Beaune & Burgundy

Beaune, known for being the capital of Burgundy! We went there and  here is an itinerary of what you should see and do in Beaune and Burgundy!

THINGS TO SEE IN BEAUNE:

DAY 1: Travel and arrival in Beaune

DAY 2: Beaune – exploration of the wine shops – Hotel Dieu

DAY 3: Market visit – Beaune

DAY 4: Visit to Dijion – French dinner 

DAY 5: Visit to Chalon sur Saône – relax by the pool

DAY 6: Visit to Pommard and Volnay

DAY 7: Last trip to the town centre and return home

DAY 1

 We arrive at the Hotel in Beaune in the middle of the afternoon, we unpack our bags and then are taken on a tour of the hotel to get to know all of its wonderful comforts! The Hotel we stayed at is called Villa Medicis. Since the room has a small kitchen, we decide to go shopping, taking the opportunity to quickly explore the area. After dinner, whilst out walking and exploring the city centre we discover that the place is very quiet!

DAY 2

A day dedicated to exploring Beaune. We wake at dawn and decide to walk into the town centre for breakfast. Obviously we can’t not start the day without a delicious croissant! In the centre of Beaune, wine shops have a magical quality, all historical, well organized and clean…as we always do in the countries we visit, we decide to explore them all and in doing so we find some really remarkable wines.

DAY 3

We make a trip to the market which takes place every Wednesday and Friday morning in the central square which is right in front of our hotel. Here you can buy excellent cheeses that can cost an arm and a leg, so pay attention to the prices !. We decide to go to a wine shop merchant “La Grande Boutique du vin” just outside the centre (5 minutes by car) and as soon as we enter we are captivated by the vast amount/number of bottles inside…this wine shop will be the ruin of us hahaha! We now have a nice hoard of wine and on returning home we can’t help but stop to buy some baguettes. We have a lunch of wine, cheeses and baguettes (a combo I adore !!!) at Villa Medicis. We relax in the pool for a while, get changed and go to have a look around the town centre.

DAY 4

We wake early and take the train to Dijion which is 30 minutes from Beaune. Once there we look around the town centre, take photos at Porte Guillaume and visit the Palazzo Ducale. We have lunch directly in the square and eat a stuffed baguette, a product found in many bakeries across the city. I sample my first Starbucks coffee;) The city is well planned out and, if you look carefully, on the ground you will notice small triangles with a small owl on them … in following the triangles it will take you on a tour of the most important places in Dijion. The “Owl Path” is a great idea (the entire route takes about an hour). Whilst in Dijion, you absolutely must buy at least one jar of mustard, they have many types and come in various sizes. Dijion mustard has a long-standing history and there are many shops in the area that sell only this product!

We return home and, after an aperitif, get ready for dinner. A fantastic place to sample “French cuisine” is the restaurant “Caveau des Arches”. It is an evocative place, with excellent dishes and a good wine list. I recommend booking early!

DAY 5

We visit Chalon sur Saône, a crowded place with a busy market that takes up most of the town centre (with food stalls and plenty more). We find one stall which is entirely dedicated to Macarons! The town, crossed by the river Saône, is dominated by the cathedral which in turn is surrounded by beautiful old half-timbered houses.

DAY 6

After our usual morning trip in to Beaune’s town centre we decide to visit the neighbouring towns, by taking the car and in 10 minutes we arrive in Pommard. We couldn’t wait to see the famous Burgundy hills up close, so we park up and walk in. The village is very small so it takes little time to see it all. The town centre is nice, maybe a little deserted (with just over 500 inhabitants it couldn’t really be any other way, during our tour we meet maybe 20 people at most). Pommard soil is suitable for the production of red wine from Pinot grapes. Thanks to the particular characteristics of its soil the wine produced in this area is known to be strong, robust and tannic. To taste these wines at their best, it is recommended to leave them a little while, as in fact they improve with age and become more refined. Beyond Pommard you will find an endless expanse of vineyards … truly, a sight to behold! We take the car once again and arrive in Volnay, a town which produces excellent pinot noir. We discover remarkable views of the town and a terrace overlooking the Cote D’O…absolutely breath-taking!

DAY 7

Last trip into the town centre to say our farewells to the beautiful Burgundy, we pack our bags and go home.

INFO AND GENERAL ADVICE ON BEAUNE:

WHICH ARE THE BEST WINE SHOPS?

La Grande Boutique du Vin

Maison Denis Perret

Aegerter Jean Luc et Paul

HOW MANY DAYS DO YOU NEED TO SEE BEAUNE?

For a visit to Beaune and the surrounding towns I recommend at least a 5 day trip, but if you have the chance to visit the wineries then 7 days are ideal so that you are not rushed and you can take time to relax too.

HOW MUCH DOES A TRIP TO BEAUNE COST?

There are many ways to get to Beaune but we preferred going by car as it gave us the chance, once we had arrived, to come and go as we wished. Our journey by car from Brescia to Beaune cost about € 300 round trip. There are different types of accommodation in Beaune ranging from € 70 to € 150 a night. If you manage to find a hotel with a kitchenette you will definitely not have to spend a lot on meals, but if you decide to eat out then you are really spoilt for choice, from bakeries which sell stuffed baguettes to high-end restaurants which serve excellent escargot. Then of course there is the cost for wine tastings and bottles of wine .. but this depends on your personal budget;)

Here we are at the end of our 7-day itinerary for Beaune. I hope it helped you plan your next trip to Burgundy.

Bye for now,

Camilla