’s topography, along with tools, costumes, and scenes of Burgundian wine history—but no tasting. Each room has helpful English explanations.
Cost and Hours: €5.60, ticket also includes the Musée des Beaux-Arts; April-Sept daily 10:00-18:00; Oct-March Wed-Sun 11:00-17:00, closed Mon-Tue; tel. 03 80 22 08 19.
The last of the independent mustard mills in Burgundy opens its doors for guided tours in French (with a little English). The tour is long yet informative—you’ll learn why Burgundy was the birthplace of mustard (it’s about wine juice), and where they get their grains today (Canada). It takes over an hour to explain what could be explained in half that time—you’ll see a short film, learn about the key machines used in processing mustard (with the help of audioguides), and finish with a tasting.
Cost and Hours: €10, tours daily at 10:00 and 11:30, additional tour Mon-Sat mid-June-mid-Sept at 15:30; must call TI to reserve or book online, as space is limited; across ring road in the appropriately yellow building at 31 Rue du Faubourg Bretonnière, tel. 03 80 22 10 02, www.fallot.com.
(See “Beaune” map, here.)
Stroll across the ring road, through a pleasant Impressionist-like park, and into Beaune’s beautiful vineyards. This walk is ideal for picnickers, families (good play toys in park), and vine enthusiasts. Follow Avenue de la République west from the center, cross the ring road, and parallel the stream along a few grassy blocks for about five minutes, then angle right into the serene park. Walk through the park and pop out at the right rear (northwest) corner, turn left on the small road, and enter the Côte de Beaune vineyards. Find the big poster showing how the land is sliced and diced among different plots (called clos, for “enclosure”).
The vine-covered landscape is crisscrossed with narrow lanes and stubby stone walls (good for picnics, but no shade) and provides memorable early-morning and sunset views. Wander among the enclosures, noticing the rocky soil (wine grapes need to struggle). The highest areas of the hills above you grow grapes that end up in wines labeled Haute Côte de Beaune, and are cheaper and generally less intense than those made from the grapes in front of you. As you wander about, keep in mind that subtle differences of soil and drainage between adjacent plots of land can be enough to create very different-tasting wines—from grapes grown only feet apart. Vive la différence.
(See “Beaune” map, here.)
You can wander along sections of the medieval walls that protected Beaune from bad guys. Much of the way is a paved lane used for parking, storage, and access to homes built into the wall, but you’ll still get a feel for the ramparts’ size and see vestiges of defensive towers. Find the path just inside the ring road that stretches counterclockwise from Avenue de la République to Rue de Lorraine (see map on here). You can enter or exit at any cross street (free, always open).
Countless opportunities exist for you to learn the finer points of Burgundy’s wines. Many shops and wineries offer informal and informative tastings (with the expectation that you’ll buy something)—though the limits on our ability to bring wines back to North America can lead to tricky dynamics, particularly at smaller places. You can taste directly at the domaine (winery) or at a caveau representing a variety of wineries (I list several options for both). To sample older vintages you’ll have to visit a winery because caveaux usually don’t stock wines older than a few years. When visiting a cellar, don’t mind the mossy ceilings. Many cellars have spent centuries growing this “angel’s hair”—the result of humidity created by the evaporation of the wines stored there. For tips on wine-tasting, see the sidebar on here.
Winemakers are busy people and, naturally, they prefer to spend their time turning folks on to their wines who can buy enough to make it worth their while—and in most cases, that’s not you (as nice as you are). They hope you’ll like their wines, buy several bottles or a dozen, and ask for them at your shop back home. Most places now charge an entry fee, allowing you to taste a variety of wines (with less expectation that you’ll buy). If you’re not serious about buying at least a few bottles, look for places that charge for tastings.
Taking Wine Home: Some shops and wineries can arrange shipping (about €15 per bottle to ship a case, though you save about 20 percent on the VAT tax when shipping—so expensive wines are worth the shipping cost). To learn more about shipping wine, Côte d’Or Imports works with many sellers in Burgundy and has earned a reputation for safe and reliable shipping (US tel. 503-449-2538, www.cotedorpdx.com). The simplest solution for bringing six or so bottles back is to pack them well and check the box on the plane with you. Good packing boxes are available, or you can wrap them well and put them in a hard-sided suitcase. US customs allows one bottle duty-free, but the duty on additional bottles is only 10 percent.
Here are a couple of good places to learn about Burgundy wines in Beaune.
With Burgundy’s largest and most impressive wine cellar, this is the best of the big wineries to visit in the city. With a helpful videoguide, you’ll tour some of their three miles of underground passages and finish in the atmospheric tasting room, where you’ll try 13 Burgundian classics (3 whites and 10 reds); each bottle sits on top of its own wine barrel. The long walk back to la sortie helps sober you up.
Cost and Hours: €15, daily 9:30-11:30 & 14:00-17:00, 5 Rue du Collège, tel. 03 80 24 53 78, www.patriarche.com.
For a good introduction to Burgundy wines, try these informative wine classes. You’ll gather around a small counter in the comfortable wine bar/classroom and learn while you taste. Since the young owners do not make wine, you’ll get an objective education (with blind tastings) and sample from a variety of producers. Call or email ahead to arrange a class/tasting.
Cost and Hours: Class length and wines tasted vary by season (€35 for 1.5-hour class with 9 wines—4 whites, 5 reds; €70 for half-day tastings covering 10 wines, 2-person minimum—aspirin and pillow provided). Ask about their tastings-in-the-vineyards class (3-4 hours, very small groups only, €190/person). Open daily, near Collégiale Notre-Dame at 1 Rue d’Enfer, tel. 03 80 22 17 57, www.sensation-vin.com, contact@sensation-vin.com.
A handy way to sample village life—and prowl the vineyards—is to hop on a bike, take a taxi, or drive yourself. These wineries are a short jaunt from Beaune (no more than a 15-minute drive). Remember that at free tastings, you’re expected to buy a bottle or two, unless you’re with a group tour. All of these places can ship overseas. For wine-tasting suggestions a bit farther afield, along La Route des Grands Crus, see here.
Just five minutes from Beaune, Domaine Patrick Clémencet offers tastings in a small, traditional tasting room with minimal English. You need to know what you want to taste and have the patience to navigate the language barrier. There’s a big selection of reasonably priced wines (€6-40/bottle) from most of the famous wine villages, and bien sûr, plenty of Pommard (generally open Mon-Sat 10:00-12:00 & 13:30-19:00, closed Sun; 1 Place de l’Europe—enter Pommard when you see Hôtel du Pont and find the winery’s green sign a block down, arcing over its entry, push the sonnez button if no one is there; tel. 03 80 22 59 11, domaine-clemencet@orange.fr).
These two villages are situated about a 15-minute drive (or 60 minutes by bike) south of Beaune, on the scenic route to Château de la Rochepot (see here).
Located on the village’s central roundabout, the user-friendly Caveau de Puligny-Montrachet has a convivial wine-bar-like tasting room, a smart outdoor terrace, and no pressure to buy. Knowledgeable owner Julien is happy to answer your every question. He has wines from 200 quality Burgundian vintners, from Chablis to Pouilly-Fuissé, but his forté is Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault whites, which is why I taste here. His reds are young and less ready to drink (€15 for 6 wines, free if you buy 6 bottles, can ship to the US; March-Oct daily 9:30-19:00, sometimes open later; Nov-Feb Tue-Sat 10:00-12:00 & 15:00-18:00, closed Mon; tel. 03 80 21 96 78).
If you’re looking for an upscale wine château experience, visit Château de Chassagne-Montrachet. In this elegant mansion, an informative tour takes you through gorgeous cellars—some dating to the 11th century. You’ll taste five of Michel Picard’s impressive wines from throughout Burgundy (€12 includes tour, €8 without tour, allow at least an hour with tour, daily 10:00-18:00, best to call ahead, tel. 03 80 21 98 57, www.michelpicard.com).
This small village, with several good tasting opportunities, is just a 10-minute drive north of Beaune.
At the Domaines d’Aloxe-Corton caveau, you can sample seven makers of the famous Aloxe-Corton wines in a comfortable and relaxed setting. Prices are affordable, and the easygoing staff speaks enough English (small fee for tasting, free if you buy 2 bottles, Thu-Mon 10:00-13:00 & 15:00-19:00, usually closed Tue-Wed, tel. 03 80 26 49 85). You’ll find the caveau a few steps from the little square in Aloxe-Corton.
Mischief and Mayhem is a dream come true for Anglophones serious about Burgundian wine. British-born-and-raised Fiona and Michael make fine wines and sell them at fair prices (€13-60, but little middle ground). Though eager to add their own style to their wines, they are thoroughly immersed in Burgundian culture and can help you make sense of this region’s wine culture. It’s a small operation, so tasting hours vary (generally late mornings and afternoons Thu-Sat, call ahead, a few blocks below the church on D-115d to Ladoix-Serrigny at 10 Impasse du Puits, tel. 03 80 26 47 60, mobile 06 30 01 23 76, www.mischiefandmayhem.com).
Domaine Comte Senard is famous for its prestigious wines and table d’hôte, where you get a full lunch with matching wines and thorough explanations from the wine steward as you go (Tue-Sat 12:00-14:00, €45 with 4 wines, €55 with 6 wines, €65 with 8 wines). It’s a fun, convivial way to spend two hours learning about the local product—be sure to come early to make the most of the experience. You can also drop by at non-lunch hours to sample their wines (€10 tasting, free if you purchase wine, Tue-Sat 12:00-18:00, closed Sun-Mon, 1 Rue des Chaumes, tel. 03 80 26 41 65, www.table-comte-senard.com).
About five minutes from Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune is home to Henri de Villamont, a big-time enterprise with a huge range of wines and a modern, welcoming tasting room. They grow their own grapes—as well as buy grapes from other vineyards—and make all the wines themselves. This allows them to create a vast selection of wines featuring grapes from virtually all of the famous wine villages, from Pouilly-Fuissé to Chablis (hours vary but generally Tue-Sat 10:00-12:30 & 13:30-18:00, Sun 10:00-13:00, charming Lydie runs the tasting room, Rue du Dr. Guyot, call ahead if you want to visit the cellars, tel. 03 80 21 50 59, www.hdv.fr).
This Hautes-Côtes village is located 15 minutes north of Beaune via one of Burgundy’s most scenic wine roads (drive up into Pernand Vergeles and find the signed road on right). Domaine Naudin-Ferrand is overlooked by most, but makes fine reds and whites at excellent prices, and offers an authentic, small-producer experience (simple tasting room with helpful Claire or Marie who speak enough English). Its best values are wines from the Hautes-Côtes vineyards. Call or email to let them know you are coming and carefully track the faded signs (Mon-Fri 9:00-12:00 & 13:30-17:30, Sat 13:00-18:00, closed Sun, Rue du Meix-Grenot, tel. 03 80 62 91 50, www.naudin-ferrand.com, info@naudin-ferrand.com).
$$$ Hôtel le Cep**** is the venerable place to stay in Beaune, if you have the means. Buried in the town center, this historic building comes with fine public spaces inside and out, and 64 gorgeous wood-beamed, traditionally decorated rooms in all sizes (standard Sb-€142, Db-€185, deluxe Db-€240, suites-€340-550, continental breakfast-€20, air-con, king-size beds, guest computer and Wi-Fi, fitness center, parking-€18/day, 27 Rue Maufoux, tel. 03 80 22 35 48, www.hotel-cep-beaune.com, resa@hotel-cep-beaune.com).
$$$ Hôtel des Remparts*** is a peaceful oasis in a rustic manor house built around a calming courtyard. It features faded Old World comfort, many rooms with beamed ceilings, big beds, and a few good family suites (standard Db-€120, Db suite-€160, extra person-€20, ask for Rick Steves discount, top-floor rooms have air-con, guest computer, Wi-Fi, laundry service, bike rental, garage-€10/day, just inside ring road between train station and main square at 48 Rue Thiers, tel. 03 80 24 94 94, www.hotel-remparts-beaune.com, hotel.des.remparts@wanadoo.fr, run by the formal Epaillys).
$$$ Les Jardins de Loïs****, run by welcoming winemakers Philippe and Anne-Marie, is a four-star B&B. The five big rooms all overlook large gardens and show a no-expense-spared attention to comfort (Db-€145, big Db-€190, Tb-€200, includes custom-order breakfasts, air-con, Wi-Fi, on the ring road a block after Hôtel de la Poste at 8 Boulevard Bretonnière, tel. 03 80 22 41 97, mobile 06 73 85 11 06, www.jardinsdelois.com, contact@jardinsdelois.com). Their atmospheric wine cellar, Domaine Loïs Dufouleur, also offers tastings (€8 for 4 wines, free for guests, arrange ahead).
$$$ Hôtel Athanor*** is a good choice with a privileged location—a block from the cathedral—and offers a nice mix of modern comfort with a touch of old Beaune. The atmospheric lounge sports a pool table and a full-service bar (standard Db without air-con-€101, superieure Db with air-con-€140, deluxe Db-€162, extra bed-€20, breakfast-€12, ask for Rick Steves discount when booking, elevator, Wi-Fi, 9-11 Avenue de la République, tel. 03 80 24 09 20, www.hotel-athanor.com, hotel.athanor@wanadoo.fr).
$$ Hôtel Ibis**, centrally located with free and easy parking, has 73 efficient rooms. It’s a good value—even better if you have kids and want a pool. The bigger and better-appointed “Club” rooms are worth the extra euros (standard Db-€90-100, “Club” Db-€110, extra person-€10, lower rates on website, non-smoking floor, air-con, free Wi-Fi, free parking, a few bikes to rent, 5-minute walk to town center, 7 Rue Henri Dunant, tel. 03 80 22 75 67, www.hotelibis.com, h1363@accor.com). There are three other Ibis hotels in Beaune (two listed below), and a gaggle of Motel 6-type places—closer to the autoroute.
$$ Ibis Styles Hôtel**, across from the main TI, is a sleek and “stylish” version of the traditional Ibis brand (Db-€109-125, Tb-€140, Qb-€158, secure parking-€8, 7 Boulevard Perpreuil, tel. 03 80 20 88 88, www.ibisstyles.com, h7572@accor.com).
$$ Hôtel de France** is a good place that’s easy for train travelers and drivers (parking around the train station). It comes with reliable two-star rooms with big beds, air-conditioning, and fun, English-speaking owners Nicolas and Virginie (Sb-€65, Db-€72-90, Tb-€85-105, Qb-€105, guest computer and Wi-Fi, bar, good bistro, garage-€9, 35 Avenue du 8 Septembre, tel. 03 80 24 10 34, www.hoteldefrance-beaune.com, contact@hoteldefrance-beaune.com).
$$ Hôtel La Villa Fleurie***, an adorable 10-room refuge, is a great value and run well by affable Madame Chartier (a 15-minute walk from the center). First-floor-up rooms are wood-floored, plush, and très traditional; second-floor rooms are carpeted and cozy. Most rooms have queen-size beds, and all of the rooms have big bathrooms and air-conditioning (small Db-€76, bigger Db-€86, nifty Tb/Qb loft-€126, breakfast-€8.50, Wi-Fi, community fridge, easy and free parking, 19 Place Colbert, tel. 03 80 22 66 00, www.lavillafleurie.fr, contact@lavillafleurie.fr). From Beaune’s ring road, turn right in front of the Bichot winery.
