Dijon in 2 days, on foot

This 2-day self-guided walking plan for Dijon covers 18 narrated sights in an easy day-by-day order. Each day is split into a morning and an afternoon loop, and every stop has a two to three minute audio story in the Gingerguide app.

You set the pace: this is a suggested order, not a schedule. Walk it in 2 days, or stretch it out. Reorder freely; Dijon rewards a detour.

Day 1

Morning

1. Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy: The magnificent 14th-century palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, once one of the most powerful courts in Europe, now Dijon's city hall, housing one of France's finest fine arts museums within its medieval and Baroque halls.
2. Notre-Dame de Dijon: One of the finest Gothic churches in Burgundy, with an extraordinary facade of three tiers of false gargoyles and a jacquemart bell-ringing mechanism, and the famous carved owl of Dijon on its north wall.
3. Place de la Libération: Dijon's magnificent semicircular Baroque main square, designed in 1682 by Jules Hardouin-Mansart (architect of Versailles) for Louis XIV, one of the most harmonious urban spaces in provincial France.
4. Well of Moses (Chartreuse de Champmol): Claus Sluter's 1404 masterpiece, six polychrome Old Testament prophets surrounding a sculptural base, considered the greatest work of late medieval sculpture in Northern Europe, in the former ducal charterhouse.
5. Dijon Mustard Tradition: Dijon has been the mustard capital of the world since the 14th century, contrary to popular belief, authentic Dijon mustard is pale yellow (not bright yellow), made with verjuice from Burgundy grapes and ground black mustard seeds.

Afternoon

1. Hospices de Beaune: The most beautiful Gothic building in Burgundy, a 15th-century charitable hospital in Beaune (30km south), with its spectacular multicoloured glazed-tile roof, hosting the world's most famous wine auction every November.
2. Burgundy Wine Route (Route des Grands Crus): The Route des Grands Crus runs 60km south from Dijon through Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, and Vougeot to Beaune, the most famous stretch of vineyard in the world, producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of unparalleled complexity.
3. Sainte-Bénigne Cathedral: Dijon's Gothic cathedral, built over a Romanesque predecessor, with an extraordinary early Romanesque crypt containing the tomb of Saint Benignus, the early Christian martyr who, by tradition, brought Christianity to Burgundy.
4. Marché des Vins / Burgundy Wine Tasting: The prestigious cellars beneath a 13th-century Gothic church in Dijon's centre, offering a self-guided tasting of 15 prestigious Burgundy appellations, the finest wine experience in the capital of Burgundy.

Day 2

Morning

1. Burgundy Cuisine: Burgundy cuisine is one of France's great regional traditions, boeuf Bourguignon, coq au vin, escargots de Bourgogne, jambon persillé, and gougères define a richly satisfying cuisine built on Charolais beef, snails, and Burgundy wine.
2. Musée Archéologique: Housed in the vaulted dormitory of a former Benedictine abbey, this exceptional museum preserves Burgundy's Celtic and Gallo-Roman heritage, including gold votives from the Seine source sanctuary and the extraordinary Bronze Age and Iron Age finds.
3. Place François Rude: The lively market square in the heart of Dijon's pedestrianised old town, named after the sculptor François Rude, surrounded by cafés, wine bars, and a fountain, the most animated outdoor meeting place in the city.
4. Jardin Darcy: Dijon's elegant 19th-century English-style garden, featuring a famous copy of François Pompon's polar bear sculpture, an ornamental lake, and shaded promenades, the green gateway to the old town from the main railway station.
5. Historic Hotels Particuliers (Dijon's Renaissance Quarter): Dijon's medieval and Renaissance old town contains over 300 classified historic buildings, private mansions (hôtels particuliers) in Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles, creating one of the richest concentrations of historic architecture in France.

Afternoon

1. Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon: One of the three finest art museums in France outside Paris, housed within the ducal palace, its medieval galleries hold the incomparable ducal tombs by Claus Sluter, while the painting collection spans five centuries of European art.
2. Dijon Art Nouveau & Grand Rue Heritage: Beyond the medieval core, Dijon's 19th and early 20th-century expansion produced fine Art Nouveau and Belle Époque architecture along its grand boulevards, with several remarkable buildings by local architects.
3. Dijon Owl Trail (Sentier de la Chouette): Dijon's self-guided walking trail through the old town, marked by bronze owl markers on the pavement, connecting 22 of the city's most important historic sites, the ideal way to discover the ducal city on foot.
4. Burgundy Identity & Franco-Comtois Heritage: Dijon is the historic capital of the Duchy of Burgundy and now the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, a city with one of the strongest regional identities in France, shaped by its ducal past and wine heritage.

Full Dijon guide and all stops →