These hotels, on or near Place Madeleine, are a few blocks from the city center and train station, with easy parking.
$$ Hôtel de la Paix***, a few steps off Place Madeleine, is a top choice, with 24 handsome, well-appointed rooms (the suites are luxurious), several good family rooms, and elaborate public spaces. The serious owner runs a tight ship (standard Db-€90-125, bigger Db/Tb-€140-175, Qb-€140-220, air-con, guest computer and Wi-Fi, private parking-€6, 45 Rue du Faubourg Madeleine, tel. 03 80 24 78 08, www.hotelpaix.com, contact@hotelpaix.com).
$ Hôtel Rousseau is a good-value, no-frills, frumpy manor house that turns its back on Beaune’s sophistication. Cheerful, quirky, and elusive owner Madame Rousseau, her pet birds, and the quiet garden will make you smile, and the tranquility will help you sleep. The cheapest rooms are a godsend for budget travelers. The rooms with showers are like Grandma’s, with enough comfort (S-€39, D-€47, D with toilet-€54, Db-€64, T with toilet-€62, Tb-€72, Q-€66, Qb-€78, showers down the hall-€3, includes breakfast, cash only, reservations preferred by email, free and easy parking, 11 Place Madeleine, tel. 03 80 22 13 59, hotelrousseaubeaune@orange.fr). Check-ins after 19:00 and morning departures before 7:30 must be arranged in advance.
$$ Hôtel le Home**, off busy D-974 a half-mile north of Beaune, works well for drivers, with comfy rooms in an old mansion. The rooms in the main building come in soft pastels (top-floor rooms have the most character, and the most heat). Rooms on the parking courtyard come with stone floors, simple terraces, and bright colors, but can be a bit musty (standard Db-€75-90, bigger Db-€110, Tb-€90-107, breakfast-€9-15, Wi-Fi, includes parking, 138 Route de Dijon, tel. 03 80 22 16 43, www.lehome.fr, info@lehome.fr).
$ Ibis Budget Hôtel Beaune is efficient, basic but clean, and a bargain just a five-minute drive from Beaune’s center toward the A-6 autoroute (Db-€50, Wi-Fi, easy and free parking, 16 Rue du Moulin Noizé, tel. 08 92 68 32 71, www.ibis.com, h2524@accor.com).
You’ll find some exceptional hotel and chambres d’hôte values in wine villages a short hop from Beaune. The Côte d’Or has scads of chambres d’hôtes; get a list at the TI and reserve ahead in summer. Also see the suggestions along the Route des Grands Crus (here).
$$$ Hôtel Villa Louise*** is a romantic place burrowed in the prestigious wine hamlet of Aloxe-Corton, about 10 minutes north of Beaune. Many of its 13 très cozy and tastefully decorated rooms overlook the backyard vineyards, a small covered pool, and a large, grassy garden made for sipping the owner’s wine—but, sadly, no picnics are allowed (Db-€110-152—most are about €110-130, Db suite-€150-200, buffet breakfast-€16, guest computer and Wi-Fi, covered pool, sauna, near the château at 9 Rue Franche, tel. 03 80 26 46 70 www.hotel-villa-louise.fr, hotel-villa-louise@wanadoo.fr).
$$$ Hôtel les Charmes** is a sweet two-star place with three-star prices. Although it’s overpriced, I still like it—it’s got that homey Old World feel, an easygoing owner, and a nice setting: centrally located in the village of Meursault, with a veritable park in the back and a big pool. The rooms could use some updating...and some are getting it (Db-€105-125, Tb-€145, Wi-Fi, 10 Place du Murger, tel. 03 80 21 63 53, www.hotellescharmes.com, contact@hotellescharmes.com).
$$$ Domaine des Anges is a lovely place run by a British couple (John and Celine) who pamper their fortunate guests with the Queen’s English, lovely rooms, linger-longer lounges inside and out, laundry service, fine dinners with drinks (€40, book ahead), and afternoon tea every day. It’s also ideally located in the center of Puligny-Montrachet (Db-€80-145, includes a smashing breakfast, no children under 16, Place des Marronniers, tel. 03 80 21 38 28, mobile 06 23 86 63 91, www.domainedesangespuligny.com, domainedesanges@yahoo.fr).
$ Chambres les Gagères offers great budget accommodations: four simple but clean rooms, a common kitchen with all you need, a view terrace overlooking vineyards, and friendly Maria as your hostess (Db-€65, 17 Rue Drouhin, tel. 03 80 21 97 46, mobile 06 15 97 64 71, maria.adao2@orange.fr).
$$ La Domaine de Corgette hunkers beneath a hillside in lovely little St-Romain. Welcoming Véronique has restored an old vintner’s home with style. A stay-awhile terrace, private parking, cozy common rooms, and wine-tastings are at your disposal (Db-€100-110, Tb-€130, Qb-€150, includes breakfast, cash only, 2 blocks below Hôtel les Roches—listed next, look for the Maison d’Hôte banner, tel. 03 80 21 68 08, www.domainecorgette.com, accueil@domainecorgette.com).
$ Hôtel les Roches is an unpretentious place offering a handful of simple, clean, and perfectly sleepable rooms snuggled above a recommended restaurant (Db-€49, bigger Db-€69, Wi-Fi, tel. 03 80 21 21 63, www.les-roches.fr, reservation@les-roches.fr).
For a small town, Beaune offers a wide range of reasonably priced restaurants. Review my suggestions carefully before setting out, and reserve at least a day ahead to avoid frustration (especially on weekends). Many places are closed Sunday and Monday. This region offers a bounty of worthwhile upscale dining options (I’ve listed a few), but before you book, check their wine lists (easiest to do online)—the prices may double your total dinner cost.
Caveau des Arches is a good choice if you want to dine on delicious Burgundian specialties at fair prices in atmospheric stone cellars. Book ahead for this place, as it’s popular with townsfolk (€24 menu with the classics, €30 menu with greater choices, €45 gourmand menu, portions can be small, closed Sun-Mon, where the ring road crosses Rue d’Alsace—which leads to Place Madeleine—at 10 Boulevard Perpreuil, tel. 03 80 22 10 37).
La Ciboulette, intimate and family-run with petite Hélène as your hostess, offers reliable cuisine that mixes traditional Burgundian flavors with creative dishes and lovely presentation. It’s worth the longer walk—and you can do your laundry next door while you dine (€20 and €36 menus, closed Mon-Tue; from Place Carnot, walk out Rue Carnot to 69 Rue Lorraine; tel. 03 80 24 70 72).
Le Petit Paradis does its name justice, with 10 tables crowding a sharp little room and another 10 outside if the weather agrees. Chef Jean-Marie’s menu is inventive and ever-changing—and not traditional Burgundian (plats-€18, menus from €29, closed Sun-Mon, book ahead, just outside Museum of the Wine of Burgundy at 25 Rue de Paradis, tel. 03 80 24 91 00).
Le Tast’Vin, across from the train station at the recommended Hôtel de France, has a good-value €23 menu and fun cheeseburgers with Burgundian cheese (closed Sun-Mon, 35 Avenue du 8 Septembre, tel. 03 80 24 10 34).
Le Conty is a small bistro with a prized position at the junction of two pedestrian lanes, with great outdoor seating (€14 lunch menus on weekdays, €24 at dinner, closed Sun-Mon, 5 Rue Ziem, tel. 03 80 22 63 94).
Brasserie le Carnot is a perennially popular café with good interior seating and better exterior tables in the thick of the pedestrian zone. It serves excellent pizza, good salads, pasta dishes, and the usual café offerings (open daily, where Rue Carnot and Rue Monge meet).
L’Auberge Bourguignonne is decidedly Burgundian, with a terrific reputation among locals (some say they make the best beef Burgundy in Beaune). It’s also open on Sundays, when many other places are not. Choose from two traditional dining rooms, or eat outside (basic €24 menu, good Burgundian menu at €29, air-con, 4 Place Madeleine, tel. 03 80 22 23 53).
Palais des Gourmets’ Salon de Thé provides a cheap outdoor lunch on Place Carnot, with delicious quiche, omelets, and crêpes (from €5-9) and memorable desserts (Tue-Sun until 18:00, closed Mon, next to Athenaeum’s back-door entrance at 14 Place Carnot, tel. 03 80 22 13 39).
(See “Beaune Hotels & Restaurants” map, here.)
At Les Caves Madeleine, step down into the warm little dining room that doubles as a wine shop. Choose a private table—or, better, join the communal table, where good food and wine kindle conversation, and lubricate new friendships (this is a boon for solo travelers). The owner, Monsieur Lo-Lo, speaks English and enjoys sharing his love of food and wine. Because he’s also a wine merchant, he can pass his savings on to you, making top-end wines almost affordable (€17-28 plats, closed Sat-Sun, near Place Madeleine at 8 Rue du Faubourg Madeleine, tel. 03 80 22 93 30).
Les Vins de Maurice is a sharp little wine bar with excellent wines by the glass, a few bar tables outside (fine views of the basilica), and a handful of tables inside. The delicious lunches center on freshly baked tarts and quiches, while dinners add charcuterie plates and cheeses (€15 lunch menu, plats only at dinner, closed Sun, 8 Rue Fraisse, tel. 09 80 39 85 87).
Bistrot Bourguignon is a relaxed wine bar-bistro with a lengthy wine list and 15 types of vin available by the glass (order by number from display behind bar). Come for a glass of wine or for a light dinner (you can get Wi-Fi with your wine). Dine at the counter, the sidewalk tables, or in the casually comfortable interior (€11 starters, €18 plats, €14 lunch menu, closed Sun-Mon, on a pedestrian-only street at 8 Rue Monge, tel. 03 80 22 23 24).
Before Dinner: Consider a glass of wine at Bistrot Bourguignon (listed above) or escape the tourists at Les Mille et une Vignes wine bar, next door to the launderette, which reeks with old-time ambience and local characters. Young owner Marine serves a good selection of wines by the glass at fair prices and good, splittable appetizers (Tue-Sat 11:00 until late, closed Sun-Mon, 61 Rue de Lorraine, tel. 03 80 22 03 02).
After Dinner: If you’re tired of speaking French, pop into the late-night-lively Pickwicks Pub (Mon-Sat 18:00-5:00 in the morning, closed Sun, behind church at 2 Rue Notre-Dame).
(See “La Rochepot Scenic Vineyard Route” map, here.)
In Pommard (5 minutes south of Beaune): Facing Pommard’s big church, Auprès du Clocher has stylish, contemporary decor one floor up with windows on the village, a formal atmosphere, and a focus on la cuisine. Book ahead, as chef Jean-Christophe Moutet has been discovered by locals (€32, €45, and €69 menus; closed Tue-Wed, 1 Rue Nackenheim, tel. 03 80 22 21 79).
In Puligny-Montrachet (15 minutes south of Beaune): At Le Montrachet, settle in for a truly traditional Burgundian experience—a justifiable splurge if you want a refined and classy dining experience without the stuffiness, and a remarkable choice for a gourmet lunch on a lovely terrace at affordable prices (€29 lunch menu, €58-86 dinner menu, pricey wine list, open daily, on Puligny-Montrachet’s main square at 19 Place des Marronniers, tel. 03 80 21 30 06). Come early for a glass of wine before dinner with Julien at the Caveau de Puligny-Montrachet (see here). L’Estaminet de Meix, in the heart of the village, serves good brasserie fare with panache, and has terrific outdoor seating and reasonable prices (€18-25 menus, closed Mon evening and all day Tue, Place des Marronniers, tel. 03 80 21 33 01).
In Chagny (20 minutes south of Beaune): Well known as one of France’s finest restaurants, Maison Lameloise has Michelin’s top rating (three stars). The setting is elegant (as you’d expect), the service is relaxed and patient (which you might not expect), the cuisine is Burgundy’s best, and the overall experience is memorable. If you’re tempted to dive into the top of the top of French cuisine, book this place well ahead (menus from about €125, €60-80 main courses, very pricey wines, open daily, 36 Place d’Armes, tel. 03 85 87 65 65, www.lameloise.fr).
In Chambolle-Musigny (20 minutes north of Beaune): Le Millésime is a good choice (see here; €20 lunch menus, €29-50 dinner menus, indoor seating only, closed Sun-Mon, 1 Rue Traversière, tel. 03 80 62 80 37).
From Beaune by Train to: Meursault (hourly, 5-30 minutes, 15-minute walk into town), Gevery-Chambertin (hourly, 20 minutes, 15-minute walk into town), Dijon (15/day, 25-55 minutes), Paris’ Gare de Lyon (nearly hourly, 2.5 hours, most require reservation and easy change in Dijon; more via Dijon to Paris’ Gare de Bercy, no reservation required, 3.5 hours), Bourges (7/day, 2.5 hours, transfer in Nevers), Colmar (10/day, 2.5-4 hours via TGV between Dijon and Mulhouse, reserve well ahead, changes in Dijon and Mulhouse or Belfort), Arles (10/day, 4.5-5 hours, 9 with transfer in Lyon and Nîmes or Avignon), Chamonix (7/day, 7 hours, change in Lyon and St-Gervais, some require additional changes), Annecy (7/day, 4-6 hours, change in Lyon), Amboise (2/day, 5 hours, via Dijon and Tours; plus 12/day, 6 hours, most with changes in Dijon and in Paris, arrive at Paris’ Gare de Lyon, then Métro to Austerlitz or Montparnasse stations to catch the connection to Amboise).
Exploring the vineyards near Beaune, by car or by bike, is a delight.
By Car: Driving provides the ultimate flexibility for touring the vineyards, though drivers should prepare for narrow lanes in the vineyards and make sure to sip small samples (use the handy buckets to spit back after tasting).
By Bike: If you hop on a bike in Beaune, within minutes you’ll be immersed in the lush countryside and immaculate vineyards of the Côte d’Or. The many quiet service roads and bike-only lanes make this area wonderful for biking. (Beware of loose gravel on the shoulders and along the small roads.) A signed bike route runs south from Beaune all the way to Cluny, and a new route from Beaune north to Dijon may be in place by your visit. My favorite rides are described in detail in the next section, “Sights in the Beaune Region.”
Well-organized, English-speaking Florian and Cedric at Bourgogne Randonnées offer good bikes, bike racks, kid bikes and kid trailers, maps, and detailed itineraries. Ask about their favorite routes that follow only small roads and dedicated bike paths. They can deliver your bike to your hotel anywhere in France (bikes-€6/hour, €21/day, helmets-€1, daily 9:00-12:00 & 13:30-18:30, near Beaune train station at 7 Avenue du 8 Septembre, tel. 03 80 22 06 03, www.bourgogne-randonnees.fr, helloinfobr@aol.com).
By Bus: Transco bus #44 links Beaune with other wine villages to the north along the famous Route des Grands Crus, and runs to Dijon’s train station (7/day, www.mobigo-bourgogne.eu, French only, click on Transco under Réseaux de transport, then fiches horaries). Find bus stops along Beaune’s ring road. Bus service south of Beaune to villages like Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet is hopeless—take a taxi, hop a train (limited options), or rent a bike.
By Train: Hourly trains stop in the wine villages of Meursault and Santenay to the south of Beaune, and Nuits St-Georges, Vougeot (10-minute walk to Château de Clos Vougeot), and Gevery-Chambertin to the north. Most of these stations require a 15-minute walk to the town center.
By Minibus Tour: Try Safari Wine Tours, Wine Me Up, or Vinéa Tours (see here).
By Taxi: Call Gerard Rebillard (mobile 06 11 83 06 10); for other taxis, see here.
In this section, you’ll find three vineyard routes, all doable by car (possible by bike depending on your energy and bike-fitness), which combine great scenery with some of my favorite wine destinations. If you only have time for one and you have a car, drive the beautiful “Vineyard Loop South of Beaune to Château de la Rochepot” (with off-the-beaten-path villages such as Orches, St-Romain, and St-Aubin offering ample tasting opportunities). This is a tough ride on a bike, so most bikers will prefer doing just the first section of this route (ideally to Puligny-Montrachet and back—an easy, level ride).
My “Vineyard Loop North of Beaune to Savigny-lès-Beaune” is good by car or bike (manageable hills and distances). I also cover the famous “Route des Grands Crus,” farther north of Beaune, connecting Burgundy’s most prestigious wine villages.
Avoid the famous wine châteaux (like some of those in Pommard and Meursault), which I find overpriced and impersonal. Although you can drop in unannounced at most wineries (comme un cheveux sur la soupe—“like a hair on the soup”), you’ll get better service by calling ahead and letting them know you’re coming. Remember that at free tastings, you’re expected to buy at least a bottle or two, unless you’re on a group tour.
Read the section on Burgundian wines (here) to brush up. You’ll almost certainly see workers tending the vines. In the winter, plants are pruned way back (determining the yield during grape harvest in the fall). Starting in spring, plants are trimmed to get rid of extraneous growth, allowing just the right amount of sun to reach the grapes. The arrival date of good weather in spring determines the date of harvest (100 days later).
(See “La Rochepot Scenic Vineyard Route” map, here.)
Take this pretty, peaceful route for the best approach to La Rochepot’s romantic castle, and to glide through several of Burgundy’s most reputed vineyards. Read ahead and note hours of wineries and sights along the route (you can always do this loop in reverse). Also, think about picking up picnic fixings as you’ll find wonderful picnic spots along the way. My favorite is just before entering Puligny-Montrachet from the north (a block to the right with terrific vineyard views).
Bikers can follow the first part of this route to Puligny-Montrachet, along Burgundy’s best bike path (departs from Beaune’s Parc de la Bouzaise and connects the wine villages of Pommard, Meursault, Volnay, and Puligny-Montrachet for a level, 18-mile loop; allow a good hour each way). The bike route continues south from Puligny-Montrachet on a mix of small roads and paths all the way to Cluny (eventually signed as la Voie Verte). For a nifty one-way extension, continue four miles past Puligny-Montrachet to the pleasant wine town of Santenay, leave the bike trail there, ride two miles on small roads to Chagny, and then catch a train back to Beaune (trains are 1-2/hour, bikes ride for free). All but power riders should avoid the hills to La Rochepot.
Self-Guided Tour: Drivers leave Beaune’s ring road, following signs for Chalon-sur-Saône and Autun (the exit after Auxerre), then follow signs to Pommard. Cyclists take the lovely vineyard bike path by leaving the ring road toward Auxerre and Bligny-sur-Ouche, and turning left at the signal after Lycée Viticole de Beaune—look for bike route signs.
When you come to Pommard, you’ll pass many wine-tasting opportunities, including Patrick Clémencet (see here), and a cool lunch café, Hôtel du Pont (cheap lunch menus and salads, good terrace, closed Sun, tel. 03 80 22 03 41).
South of Pommard, the road gradually climbs through terrific views (bikers can take their own parallel path). From here, follow signs into Meursault, and then follow Toutes Directions (and D-974) around the village, turn right on D-113b, and follow signs to Puligny-Montrachet.
You’ll pass through low-slung vineyards south of Meursault, then enter Puligny-Montrachet (each with small grocery stores and cafés in the town center). At the big roundabout with a bronze sculpture of vineyard workers, find the Caveau de Puligny-Montrachet and a chance to sample the world’s best whites and a good selection of reds (see here). A block straight out the door of the caveau leads to the town’s big square (Place des Marronniers), with Hôtel-Restaurant Le Montrachet and Café de l’Estaminet de Meix (both described on here).
Go back to the roundabout and follow signs to Chassagne-Montrachet and St. Aubin, leading you through more manicured vineyards. To tour Château de Chassagne-Montrachet (well-signed, see here), turn left on D-906, and you’ll see it soon to the right. From here, cyclists can double back to Beaune or continue to Santenay and then Chagny and take the train back to Beaune. Drivers should continue on to Château de la Rochepot by making a hard right on D-906 to St-Aubin and following La Rochepot signs onto D-33. (Bikers, this is where the going gets tough.) As you head over the hills and through the vineyards of the Hautes-Côtes (upper slopes), you’ll come to a drop-dead view of the castle (stop mandatory). Turn right when you reach La Rochepot, and follow Le Château signs to the castle (described below).
After visiting the castle, turn right out of its parking lot and mosey through Baubigny, Evelles, and rock-solid Orches. After Orches, climb to the top of Burgundy’s world—keeping straight on D-17, you’ll pass several exceptional lookouts on your right. Get out of your car and wander cliffside for a postcard-perfect Burgundian image. The village of St-Romain swirls below, and if it’s really clear, look for Mont Blanc on the eastern horizon.
Then drive down to St-Romain, past Burgundy’s most important wine-barrel-maker, Tonnellerie Francois Frères (it’s above the village in the modern building on the left). Inside, well-stoked fires heat the oak staves to make them flexible, and sweaty workers use heavy hammers to pound iron rings around the barrels as they’ve done since medieval times. No one slacks in this hardworking factory, where demand seems strong. The workshop is closed to the public (www.francoisfreres.com).
Next, follow signs for Auxey-Duresses, and then Beaune for a pretty finale to your journey.
This very Burgundian castle rises above the trees and its village, eight miles from Beaune. This pint-size castle—splendid both inside and out—is accessible by car, bike (hilly), or infrequent bus.
Cost and Hours: €8.50, open April-Sept Wed-Mon 10:00-17:30, Oct-March Wed-Mon 10:00-11:30 & 14:00-16:30, mid-Sept-Oct Wed-Mon 10:00-11:45 & 14:00-16:45, closed Tue year-round.
Information: Tour half on your own and the other half with a French guide (get the English handout; most guides speak some English and can answer questions, tel. 03 80 21 71 37, www.larochepot.com).
Getting There: The highly recommended scenic route from Beaune to the château is described earlier. Or, to reach the château more directly from Beaune, follow signs for Chalon-sur-Saône from Beaune’s ring road, then follow signs to Autun for 15 lovely minutes.
Visiting the Castle: Cross the drawbridge under the Pot family coat of arms and (as instructed) knock three times with the ancient knocker to enter. If no one comes, knock harder, or find a log and ram the gate.
Construction began during the end of the Middle Ages (when castles were built to defend) and was completed during the Renaissance (when castles were transformed into luxury homes). So it’s neither a purely defensive structure (as in the Dordogne) nor a palace (as in the Loire)—it’s a bit of both. The castle was never attacked by foreigners, though the French Revolution laid waste to a good part of it. After being used as a quarry, it was purchased by a local family and rebuilt.
The furnishings are surprisingly elaborate given the military look of the exterior. Enter through the guard’s room, and appreciate the weight of a good suit of armor. I could sleep like a baby in the Captain’s Room, surrounded by nine-foot-thick walls. Don’t miss the 15th-century alarmed safe. Notice the colorful doorjamb. These same colors were used to paint many buildings (including castles and churches) and remind us that medieval life went beyond beige and stone. The kitchen will bowl you over; the dining room sports a 15th-century walnut high chair. Look for paintings of the pre-Revolution castle to get a feel for its original appearance.
Climb the tower (fine views) and see the out-of-place Chinese room, sing chants in the resonant chapel, and make ripples in the 240-foot-deep well. (Can you spit a bull’s-eye?) Paths outside lead you on a worthwhile walk around the castle. Don’t leave without driving, walking, or pedaling up D-33 a few hundred yards toward St-Aubin (behind Hôtel Relais du Château) for a romantic view.
For an easy and rewarding spin (by car or ideally by bike) through waves of vineyards that smother traditional villages, follow this relatively level 12-mile loop from Beaune (with stops, allow a half-day by bike or 1.5 hours by car). It laces together three renowned wine villages—Aloxe-Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses, and Savigny-lès-Beaune—connecting you with Burgundian nature and village wine culture. Bring water and snacks, as there is precious little available until the end of this route. Your tour concludes in Savigny-lès-Beaune, where you’ll find a café-pizzeria, wine-tastings, a small grocery, and a unique château.
Self-Guided Tour: This loop drive/pedal starts in Beaune. Drivers can also combine this loop with the Route des Grands Crus, described next.
• From Beaune’s ring road bike lane, take D-974 north toward Dijon. Then (quite soon), follow signs leading left to Savigny-lès-Beaune. Eventually, cross over the freeway, then veer right following signs to Pernand-Vergelesses on D-18 (don’t turn until you see D-18 signs). Turn right at the first sign to Aloxe-Corton, and glide into the town (aim for its church spire; stop at the small parking area a block above the church, nearby several recommended wine-tastings).
Aloxe-Corton: This tiny town, with a world-class reputation among wine enthusiasts, is packed with top tasting opportunities (but no cafés). The easygoing Domaines d’Aloxe-Corton, English-owned Mischief and Mayhem, upscale and French Domaine de Senard, and traditional Château Corton-André all offer different kinds of tastings (see here).
• Leave Aloxe and head up the hill on Rue des Chaumes toward...
Pernand-Vergelesses: A cute little café called La Grappe is to the right as you enter the village (reasonably priced food and drink, look for colorful umbrellas, closed Tue, tel. 03 80 21 59 46).
Drivers should consider two worthwhile detours: Climbing well above the village takes you to a grand vineyard panorama. Enter Pernand-Vergelesses at the small roundabout and head up, turning right on Rue du Creux St. Germain and then continuing straight and up along Rue Copeau. Curve up past the church until you see small Panorama signs. Drivers can also follow signs halfway through the village (en route to the panorama) to Magny-les-Villers and track a gorgeous wine lane for about 10 minutes to the recommended winery Domaine Naudin-Ferrand (see here).
• Leaving Pernand-Vergelesses, bikers and drivers both follow the main road (D-18) back toward Beaune, and turn right into the vineyards on the first lane (about 400 yards from Pernand-Vergelesses). Keep left at the first fork and rise gently to lovely views. Drop down and turn right when you come to a T, then joyride along the vine service lanes (bikers should watch for loose gravel). To reach Savigny-lès-Beaune, keep going until you see a 5T sign. Turn left just before the sign, then a quick right, and right again.
Savigny-lès-Beaune: You’ll come to a three-way intersection. The left fork leads back to Beaune, the middle fork leads to Centre-Ville, and the road to the right leads to a good wine-tasting at Henri de Villamont (see here). Follow the middle fork to reach the town center, and find a four-towered collectors’ château, Le Château de Savigny. This medieval castle comes with a moat, 80 fighter jets parked in the side yard, Abarth antique racing cars, fun tractor and fire-engine collections, 300 motorcycles, 2,000 airplane models, and vineyards—but no furnishings (€10, daily April-Oct 9:00-18:30, Nov-March 9:00-12:00 & 14:00-17:30, last entry 1.5 hours before closing, English handout, tel. 03 80 21 55 03, www.chateau-savigny.com). Beyond the château in the village, you’ll find the R. De Famille café-pizzeria facing a little square (daily, tel. 03 80 21 50 00) and a grocery shop a few blocks past the café (usually closed 12:30-15:00).
• From Savigny-lès-Beaune, drive or pedal back into Beaune. Those with a car can continue along...
While I prefer the areas south and west of Beaune, this route is a must for wine connoisseurs with a car, as it passes through Burgundy’s most fabled vineyards. The first part, between Aloxe-Corton and Nuits St-Georges, is less interesting, as you’re forced onto an unappealing highway (D-974). But from Vougeot north, the route improves noticeably—locals call this section the “Champs-Elysées of Burgundy.” Between Vosne-Romanée and Gevrey-Chambertin, you’ll pass 24 grand cru wineries of Côte de Nuits—Pinot Noir paradise, where 95 percent of the wines are red. The path of today’s busy D-974 road was established by monks in the 12th century to delineate the easternmost limit of land on which good wine could be grown. (Land to the east of this road is good for other crops but not for wine.) For lunch fixings, you’ll find grocery stores in Nuits St-Georges and in Gevrey-Chambertin, or consider the great-value €15 menu of the day at Le Castel des Très Girard in Morey-St-Denis (listed later).
Bikers can track much of this route but are best off taking their bike on the train from Beaune to Vougeot (nearly hourly departures, 15-minute trip, bikes are free on trains) and riding from there, skipping the hilly Ferme Fruirouge detour.
(See “Route des Grands Crus/Vineyard Loop near Beaune” map, here.)
Self-Guided Tour: Begin this trip in Beaune.
• From Beaune, take D-974 north into Nuits St-Georges and, at the north end of town, take a left at the signal onto D-25. A few minutes after leaving Nuits St-Georges, take the turnoff to Concoeur/Corboin. After passing fields growing red fruits (fruits rouges), you’ll come to the hamlet of Concoeur and find the pink-signed...
Ferme Fruirouge: This is the ultimate Back Door stop, where cassis liqueur, mustards, and jams are made with passion. Adorable owners Sylvain and Isabelle (or their equally adorable staff) will explain their time-honored process for making the famous crème de cassis, vinegars, and mustards, as well as jams made from cherries, raspberries, and black currants. You can sample everything—including their one-of-a-kind cassis-ketchup—and get free recipe cards in French (Thu-Mon 9:00-12:00 & 14:00-19:00, closed Tue-Wed, tel. 03 80 62 36 25, www.fruirouge.fr, call ahead to arrange for a good explanation of their operation).
• Continue on same road into tiny Corboin, descend through Vosne-Romanée—with its fabled Romanée-Conti vineyards producing the priciest wines in Burgundy (figure $6,000 per bottle minimum; sorry, all bottles are pre-sold)—and rejoin D-974 north to the next village, Vougeot. Follow signs to the famous...
Château du Clos de Vougeot: In many ways, this is the birthplace of great Burgundian wines. In the 12th century, monks from the abbey of Cîteaux (8 miles southeast from here) created this beautiful stone structure to store equipment and make their wines. Their careful study of winemaking was the foundation for the world-famous reputation of Burgundian wines. It was here that monks discovered that pinot noir and chardonnay grapes were best suited to the local soil and climate. There’s little to see inside except for the fine stone construction, four ancient and massive wine presses, and the room where the Confrérie des Chevaliers Tastevin (a Burgundian brotherhood of wine-tasters) meets to celebrate their legacy—and to apply their label of quality to area wines, called le Tastevinage. The château has a good English handout and posted information, but no tastings (€5, daily April-Sept 9:00-18:30, Oct-March 9:00-11:30 & 14:00-17:30, tel. 03 80 62 86 09).
• Follow D-122 north of Vougeot and land in the wine-soaked little village of Chambolle-Musigny, where you’ll find...
Le Caveau des Musignys: This is a fine place to sample Burgundy’s rich variety of wines. Say bonjour to sweet Annie, who will introduce you to the region’s wines in a cool, vaulted tasting room. Representing 40 producers (recent vintages only for tasting), she has wines in all price ranges from throughout Burgundy. The whites from the Côte Challonaise are a good value, as are the midrange reds from Chambolle-Musigny and Vosne-Romanée (free tasting, Wed-Sun 9:00-18:00, closed Mon-Tue, a block north of the church at 1 Rue Traversière, tel. 03 80 62 84 01). You can eat upstairs in an elegant setting, where modern blends with tradition, at the lovely Le Millésime (€20 lunch menus, €29-50 dinner menus, indoor seating only, dazzling wine shelves, closed Sun-Mon, tel. 03 80 62 80 37).
• The next village north is...
Morey-St-Denis: This village houses more vineyards, a café, a bakery, and another worthwhile tasting stop at the Caveau des Vignerons, with reasonably priced wines from 13 small producers (each too small to have its own tasting room). Gentle Catherine speaks enough English to welcome you to her free tasting room where you can sample wines from the Côtes de Nuits (good selection of wines from Gevrey-Chambertin, though I prefer those from Morey-St-Denis; daily 10:00-13:00 & 14:00-19:00, next to the church, tel. 03 80 51 86 79). Sleep for cheap nearby at Chambres d’Hôte Le Saint Nicolas, buried in the village but well-signed (Db-€65-75, cash only, tel. 03 80 58 51 83, www.le-saint-nicolas.com.
At the bottom end of the village lies an intimate, upscale hotel-restaurant, $$$ Le Castel des Très Girard****. Located in the heart of the Route des Grands Crus, this eight-room hotel delivers top service and classy comfort, including cozy lounges, a pool, and a restaurant that locals go out of their way for (Db-€150-190, unbeatable daily lunch menu at €15, €23 for more choices and courses, dinner menus from €42, poolside tables, tel. 03 80 34 33 09, www.castel-tres-girard.com, info@castel-tres-girard.com).
• Finally, you reach...
Gevrey-Chambertin: For many pinot noir lovers, a visit to this flowery village is the pinnacle of their Burgundian pilgrimage. Gevrey-Chambertin produces nine out of the 32 grand cru wines from Burgundy. All are pinot noirs (no whites in sight), and all use the suffix “Chambertin” (“Gevrey” is the historic name of the village; “Chambertin” is its most important vineyard). While you drive through the countryside south of the village, look for signs identifying the famous vineyards.
Domaine René LeClerc is a good place to sample this prestigious product. Happy-go-lucky Francois speaks enough English to explain his approach to winemaking (bottles from €28, daily 10:00-19:00, on D-974 at the north end of town, 29 Route de Dijon, tel. 06 31 05 68 50).
The appealing village of Gevrey-Chambertin has a TI (daily, 1 Rue Gaston Roupnel, tel. 03 80 34 38 40), a small grocery, a café, a pizzeria, a restaurant, and a good-value hotel. You can sleep well for a steal at $$ Hôtel les Grands Crus***, with traditional rooms overlooking vineyards, plus a pleasant patio and free, secure parking (Db-€88-98, €12 buffet breakfast, air-con, Wi-Fi, at the northwest edge of Gevrey-Chambertin on Rue de Lavaux, tel. 03 80 34 34 15, www.hoteldesgrandscrus.com, hotel.lesgrandscrus@nerim.net). Chez Guy is about the only restaurant in town. It has snazzy outdoor seating and modern, stylish decor (in the center of the village, menus from €30, open daily, 3 Place de la Mairie, tel. 03 80 58 51 51).
North of Beaune, you’ll find a handful of worthwhile places that string together well for a full-day excursion: towering Châteauneuf-en-Auxois, sleepy Semur-en-Auxois, remote Fontenay’s abbey, pretty little Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, and Julius Caesar’s victorious battlefield at Alise Ste-Reine (with its good museum, MuséoParc Alésia).
As a bonus, following my self-guided driving tour of this area takes you along several stretches of the Burgundy Canal (Canal de Bourgogne). Like much of France, Burgundy is laced by canals dug in the early Industrial Age. Two hundred years ago, canals like these provided an affordable way to transport cargo. The Burgundy canal was among the most important of France’s canals, linking Paris with the Mediterranean Sea. The canal is 145 miles long, with 209 locks, and rises over France’s continental divide in Pouilly-en-Auxois, just below Châteauneuf-en-Auxois (where the canal runs underground for about two miles). Digging began on the canal in 1727 and was not completed until 1832—ironically, just in time for the invention of steam engines on rails, which would soon eliminate the need for canals.
This all-day loop links Châteauneuf-en-Auxois, Alise Ste-Reine, Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, Fontenay, and Semur-en-Auxois (each of these stops is described in detail later in this chapter). The trip trades vineyards for wheat fields and pastoral landscapes. You’ll drive along the Burgundy canal and visit a Cistercian abbey, medieval villages, and the site of Gaul’s last stand against the Romans. If you’re heading to/from Paris, this tour works well en route or as an overnight stop; accommodations are listed. It requires a car and a good map (Michelin maps #320 or #519 work well). Stops that are bolded are described in greater detail later in this chapter.
Here’s how I’d spend this day: Get out early and joyride to MuséoParc Alésia in Alise Ste-Reine (with at least a photo stop for Châteauneuf-en-Auxois), tour the museum and battle site, have lunch a few minutes away at La Grange in Flavigny, drive to Fontenay and tour the abbey, then stop in Semur-en-Auxois for a stroll on your way home (this plan also works for those continuing to Paris).
(See “Back Door Burgundy Drive” map, here.)
The Drive Begins: Leave Beaune following signs for Auxerre and Bligny-sur-Ouche; from Bligny-sur-Ouche, take D-33 to Pont d’Ouche (following signs to Pont du Pany and Dijon), where you’ll turn left along the canal (D-18), following signs to Château de Châteauneuf. In five minutes, you’ll see Châteauneuf-en-Auxois’ castle looming above. Cross the canal and the freeway for great views of the hill town, even if you’re not visiting it. A right on the small lane at the second farm, one kilometer after leaving D-18, leads a short distance up to fine views.
Return back down to the canal, continue to Vandenesse, and turn right, then left toward Créancy (still on D-18). There’s a nice picnic spot on its “port,” with water views of Châteauneuf. Keep following D-18 from Créancy, then drive to Pouilly-en-Auxois. The Burgundy Canal tunnels underground for several miles through Pouilly-en-Auxois, as it passes its highest point between Paris and Dijon (rivers east of here flow to the Mediterranean, those to the west to the Atlantic). You’ll go over it as you cross Pouilly-en-Auxois.
Go through Pouilly-en-Auxois and follow signs to Vitteaux, where you’ll join D-905. Go north toward Alise Ste-Reine and follow signs to Alésia and MuséoParc. After exploring the museum and battlefield, backtrack a short distance on D-905 and find signs to Flavigny-sur-Ozerain (5 minutes away on D-9).
From Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, drive back to D-905, turn right (north), and follow signs to the Abbey of Fontenay. After the abbey, continue up D-905 to Montbard, then turn onto D-980 and drive south to Semur-en-Auxois. From Semur-en-Auxois, take D-970 via Pouilly-en-Auxois and retrace your route to Beaune. For a quicker option, you can dart from Semur-en-Auxois across to the A-6 autoroute and save time by taking it to Beaune (or head north to Paris).
The museum and battlefield at Alise Ste-Reine and the Abbey of Fontenay are your primary goals; allow at least an hour to tour each. With no stops, the one-way drive from Beaune to Fontenay should take about an hour and a half. But you should be stopping—a lot.
Non-drivers can get to Alésia by taking the train from Dijon to Les Laumes-Alésia, and to the Abbey of Fontenay by taking the train to Montbard and a taxi from there (details provided later). They can get to Semur-en-Auxois by bus (3/day Mon-Sat, 1/day Sun, from Montbard or Dijon—runs early morning, noon, and evening; railpass gets you a free ticket, ask TI in Semur about where to get bus ticket). There are no trains to Semur.
This perfectly medieval castle once monitored passage between Burgundy and Paris, with hawk’s-eye views from its 2,000-foot setting. Châteauneuf means “new castle,” so you’ll see many in France. This one is in the Auxois area, so it’s Châteauneuf-en-Auxois. The living hill town hunkers in the shadow of its pit-bull château and merits exploring. Park at the lot in the very upper end of the village (where the road ends), and don’t miss the panoramic viewpoint nearby. The military value of this site is powerfully clear from here. Find the Burgundy Canal and the three reservoirs that have maintained the canal’s flow for more than 300 years. The small village below is Châteauneuf’s port, Vandenesse-en-Auxois—you’ll be there shortly. If not for phylloxera—the vine-loving insect that ravaged France in the late 1800s, killing all of its vineyards—you’d see more vineyards than wheat fields.
Saunter into the village, where every building feels historic and stocky farmers live side-by-side with slender artists. Walk into the courtyard, but skip the château’s interior (€6, Tue-Sun 10:00-12:00 & 14:00-18:00, closed Mon, English handout). You’ll get better moat views and see the more important castle entry by walking beneath the Hôstellerie du Château, and then turning right, following Eglise signs.
$ Hôstellerie du Château** is a simple, cozy place for a good night’s sleep in Châteauneuf. It houses an enticing budget-vacation ensemble: nine homey, inexpensive rooms with a rear garden overlooking a brooding castle that’s floodlit at night (Db-€60 for tight bathrooms with showers, Db-€80 for larger rooms with tubs, Tb-€90, Wi-Fi, closed Nov-Feb, tel. 03 80 49 22 00, www.hostellerie-de-chateauneuf.com, contact@hostellerie-de-chateauneuf.com). The restaurant offers delicious regional cuisine and four-course menus with a traditional cheese cart for €28 (closed Tue-Wed).
Eating: Châteauneuf has several affordable cafés and restaurants along its main drag. The Grill du Castel, across from Hôstellerie du Château, offers the best value. It has a sweet patio and serves big salads and good grilled meats (add a sauce for a few extra euros), but skip the beef Burgundy.
A united Gaul forming a single nation animated by the same spirit could defy the universe.
—Julius Caesar, The Gallic Wars
On these lands surrounding the small, vertical little village of Alise Ste-Reine is where historians are convinced that Julius Caesar defeated the Gallic leader Vercingétorix in 52 B.C., thus winning Gaul for the Roman Empire and forever changing France’s destiny. Start below with the impressive museum and stand where Caesar did, then drive to above the village to see things from the Gauls’ perspective.
This circular museum, looking like a modern sports arena, does this important site justice with easy-to-follow exhibits and well-delivered information. The circular structure symbolizes how, more than 2,000 years ago, Caesar had the Gauls’ oppidum (hilltop village) surrounded, allowing his forces to starve out the Gauls and win a decisive victory in spite of being vastly outnumbered (see sidebar). With the help of a handy audioguide, touchscreens, and posted information, you’ll gain a keen understanding of the events that led up to this battle, why it happened here, and how it unfolded. You’ll learn much about the two protagonists, Caesar and Vercingétorix, their armies, and their motivations, and be drawn into the conflict with a (dramatized) 18-minute film.
Allow an hour for the museum’s single floor of exhibits, then climb to the top floor for views from a Roman perspective. Finally, walk out back to inspect the full-scale reconstruction of a section of the Roman wall and lookouts that pinned the Gauls to that hilltop.
Friendly staff dressed as Romans or Gauls are often present inside or out back to answer your questions and give demonstrations (some English spoken). Pick up the chain-mail suit (30 pounds), and learn that it took a kilometer of metal line to make one. To add more meaning to this sight, read “How About Them Romans” (see here).
Cost and Hours: €9, includes essential audioguide (there’s also a fun children’s version), skip the €1.50 extra for the archaeological site on the hills above, daily April-Sept 9:00-18:00, until 19:00 July-Aug, Oct-Jan and March 10:00-17:00, closed Feb, tel. 03 80 96 96 23, www.alesia.com.
Nearby: After the museum, drive through the village of Alise Ste-Reine and follow the Statue de Vercingétorix signs leading to the park with the huge statue of the Gallic warrior overlooking his Waterloo (skip the archaeological site). Stand as he did—imagining yourself trapped on this hilltop—then find the orientation table under the gazebo.
Over the next hill from Alise Ste-Reine, sleepy little Flavigny-sur-Ozerain (flah-veen-yee sur oh-zuh-rain) had its 15 minutes of fame in 2000, when the movie Chocolat was filmed here. Taking its chocolat-covered image in stride, this unassuming and serenely situated village feels permanently stuck in the past, with one café-restaurant, one crêperie, a tiny grocery shop—but no counts and, alas, no Juliette Binoche.
Flavigny has been home to an abbey since 719, when the first (Benedictine) abbey of St. Pierre was built. The town thrived during the Middle Ages thanks to its proximity to Vézelay (with its relics of Mary Magdalene) and the flood of pilgrims coming through en route to Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. The fortifications you see hail from the 12th and 13th centuries. The little town was occupied by the Brits during the Hundred Years’ War (15th century), then ever-so-gradually slid into irrelevance. By the time the French Revolution rolled around, it had no religious or defensive importance. The movie Chocolat put the town back on the map—at least for a while—and today, Flavigny has been reinvigorated by the return of 50 Benedictine monks at the Abbey of St. Joseph.
Getting There: The approach to Flavigny via D-9 is picture-perfect. Just south of Alise Ste-Reine, take the D-9 turnoff to Flavigny from D-905. Park at the lot just below the gate. From this lot, signs also lead to Alise Ste-Reine, described earlier (great views back to Flavigny after a few miles).
Tourist Information: Pick up a map at the TI (Accueil des Visiteurs, also called “La Maison du Notaire”) and ask to see the photos of buildings used in Chocolat (hours vary, but generally April-Oct Wed-Thu and Sat-Sun 11:00-13:00 & 14:00-18:00, closed Mon-Tue and Fri and Nov-March, down Rue de l’Eglise in front of church, tel. 03 80 96 25 34).
There’s little to do here other than appreciate the setting (best from the grassy ramparts), have lunch, and try the little anis (anise) candies.
Lovers of the movie will have to be satisfied with a few of the building facades featured in the film; there are no souvenirs or posters to be found, and nary a chocolate shop (locals, who prefer their homemade anis candies, weren’t wowed by the movie). There are five buildings that fans should recognize. The evocative 13th-century Church of St. Genest is the only one you can enter. The church is named after St. Gene, who was decapitated by the Romans for asking to be baptized before Christianity was accepted as the state religion. Stand where the preacher did and feel the heat of the congregation’s angst, then find the upstairs seating (daily 10:30-12:00 & 14:00-18:30). The movie’s chocolaterie lies across the square from the church entry, below La Grange restaurant, on Rue du Four (marked with a small sign, look for the arched window with the brown frame). The count’s home is today’s mairie (city hall), next to the church entry. The coiffure (hairdresser) is one door down from the TI—look for the white shutters. And what was the Café de la République is three doors up from the TI, with an austere facade and metal shutters. Johnny Depp never visited Flavigny (his loss), and there is no river here (the river scenes were filmed in the Dordogne, near Beynac).
You can buy the locally produced anis candies in pretty tins (they make great souvenirs). See them being made Monday through Friday mornings (9:00-11:00) in the Abbey of St. Pierre.
The grassy ramparts are worth a stroll for the view (behind the church, walk down Rue de la Poterne, turn right at the fork, then look for Petite Ruelle des Remparts). Wander out for the view and double back, or continue down to the next gate and climb back into the village from there.
$ L’Ange Souriant Chambre d’Hôte is comfortable and intimate (Sb-€55, Db-€70, Tb-€99, includes breakfast, cash only, home-cooked dinners available if booked ahead-€27, a block below the TI on Rue Voltaire, tel. 03 80 96 24 93, mobile 06 11 89 04 66, www.ange-souriant.fr, a.souriant@wanadoo.fr).
Eating: La Grange (“The Barn”) serves cheap, farm-fresh fare, including luscious quiche, salads, plats du jour, fresh cheeses, pâtés, and delicious fruit pies (April-mid-Oct daily 12:30-18:00; mid-Oct-Nov & Feb-March open Sun only; closed Dec-Jan; across from church, look for brown doors and listen for lunchtime dining, tel. 03 80 35 81 78).
Le Restaurant de l’Abbaye, located just above the parking lot, is a good choice for traditional dishes, with pleasant indoor and outdoor seating and reasonable prices (€15 lunch menu, €29 for dinner, daily, Place des Fossés, tel. 03 80 96 27 77).
The entire ensemble of buildings composing this isolated Cistercian abbey, rated ▲▲, has survived, giving visitors perhaps the best picture of medieval abbey life in France. In the Middle Ages, it was written, “To fully grasp the meaning of Fontenay and the power of its beauty, you must approach it trudging through the forest footpaths...through the brambles and bogs...in an October rain.” Those arriving by car will still find Fontenay’s secluded setting—blanketed in birdsong, and with a garden lovingly used “as a stage set”—truly magical.
Cost and Hours: €10, daily April-mid-Nov 10:00-18:00, mid-Nov-March 10:00-12:00 & 14:00-17:00, tel. 03 80 92 15 00, www.abbayedefontenay.com.
Getting There: The abbey is a 10-minute drive north of Montbard. There’s no bus service—allow about €24 round-trip for a taxi from Montbard’s train station (taxi mobile 06 08 26 61 55 or 06 08 99 21 13), or rent a bike at Montbard’s TI and ride 45 minutes each way (Montbard TI tel. 03 80 92 53 81).
Background: This abbey—one of the oldest Cistercian abbeys in France—was founded in 1118 by St. Bernard as a back-to-basics reaction to the excesses of Benedictine abbeys, such as Cluny. The Cistercians worked to recapture the simplicity, solitude, and poverty of the early Church. Bernard created “a horrible vast solitude” in the forest, where his monks could live like the desert fathers of the Old Testament. They chose marshland (“Cistercian” is derived from “marshy bogs”) and strove to be separate from the world (which required the industrious self-sufficiency these abbeys were so adept at). The movement spread, essentially colonizing Europe religiously. In 1200, there were more than 500 such monasteries and abbeys in Europe.
Like the Cistercian movement in general, Fontenay flourished through the 13th-15th centuries. A 14th-century proverb said, “Wherever the wind blows, to Fontenay money flows.” Fontenay thrived as a prosperous “mini-city” for nearly 700 years, until the French Revolution, when it became the property of the nation and was eventually sold.
Visiting the Abbey: Like visitors centuries ago, you’ll enter through the abbey’s gatehouse. The main difference: Anyone with a ticket gets in, and there’s no watchdog barking angrily at you (through the small hole on the right). Pick up the English self-guided tour flier with your ticket. Your visit follows the route described here (generally clockwise). Arrows keep you on course, and signs tell you which sections of the abbey are private (as its owners still live here).
The abbey church is pure Romanesque and built to St. Bernard’s specs: Latin cross plan, no fancy stained glass, unadorned columns, nothing to distract from prayer. The lone statue is the 13th-century Virgin of Fontenay, a reminder that the church was dedicated to Mary. Enjoy the ethereal light. Calm your mind and listen carefully to hear the brothers chanting.
Stairs lead from the front of the church to a vast 16th-century, oak-beamed dormitory where the monks slept—together, fully dressed, on thin mats. Monastic life was pretty simple: prayer, reading, work, seven services a day, one meal in the winter, two in the summer. Daily rations: a loaf of bread and a quarter-liter of wine.
Back down the stairs, enter the cloister, beautiful in its starkness. This was the heart of the community, where monks read, exercised, washed, did small projects—and, I imagine, gave each other those silly haircuts. The shallow alcove (next to the church door) once stored prayer books; notice the slots for shelves. Next to that, the chapter room was where the abbot led discussions and community business was discussed. The adjacent monks’ hall was a general-purpose room, likely busy with monks hunched over tables copying sacred texts (a major work of abbeys). The dining hall, or refectory, also faced the cloister (closed to the public).
Across the garden stands the huge abbey forge. In the 13th century, the monks at Fontenay ran what many consider Europe’s first metalworking plant. Iron ore was melted down in ovens with big bellows. Tools were made and sold for a profit. The hydraulic hammer, which became the basis of industrial manufacturing of iron throughout Europe, was first used here. Leaving the building, walk left around the back to see the stream, which was diverted to power the wheels that operated the forge. Water was vital to abbey life. The pond—originally practical, rather than decorative—was a fish farm (some whopper descendants still swim here). Leave through the gift shop, which was the public chapel in the days when visitors were not allowed inside the abbey grounds.
This sleepy town feels real. There are 4,500 residents, few tourists, and no important sights to digest—just a pleasing jumble of Burgundian alleys perched above the meandering Armançon River and behind the town’s four massive towers, all beautifully illuminated after dark.
Locals like to believe that Hercules built Semur-en-Auxois (suh-moor-ahn-ohx-wah) on his return from Spain. But Semur’s ancient origins date back to Neolithic times, long before Hercules’ visit. Today the town works as a base to visit the sights described in this area, or as a handy lunch or dinner stop. Semur is also about 45 minutes from the famous church in Vézelay and two hours from Paris, making it a workable first- or last-night stop on your trip. Don’t miss the smashing panorama of Semur from the viewpoint by the Citroën shop, where D-980 and D-954 intersect.
Tourist Information: The TI is across from Hôtel Côte d’Or, at Semur’s medieval entry (2 Place Gaveau, tel. 03 80 97 05 96, www.tourisme-semur.fr). Pick up their city-walking brochure, information on regional sights, and bike-rental information and suggested routes (hilly terrain).
Connect the following sights (and see everything of importance in Semur) with a short stroll. Begin at the TI, then stop under the Sauvigny gate.
These connected gates provided safe entry to Semur in the Middle Ages. Look up at the Sauvigny gate and see the indentations for posts that held a drawbridge in place, then find a stone hinge for the original gate on the right. The Guiller gate, 100 years older, marked the town’s limit in the 1300s.
• From here, enter charming Rue Buffon, Semur’s oldest commercial street. At the end of this street is the...
The town’s main sight, the 13th-century church that dominates its small square, is worth a quick look. Walk counterclockwise around the ambulatory behind the altar. The first chapel on the right has unusual stained-glass windows honoring Semur’s WWI soldiers. Then notice the rich colors in the next chapel. Gothic churches were usually brightly painted, not somber and gray, as you see them today. The stained-glass windows around Mary’s statue date from the 13th century and are the only originals left. Before leaving the church, glance at the second-to-last chapel on your right, with a large plaque honoring American soldiers who lost their lives in World War I (Mon-Sat 9:00-12:00 & 14:00-18:30, Sun 14:00-18:30, decent English handout).
• Leave with the church to your back and walk down the square past the half-timbered charcuterie, turn left at the bottom on Rue du Rempart, then take another left down cobbled Rue du Fourneau to the river to see...
In the Middle Ages, 18 towers were connected by defensive ramparts to protect the center city. Caught in the crossfire between the powerful Dukes of Burgundy and the king of France, Semur’s defenses were first destroyed by Louis XI in 1478, then finished off during the wars of religion in 1602.
• For postcard-perfect views, continue your stroll for a few blocks in either direction along the Armançon River, then return back up Rue du Fourneau. Then you can head out to see a sweeping...
Drive or hike downhill from the TI along Rue du Pont Joly, cross the river, then head uphill and turn left at the top roundabout (walkers can veer left a block after the bridge for a shortcut). Across from the Citroën dealership, find the lookout with an orientation table and a memorable view of the red roofs, spires, and towers—especially striking at night. If the climb uphill feels like too much, walkers will find great views just after crossing the bridge.
If quiet Semur-en-Auxois seduces you into spending a night, try $$ Hôtel les Cymaises**, with comfortable rooms and big beds in a manor house with a quiet courtyard (Db-€73, Tb-€85, 2-room Qb-€105, private parking, 7 Rue du Renaudot, tel. 03 80 97 21 44, www.hotelcymaises.com, contact@hotelcymaises.com).
Eating: The various cafés along Rue du Buffon offer ambience and average quality. L’Entract is where everybody goes for pizza, pasta, salads, and more in a relaxed atmosphere (daily, below the church on 4 Rue Fevret, tel. 03 80 96 60 10). The historic charcuterie (delicatessen) across from the church can supply your picnic needs (Tue-Sat 9:00-19:30, Sun 9:00-12:00, closed Mon).
These three sights—Vézelay, and its Romanesque Basilica of Ste. Madeleine; the under-construction Château de Guédelon; and the underrated, overlooked city of Bourges, with its grand “High” Gothic cathedral—make good stops for drivers connecting Burgundy and the Loire Valley. Squeezing in visits to all three in one day is impossible, so pick two and get an early start (allow six hours of driving from Beaune to the Loire, plus time to stop and visit the sights). The first two sights also work if you’re linking Burgundy and Paris (in which case, skip Bourges, which requires a long detour.)
For more than eight centuries, travelers have hoofed it up through this pretty little town to get to the famous hilltop church, the Basilica of Ste. Madeleine. In its 12th-century prime, Vézelay welcomed the medieval masses. Cultists of Mary Magdalene came to file past her (supposed) body. Pilgrims rendezvoused here to march to Spain to venerate St. James’ (supposed) relics in Santiago de Compostela. Three Crusades were launched from this hill: the Second Crusade (1146), announced by Bernard of Clairveaux; the Third Crusade (1190), under Richard the Lionhearted and King Philippe Auguste; and the Seventh Crusade (1248), by King (and Saint) Louis IX. Today, tourists flock to Vézelay’s basilica, famous for its place in history, its soul-stirring Romanesque architecture—reproduced in countless art books—and for the relics of Mary Magdalene.
Tourist Information: Vézelay’s TI is at the lower end of the village (on Rue St. Etienne, which turns into Rue St. Pierre; May-Sept daily 10:00-13:00 & 14:00-18:00, until 19:00 July-Aug; Oct-April Fri-Wed 10:00-13:00 & 14:00-18:00, closed Thu, also closed Sun Nov-March; tel. 03 86 33 23 69). The TI provides free Wi-Fi and Internet access.
Getting There: Vézelay is about 45 minutes northwest of Semur-en-Auxois. Drivers take the Avallon exit of A-6 and follow Vézelay signs for about 20 minutes. Train travelers go to Sermizelles (via Auxerre or Avallon, 5/day) and take the SNCF shuttle bus (free with railpass, 3/day, only one works for a day visit) or a taxi from there (6 miles, allow €20 one-way, taxi tel. 03 86 32 31 88 or mobile 06 85 77 89 36).
To accommodate the growing crowds of medieval pilgrims, the abbots of Vézelay enlarged their original church (1104), then rebuilt it after a disastrous 1120 fire. The building we see today—one of the largest and best-preserved Romanesque churches anywhere—was built in stages: nave (1120-1140), narthex (1132-1145), and choir (1215). The construction spanned the century-long transition from the Romanesque style (round barrel arches like the ancient Romans’, thick walls, small windows) to Gothic (pointed arches, flying buttresses, high nave, lots of stained glass). Vézelay blends elements of both styles.
Cost and Hours: Free, daily 7:00-20:00; Mass Mon-Fri at 18:30, Sat at 12:30 and 18:30, Sun at 11:00.
Information: Tours can be arranged by contacting the volunteer coordinator (tel. 03 86 33 39 50, www.basiliquedevezelay.org). Or be your own guide, either by following my self-guided tour or buying the €5 guidebook as you enter.
Self-Guided Tour: The facade—with one tower missing its original steeple, another that’s unfinished, and an inauthentic tympanum—isn’t why you came. Step inside.
The narthex, or entrance hall, served several functions. Religiously, it was a place to cross from the profane to the sacred. Practically, it gave shelter to overflow pilgrim crowds (even overnight, if necessary) as they shuffled through one of the three doorways. And aesthetically, the dark narthex prepares the visitor for the radiant nave.
The tympanum (carved relief) over the central, interior doorway is one of Romanesque’s signature pieces. It shows the risen Christ, ascending to heaven in an almond-shaped cloud, shooting Holy Ghost rays at his apostles and telling them to preach the Good News to the ends of the earth. The whole diversity of humanity (appropriate, considering Vézelay’s function as a gathering place) appears beneath: hunters, fishermen, farmers, pygmies, and men with long ears, feathers, and dog heads. The signs of the zodiac arch over the scene.
Gaze through the central doorway into the nave at the rows and rows of arches that seem to recede into a luminous infinity—the effect is mesmerizing. The nave is long, high, and narrow (200 feet by 60 feet by 35 feet), creating a tunnel effect formed by 10 columns and arches on each side. Overhead is the church’s most famous feature—barrel vaults (wide arches) built of stones alternating between creamy-white and light-brown. The side aisles have low ceilings, whereas the nave rises up between them, lined with slender floor-to-ceiling columns that unite both stories. The interior glows with an even light from the unstained glass of the clerestory windows. The absence of distractions or bright colors makes this simple church perfect for meditation.
The capitals of the nave’s columns are carved masterpieces by several sculptors of saints and Bible scenes. All are worth studying (the guidebook sold at the entry identifies each scene). Here are some you might easily recognize. Start on the right aisle and locate the well-known “Mystical Mill” (fourth column), showing Old Testament Moses and New Testament Paul working together to fill sacks with grain (and, metaphorically, the Bible with words). Cross to the left aisle and find David and Goliath (fourth column), Adam and Eve (ninth column), and Peter Freed from Prison (10th and final column).
The light at the end of the tunnel-like nave is the choir (altar area), radiating a brighter, blue-gray light. Constructed when Gothic was the rage, the choir has pointed arches and improved engineering, but the feel is monotone and sterile.
In the right transept stands a statue of the woman this church was dedicated to—not the Virgin Mary (Jesus’ mother) but one of Jesus’ disciples, Mary Magdalene. She cradles an alabaster jar of ointment she used (according to some Bible interpretations) to anoint Jesus.
Go down into the crypt for the ultimate medieval experience in one of Europe’s greatest medieval churches. You’re entering the foundations of the earlier ninth-century church that monks built here on the hilltop after Vikings had twice pillaged their church at the base of the hill. Notice the rough floor, and pause on a pew to reflect on the pure, timeless scene. Notice the utter simplicity of these capitals compared to those you saw earlier. File past the small container with the relics of Mary Magdalene. In medieval times, Vézelay claimed to possess Mary’s entire body, but the relics were later damaged and scattered by anti-Catholic Huguenots (16th century) and Revolutionaries (18th century), leaving only a few pieces.
Are they really her mortal remains? We only have legends—many different versions—that first appeared in the historical record around A.D. 1000. The most popular legends say that Mary Magdalene traveled to Provence, where she died, and that her bones were brought from there by a monk to save them from Muslim pirates. In the 11th century, the abbots of Vézelay heavily marketed the notion that these were Mary’s relics, and when the pope authenticated it in 1058, tourism boomed.
Vézelay prospered until the mid-13th century, when King Charles of Anjou announced that Mary’s body was not in Vézelay, but had been found in another town. Vézelay’s relics suddenly looked bogus, and pilgrims stopped coming. For the next five centuries, the church fell into disrepair and then was vandalized by secularists in the Revolution. The church was restored (1840-1860) by a young architect named Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who would later revamp Notre-Dame in Paris and build the base of the Statue of Liberty.
The chapter house and cloisters are out the right transept, where you’ll find small excavations underway to locate remains of the 12th-century cloister.
You’ll find pleasant cafés with reasonable food all along the street leading to the church.
$$ Hôtel de la Poste et du Lion d’Or has comfortable, country-classy rooms in Vézelay (good Db-€102, bigger Db-€112-133, Wi-Fi, easy parking, garage-€6, at the foot of the village, Place du Champ-de-Foire, tel. 03 86 33 21 23, www.laposte-liondor.com, contact@laposte-liondor.com). Dinner in the hotel’s country-elegant restaurant—indoors or en plein air—is a treat (menus from €25, closed Mon).
Eating: La Dent Creuse has the best terrace tables at the lower end of the village (left side), with salads, pizza, and such (daily until 21:30, Place du Champ-de-Foire, tel. 03 86 33 36 33).
Auberge de la Coquille is a cozy place to eat inside and out, with reasonable prices (€11 salads, €14 plats, €20 menu, daily until 21:30, halfway up to the church at 81 Rue St. Pierre, tel. 03 86 33 35 57).
A historian’s dream (worth ▲▲, or ▲▲▲ for kids), this castle is being built by 35 enthusiasts using only the tools, techniques, and materials available in the 13th century.
Cost and Hours: €12, kids 5-17-€10 (less if you book online), under 5-free, picnic area and good-value lunch café with many options inside; castle open mid-March-early Nov 10:00-17:30, July-Aug daily 10:00-19:00; closed early Nov-mid-March, Wed and weekends in March, the first two Wed in April, and every Wed in Sept (tel. 03 86 45 66 66, www.guedelon.fr).
Tours: There’s a good English handout, some posted information, and a downloadable audio tour available (on their website), but this place cries out for a live guide to answer the questions the medieval construction site inspires. Expertly guided tours in English should be available in July and August on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays for an additional €2.50 per person; check their website for updated times. Guided private tours are also available throughout the season and are well worth the investment (€150 for your group for a 1.5-hour tour, contact sarah.preston@guedelon.fr).
Getting There: Guédelon lies an hour west of Vézelay on D-955, between St-Amand-en-Puisaye and St-Saveur-en-Puisaye. Finding it requires patient route-finding skills and time. Allow 2.5 hours from Paris or Beaune at a steady pace. Coming from Paris, take exit #18 off the A-6 autoroute (well before Auxerre) and follow D-3 to Toucy; then join D-955 south. Coming from Beaune, exit A-6 at Avallon, then carefully track signs to Vézelay (take a break to visit its basilica), Clamecy, Entrains-sur-Nohain, St-Amand-en-Puisaye, and finally Guédelon. The castle is inaccessible by public transport.
Visiting the Castle: The project is the dream of two individuals who wanted to build a medieval castle (this one is based on plans drafted in 1228). Started in 1997, it will ultimately include four towers surrounding a central courtyard with a bridge and a moat (images of the finished castle are on postcards and in books in the gift shop). The goal of this exciting project is to give visitors a better appreciation of medieval construction, and for the builders to learn about medieval techniques while they work. The castle won’t be complete for another 11-14 years, so you still have time to watch the process. When the castle is done, the ambitious owners plan to build a medieval mill and maybe an abbey.
Enter the project to the sound of chisels chipping rock and the sight of people dressed as if it were 800 years ago. Human-powered hamster wheels carefully hoist 440 pounds of stone up tower walls (the largest tower will reach six stories when completed). Carpenters whack away at massive beams, creating supports for stone arches, while weavers demonstrate how clothing was made (a sheep’s pen provides raw materials). Thirteen workstations help visitors learn about castle construction, from medieval rope-making to blacksmithing. Ask the workers questions—some speak English, and their job is to answer your questions as best they can. If it’s been raining, be prepared for mud—you are, after all, in a construction site.
Kids can’t get enough of Guédelon. It’s a favorite for local school field trips, so expect lots of children. And if you can’t get enough, there’s a program for those wanting to join the workers and help (one-week minimum, check the website).
Sleeping near Guédelon: Guédelon is remote. If you need to sleep nearby, try $$ Hôtel Les Grands Chênes, where British Rachael and French Alain have restored a pretty manor home among trees, lakes, and waves of grass (Db-€90, Tb-€100, Qb-€115, 5 persons-€135, Wi-Fi, on D-18 between St-Fargeau and St-Amand-en-Puisaye, tel. 03 86 74 04 05, www.hotellesgrandschenes.com, contact@hotellesgrandschenes.com).
Nestled between rolling vineyards and thick forests in the geographical center of France, unpretentious Bourges (pronounced “boorzh”) is among France’s most overlooked and authentic cities. Here you’ll uncover a wonderful collection of medieval houses, a Gothic cathedral to rival any you’ve seen, and a down-to-earth, Midwest-like friendliness. Situated three hours due south of Paris, two hours west of Beaune, and 1.5 hours east of Amboise, Bourges is a handy stopover on the drive through the French heartland between Burgundy and the Loire.
Little-known Bourges has a big story to tell those who take the time to open its pages. Its intriguing history owes much to its strategic location between two once-powerful regions, Burgundy and the Loire. It began as a Celtic city of a hundred acres, became one of the first Christian towns in Gaul, and later served as the northern boundary of the sophisticated Kingdom of Aquitaine. It hit its peak in the Middle Ages (especially 1200-1500), when its great cathedral was built. It was home to future King Charles VII (r. 1422-1461), the man who, at Joan of Arc’s insistence, rallied the French and drove out the English. During that Hundred Years’ War, Bourges was a provisional capital of France, which explains its impressive legacy of medieval architecture. The city is best appreciated on foot, strolling its lovely medieval lanes dotted with half-timbered buildings.
If the cathedral had a transept, the TI would lie outside the south portal (April-Sept Mon-Sat 9:00-19:00, Sun 10:00-18:00; Oct-March daily 9:00-18:00; 21 Rue Victor Hugo, tel. 02 48 23 02 60, www.bourges-tourisme.com). Pick up one of their excellent English walking guides—wine lovers should ask for the Route des Vignobles map, and historians the Route Jacques Cœur map.
By Train: From the station, it’s about a half-mile walk south to the cathedral, which lies at the center of town. Head straight out onto Avenue Henri Laudier, which continues as Avenue Jean Jaurès to Place Planchat. From here, turn left onto Rue du Commerce, which turns into Rue Moyenne. Continue along this street until you hit Rue Victor Hugo, where you’ll find the TI, just south of the cathedral. (Efficient sightseers will want to stroll the medieval quarter en route to the cathedral: From Avenue Jean Jaurès, hang a left at Rue Cambournac—just before Place Planchat—to Place de la Barre, at the start of my “Medieval Quarter Stroll,” described under “Sights in Bourges.”)
By Car: On the south side of the cathedral, where Rue Victor Hugo crosses Rue Jacques Rimbault, is a big, central underground lot called Parking Mairie-Cathédrale. The stairs up to the street land you in front of the TI.
Street Markets: Bourges is known for its good morning markets (all of them shut down around 13:00). The biggest is held on Saturdays on Place de la Nation. A smaller Thursday market takes place near the cathedral on Place des Maronniers, and Place St-Bonnet has a good market on Sundays.
Sound-and-Light Show: Bourges’ Nuits Lumière start at sundown every night in July and August, and every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in May, June, and September. The town’s facades, courtyards, and monuments are lit up, accompanied by medieval and Renaissance music. You don’t have to understand French to enjoy it (lasts until midnight).
Music Festival: Every April, Bourges hosts Printemps de Bourges, a huge music festival (www.printemps-bourges.com).
Internet Access: The TI has free Wi-Fi as does the Euro Café across the street.
Laundry: Try Laverie Excelclean (1 Rue Wittelsheim, mobile 06 80 24 64 41), or ask at the TI.
The only sights in Bourges that charge admission are the Palais Jacques Cœur and the cathedral tower/crypt (both worth paying for). The handful of municipal museums are all free.
One of Europe’s great Gothic churches, Bourges Cathedral is known for its simple but harmonious design, flying buttresses, stained glass, and sheer size. A Christian church has stood on this spot since the third century, including a Romanesque cathedral where Eleanor of Aquitaine received her crown in 1137. The present church was started in 1195, and largely finished just 55 years later—an astonishingly short amount of time for such a large structure. The design was inspired by Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral, and it was built at the same time as the cathedral in Chartres. These three churches sum up the “High” Gothic style in France, and Bourges is one of the best-preserved, having been spared the ravages of the French Revolution and both world wars.
Cost and Hours: The church interior is free and open daily April-Sept 8:30-19:15, Oct-March 9:00-17:45. The tower and crypt are covered by a €7.50 ticket, €5.50 for tower only (or an €11 combo-ticket with Palais Jacques Cœur), and are open Mon-Sat 9:45-11:30 & 14:00-17:30, Sun 14:00-17:30 only, last entry 30 minutes before closing, tel. 02 48 65 49 44, http://cathedrale-bourges.monuments-nationaux.fr.
Self-Guided Tour: Use this commentary to get oriented, starting outside.
Exterior: The magnificent west facade is exceptionally wide (135 feet), dominated by five elaborately carved portals. The five doors reflect the church’s unique interior—a central nave, flanked on each side by not one but two aisles. The frightening Last Judgment over the central doorway shows a seated Christ presiding over Judgment Day. The unfortunate condemned are on the right, while the lucky ones are saved on the left.
The church’s mismatched towers were problematic from the start. In an age of build-’em-high-and-fast, Bourges competed with Chartres to erect the ultimate Gothic cathedral. Bourges arguably won, but at a cost. The hastily built south tower started cracking right away, and had to be shored up—hence the squat tower that sits alongside it. Since the south tower was never strong enough to house any bells, locals call it “The Deaf Tower.” Meanwhile, the north tower collapsed altogether on New Year’s Eve 1506 and had to be rebuilt, financed by donors who were granted an indulgence to eat butter during Lent—hence its nickname, the “Tour de Beurre.”
The elegant flying buttresses (best seen from the garden behind the church) form two rows, supporting both the lower and upper walls. The buttresses slope upward, enfolding the church in a distinctive pyramid shape as it rises to the peaked roofline.
Interior: Step inside. The view down the nave is overwhelming—at 300 feet, this is one of the longest naves in France. It seems even longer because the church has no transept to interrupt the tunnel effect. Notice elements of the “High” Gothic style of the 1200s: The church is tall, filled with light from many windows, and built with slender columns and thin walls (thanks to efficient flying buttresses). The church rises up like a three-tiered step-pyramid—the outermost aisles are 30 feet high, the inner aisles are 70 feet, and the central nave is a soaring 120 feet from floor to rib-arched ceiling.
The best stained glass (c. 1215) is at the far end of the church, in the apse. Also, the Jacques Cœur Chapel (on the north side near the ambulatory) has a colorful Annunciation in stained glass. Cœur was a traveling merchant who built a series of way-stations all over 15th-century France, and whose Bourges palace you can tour (described later).
The towering astronomical clock, which stands behind the western portals on the south side of the nave, celebrates the most famous wedding the cathedral witnessed: that of hometown boy (and future king) Charles VII and Marie d’Anjou. The old clock, from 1424, still works.
The tower and crypt, described next, are covered by a single €7.50 ticket.
Climbing the Tower: Don’t leave the cathedral without climbing the 396 steps up the north tower for terrific views.
Crypt: To see the crypt, you need to join a tour in French...but you don’t have to pay attention. Once inside, find the tomb statue of Duke Jean de Berry (1340-1416), the great collector of illuminated manuscripts and patron of this church. He lies on his back atop a black marble slab, dressed in ermine. At his feet sleeps a muzzled bear, representing the duke’s quiet ferocity. Nearby, the colorfully painted Holy Sepulchre statues (c. 1530) enact the story of Christ’s body being prepared for burial. See how realistic the marble looks as the mourners tug the ends of Christ’s shroud—remarkably supple.
Nearby: The Archbishop’s Garden (Jardin de l’Archevêché), just behind the cathedral, has a fine classical design and point-blank views of the flying buttresses. On Sundays when the weather agrees, old-school guinguette balls (picture a Renoir scene) are held here. A stage and a bar are set up and locals drink and dance as if it were still the belle époque.
Bourges’ old city is lassoed within Rues Bourbonnoux, Mirebeau, Coursarlon, Edouard Branly, and des Arènes. Richly decorated Renaissance mansions, many of which house small museums (worth entering), mix it up with France’s greatest concentration of half-timbered homes (more than 500), most of them connected below street level by a labyrinth of underground passages. In this end of town, look for Hôtel Lallemant (home to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs), Hôtel des Echevins (Musée Estève, with contemporary paintings by Maurice Estève), and Hôtel Cujas (Musée du Berry, with Roman tombstones and the famously expressive mourner statues from the Duke of Berry’s elaborate tomb).
Start your tour at Place de la Barre, at the far end of Rue Mirebeau (a 15-minute downhill walk from the cathedral toward the train station; en route, you may want to visit Palais Jacques Cœur—described next). From Place de la Barre, stroll to Rue Mirebeau’s other end at Place Gordaine, then head back toward the cathedral up Rue Bourbonnoux (veer right after Rue Mirebeau). As you come upon Rue Joyeuse (on your left), notice the Maison des Trois Flutes (a crafts shop). The flutes create a column supporting the building’s second floor and mark the entrance to Rue Joyeuse, the “Joyful Street” that held Bourges’ red light district during the Middle Ages.
Continue up Rue Bourbonnoux to Escalier George Sand (look for it on the right just before the recommended Le d’Antan Sancerrois restaurant). Go about halfway up the stairs of the passage, turn left and walk past the ramparts, where you can spot vestiges of the fourth-century Roman wall (look for the bits of red brick in the wall) before landing back near the cathedral. From there, you can walk back down Rue Moyenne (modern shopping, post office) to reach the Palais Jacques Cœur (which is located one street west of Rue Moyenne—at the FNAC store, head to the left down Rue du Docteur Témoin, then take the next right down a winding alley—Rue Alexandre Dumas—that lands you right in front of the palace).
Bourges matters to travelers today in large part because of Jacques Cœur (c. 1395-1456), financier and minister to King Charles VII, who was born in Bourges. Monsieur Cœur became fabulously wealthy through the spice trade, and used his wealth to bankroll Joan of Arc’s call to save France from the English. He also helped establish Bourges as a capital of luxury goods and arms manufacturing, which funded construction of many of the fine mansions you see. His extravagant home is one of the most impressive examples of a Gothic civil palace, combining all the best elements of a château in an urban mansion. Though its furnishings are long gone, the stone and marble work is darned impressive. Sadly for Jacques, he didn’t get to live in this glorious palace very long—shortly after moving in, he was arrested on a series of trumped-up charges (including “sorcery” and the poisoning of the king’s mistress). To visit the palace, join a French-only tour or pick up the English handout and visit the palace on your own.
Cost and Hours: €7.50, daily 9:45-12:00 & 14:00-17:15, until 18:15 May-June, until 18:30 July-Aug, 10 bis Rue Jacques-Cœur, tel. 02 48 24 79 42, http://palais-jacques-coeur.monuments-nationaux.fr.
Hotels and restaurants are a good value here.
$$$ Best Western Hôtel d’Angleterre Bourges***, a stone’s toss from the Palais Jacques Cœur, is a fine place and as central as it gets (standard Db-€105, bigger Db-€160, rates include buffet breakfast, air-con, Wi-Fi, 1 Place des Quatre-Piliers, tel. 02 48 24 68 51, www.bestwestern-angleterre-bourges.com, hotel@bestwestern-angleterre-bourges.com).
$$ Hôtel le Christina** is a good hotel with most of the comforts about 10 blocks from the cathedral (Db-€60-80, air-con, Wi-Fi, breakfast-€9, 5 Rue de la Halle, tel. 02 48 70 56 50, www.le-christina.com, info@le-christina.com).
Ground zero for dining in Bourges is Place Gordaine, where you’ll find easygoing cafés and bistrots. Consider these places as well:
La Crêperie des Remparts offers a great range of inexpensive crêpes and salads (closed Sun-Mon, 59 Rue Bourbonnoux, tel. 02 48 24 55 44).
Au Sénat is a top choice and a local favorite for good-value traditional cuisine. Say bonjour to eager-to-help Monsieur Rossalini (menus from €16, closed Wed in summer and Wed-Thu in winter, on Place Gordaine at 8 Rue de la Poissonnerie, tel. 02 48 24 02 56).
Le d’Antan Sancerrois lies in the thick of the old city, boasts a Michelin star, and is a fine place to do it up right sans breaking le banque (€34-85 menus, closed Sun-Mon, 50 Rue Bourbonnoux, tel. 02 48 65 96 26).
Le Bourbonnoux offers good menus and fair prices, and copious servings (€13-34 menus, closed Fri and Sun, 44 Rue Bourbonnoux, tel. 02 48 24 14 76).
Chez Jacques Restaurant, with outdoor tables across from the Palais Jacques Cœur, is a fine place to watch the Nuits Lumière sound-and-light show on summer evenings (simple brasserie–type menus from €12, tel. 02 48 24 01 37).
From Bourges by Train to: Paris (15/day, 2-3 hours, most with 1 change), Amboise (10/day, 2 hours, 1 change), Beaune (7/day, 2.5 hours, transfer in Nevers), Sarlat (4/day, 6-7 hours, 2-4 changes).
Drivers traveling south from Beaune should think about detouring into the lovely, unspoiled Mâconnais countryside. Brancion, Chapaize, Cluny, and Taizé gather a few minutes from one another, about 30 minutes west of the autoroute between Mâcon and Tournus (see map on here). For a lovely romp through vineyards and unspoiled villages, drive south of Beaune on D-974 to Chagny, then hook up with D-981 to Cluny (via Givry, Buxy, and Cormatin). South of Buxy, be on the lookout for a surprising château on the west side of the road in cute little Sercy. D-14 heading east to Brancion meets D-981 at Cormatin.
Non-drivers can reach Cluny and Taizé by bus (see info under each sight for details).
An hour south of Beaune by car (12 miles west of Tournus on D-14) are two tiny villages, each with “daughters of Cluny”—churches that owe their existence and architectural design to the nearby and once-powerful Cluny Abbey. Between the villages you’ll pass a Stonehenge-era menhir (standing stone) with a cross added on top at a later point—evidence that this was sacred ground long before Christianity (from Brancion, it’s on the right just after passing the bulky Château de Nobles).
This is a classic feudal village. Back when there were no nations in Europe, control of land was delegated from lord to vassal. The Duke of Burgundy ruled here through his vassal, the Lord of Brancion. His vast domain—much of south Burgundy—was administered from this tiny fortified town.
Within the town’s walls, the feudal lord had a castle, a church, and all the necessary administrative buildings to deliver justice, collect taxes, and so on. Strategically perched on a hill between two river valleys, he enjoyed a complete view of his domain. Brancion’s population peaked centuries ago at 60. Today, it’s home to only four full-time residents.
Sights in Brancion: The castle, part of a network of 17 castles in the region, was destroyed in 1576 by Protestant Huguenots. After the French Revolution, it was sold to be used as a quarry and spent most of the 19th century being picked apart. Though the flier gives a brief tour and the audioguide a longer one, the small castle is most enjoyable for its evocative angles and the lush views from the top of its keep (€5, audioguide-€2, daily April-Sept 10:00-13:00 & 14:00-18:30, Oct-mid-Dec weekends only, 10:00-16:00, closed mid-Dec-March).
Wandering from the castle to the church, you’ll pass the town’s lone business (l’Auberge du Vieux Brancion), a 15th-century market hall that was used by farmers from the surrounding countryside until 1900, plus a handful of other buildings from that period.
The 12th-century warm-stone church (with faint paintings surviving from 1330) is the town’s highlight. Circumnavigate the small building—this is Romanesque at its pure, unadulterated, fortress-of-God best (thick walls, small windows, once colorfully painted interior, no-frills exterior). Notice the stone roof; inside, find the English explanations of the paintings. From its front door, enjoy a lord’s view over one glorious Burgundian estate.
Sleeping and Eating in or near Brancion: You have two good choices. In the center of the village, $ L’Auberge du Vieux Brancion serves traditional Burgundian fare (€16 lunch menu, €23 dinner menu) and also offers a perfectly tranquil place to spend the night. Say bonjour to François (very simple and frumpy rooms, Ds-€38, Db-€50-58, family rooms-€55-75, tel. 03 85 51 03 83, fax 03 85 32 17 67, www.brancion.fr, no email—must call or fax to book rooms).
For a much more upscale experience, including the best Burgundian view rooms I’ve found, drive a mile south of the village, following the sign to $$$ Hôtel la Montagne de Brancion****. Here, every one of the 19 sharp, ultra-modern, and deck-equipped rooms faces a territorial view over vineyards, hills, and pastures. The garden comes with swayback view chairs, and a pool lies below. The owners pride themselves on their “gourmet restaurant” and expect you to dine there (Db-€120-180, Db suite-€200-300, extra bed-€18, pricey breakfast-€18, menus- €35-65 or à la carte, tel. 03 85 51 12 40, www.brancion.com, reservation@brancion.com).
This hamlet, a few miles west of Brancion on D-14, grew up around its Benedictine monastery—only its 11th-century church survives. It’s a pristine place (cars park in a lot at the edge of town), peppered with flowers and rustic decay. A ghost-town café faces the village’s classic Romanesque church—study the fine stonework by Lombard masons. (Its lean seems designed to challenge the faith of parishioners.) The WWI monument near the entry—with so many names from such a tiny hamlet—is a reminder of the 4.2 million young French men who were wounded or died in the war that didn’t end all wars. Wander around the back for a view of the belfry, and then ponder Chapaize across the street while sipping a café au lait.
People come from great distances to admire Cluny’s great abbey that is no more. This mother of all abbeys once vied with the Vatican as the most important power center in Christendom (Cluny’s abbot often served as mediator between Europe’s kings and the pope). The building was destroyed during the French Revolution, and, frankly, there’s not a lot to see today. Still, the abbey makes a worthwhile visit for history buffs and pilgrims looking to get some idea of the scale of this vast complex.
The pleasant little town that grew up around the abbey maintains its medieval street plan, with plenty of original buildings and even the same population it had in its 12th-century heyday (4,500). That’s stability. As you wander the town, which claims to be the finest surviving Romanesque town in France, enjoy the architectural details on everyday buildings. Many of the town’s fortified walls, gates, and towers survive.
Getting There: Drivers park at designated lots (best is Parking le Rochefort) and follow Centre-Ville signs on foot. Bus Céphale provides a few trips to Cluny (4/day from Chalon-sur-Saône, 1.25 hours; 7/day from Mâcon, 40 minutes; toll-free tel. 08 00 07 17 10, www.cg71.fr, French only, click on Buscéphale horaries). There is no train station in Cluny.
Everything of interest is within a few minutes’ walk of the TI (daily June-Sept 9:30-12:30 & 14:30-19:00, no midday closure July-Aug, until 18:00 May and Oct, until 17:00 Nov-April, 6 Rue Mercière, tel. 03 85 59 05 34).
The TI is at the base of the “Cheese Tower,” so named because it was used to age cheese (or perhaps for the way tourists smell after climbing to the top). The tower offers a sweeping city view (€2, same hours as TI). Facing the abbey’s entrance, the TI is 100 yards to the right. There’s also a TI branch at Parking le Rochefort (June-Sept only).
A farmers’ market animates the old town each Saturday.
The first two sights—the museum and the abbey—share the same ticket and schedule (€9.50, ticket covers museum and abbey entrance, both open daily May-Aug 9:30-18:00, Sept-April 9:30-12:00 & 13:30-17:00, tel. 03 85 59 15 93). Historians should invest in The Abbey of Cluny guidebook (€7), sold at both sights. English tours should be available on certain days July-Aug; call ahead for times. Start your tour at the museum and finish with the abbey.
The small abbey museum fills the Palace of the Abbot (Palais de l’Abbée Jean Bourbon). The modest collection features artifacts from the medieval town of Cluny and sets the stage for visiting the abbey site. There’s a terrific model of the village and abbey complex and a good short film about the abbey on the first floor up (French only but worth seeing). You’ll also see a beautifully carved stone frieze from a mansion in Cluny (first floor up) and fragments of the main entry (Grand Portail) to the abbey church set within a model of the doorway (behind ticket counter).
After touring the museum, cross the lane in front and step into where the abbey church’s entry would have been.
The best point from which to appreciate the abbey’s awesome dimensions is atop the steps across from the museum. Look out to the remaining tower (there used to be three). You’re standing above the end of the nave that stretched all the way to those towers. Down the steps, a marble table shows the original floor plan (vous êtes ici means “you are here”).
Some of today’s old town stands on the site of what was the largest church in Christendom. It was almost two football fields long (555 feet) and crowned with five soaring naves. The whole complex (church plus monastery) covered 25 acres. Revolutionaries destroyed it in 1790, and today the National Stud Farm and a big school obliterate much of the floor plan of the abbey. Only one tower and part of the transept still stand. The visitor’s challenge: Visualize it. Get a sense of its grandeur.
Walk past the nubs that remain of the once-massive columns, work your way down the nave and around the right at the bottom, and climb a stairway to find today’s abbey entry. Information displays (in English) designed to introduce the abbey and provide historical context help put the pieces of the ruined building back together. You’ll see a 12-minute 3-D film, giving a virtual tour of the 1,100-year-old church that helps you grasp the tragedy of its destruction (French only but you’ll get the gist). Use the English flier to tour what little of the abbey still stands. Your visit ends at the flour mill (Tour de Farine); make sure to go upstairs to see the intricate wood roof supports and a display of beautifully carved Romanesque capitals. From here you can loop back along the town’s main drag, Rue Mercière (cafés, shops, and the TI line this pedestrian-friendly street).
Napoleon (who needed beaucoup de horses for his army of 600,000) established this farm in 1806. Today, 50 thoroughbred stallions kill time in their stables. If the stalls are empty, they’re out doing their current studly duty...creating strapping racehorses. Since 2010, the complex has been home to the National School of Equestrian Activities. The entry gate is next to Hôtel de Bourgogne.
Cost and Hours: €6, visits by guided tour only (some English spoken), riding demonstrations possible, usually on weekends (check the calendar of “manifestations” on their website); visits available daily April-June and Sept, usually at 14:00 and 16:00, July-Aug at 14:00, 15:30, and 17:00; Oct-April Wed and Sun only at 14:00; call ahead to confirm times, tel. 03 85 59 85 19, www.haras-nationaux.fr.
If you’re spending the night, bed down at the homey, traditional, and spotless $$ Hôtel de Bourgogne***, built into the wall of the abbey’s right transept and central for enjoying the town. All rooms have queen- or king-size beds (standard Db-€104, bigger Db-€134, parking garage-€10, Place de l’Abbaye, tel. 03 85 59 00 58, www.hotel-cluny.com, contact@hotel-cluny.com). It also has a fine restaurant (menus from €26).
Le Nord Brasserie owns the best abbey view from its outdoor tables (skip the mod interior) and serves standard café fare at fair prices, (daily, tel. 03 85 59 09 96, 1 Place du Marché).
To experience the latest in European monasticism, drop by the booming Christian community of Taizé (teh-zay), a few miles north of Cluny on the road to Brancion. The normal, uncultlike ambience of this place—with thousands of mostly young, European pilgrims asking each other, “How’s your soul today?”—is remarkable. Even if this sounds a little airy, you might find the 30 minutes it takes to stroll from one end of the compound to the other a worthwhile detour. A visit to Taizé can be a thought-provoking experience, particularly after a visit to Cluny. A thousand years ago, Cluny had a similar power to draw the faithful in search of direction and meaning in life.
Getting There: Drivers follow La Communauté signs and park in a dirt lot. SNCF buses (free with railpass) serve Taizé from Chalon-sur-Saône to the north (4/day, 1 hour) and from Mâcon to the south (6/day, 1 hour).
Tourist Information: At the southern (Cluny) end, the Welcome Office provides an orientation and daily schedule, and makes a good first stop (pick up a copy of the bimonthly Letter from Taizé and the single-page information leaflet, The Taizé Community).
Visiting Taizé: Taizé is an ecumenical movement—prayer, silence, simplicity—welcoming Protestant as well as Catholic Christians. Though it feels Catholic, it isn’t. (But, as some of the brothers are actually Catholic priests, Catholics may take the Eucharist here.) The Taizé style of worship is well known among American Christians for its hauntingly beautiful chants—songbooks and CDs are the most popular souvenirs from here. The Exposition (next to the church) is the thriving community shop, with books, CDs, sheet music, handicrafts, and other souvenirs.
The community welcomes visitors who’d like to spend a few days getting close to God through meditation, singing, and simple living. Although designed primarily for youthful pilgrims in meditative retreat (there are about 5,000 here in a typical week), people of any age are welcome to pop in for a meal or church service. Time your visit for one of the services (Mon-Sat at 8:15, 12:20, and 20:30; Sun at 10:00 and 20:30; Catholic and Protestant communion available daily).
During services, the bells ring and worshippers file into the long, low, simple, and modern Church of Reconciliation. It’s dim—candlelit with glowing icons—as the white-robed brothers enter. The service features responsive singing of chants (from well-worn songbooks that list lyrics in 19 languages), reading of biblical passages, and silence, as worshippers on crude kneelers stare into icons. The aim: “Entering together into the mystery of God’s presence.” (Secondary aim: Helping Lutherans get over their fear of icons.)
Sleeping and Eating in Taizé: Those on retreat fill their days with worship services; workshops; simple, relaxed meals; and hanging out in an international festival of people searching for meaning in their lives. Visitors are welcome for free. The cost for a real stay is about €20-35 per day (based on a sliding scale; those under 18 stay for less) for monastic-style room and board. Adults (over age 30) are accommodated in a more comfortable zone, but count on simple dorms. Call or email first if you plan to stay overnight (reception open Mon-Fri 10:00-12:00 & 18:00-19:00, tel. 03 85 50 30 02). The Taizé community website explains everything—in 29 languages (www.taize.fr).
The Oyak (near the parking lot) is where those in a less monastic mood can get a beer or burger.
