Bourgogne-Franche-Comté is a region of east-centralFrance, created in 2016 through administrative reorganisation fromBurgundy andFranche-Comté. Noted for its rich history and diverse scenery, the region stretches from the rolling Burgundy wine country in the west to theJura Mountains andSwiss border in the east.
— a a hub of road and river transport already as a Roman city – a monastic community and pilgrimage site
The entire area formed the heart of the Kingdom, and later Duchy, of Burgundy for 1000 years in the middle ages, but was absorbed into theKingdom of France from the 15th century onwards. In 2016, the two regions of Burgundy and Franche-Comté voluntarily merged to form the present Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, as part of national territorial reform. They were the only two regions to have already bilaterally expressed a wish to merge before the national law was passed, probably due to their strong historical ties.
Burgundy and Franche-Comté have a rich architectural inheritance of remarkable buildings, including castles and major Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals. The vineyards of the region are some of the most prestigious in the world, with the Burgundy wine region including Beaujolais and Chablis. Aside from cities and towns, many of them walled, the countryside is dotted with numerous pleasant and picturesque villages.
The region also offers natural beauty. Burgundy has lakes and forests, and plenty of opportunities for fishing, walking or riding. A gentle landscape of hillsides covered with vineyards lines the river Loire. The Nièvre holds a vast area of wild countryside ideal both for sport and cultural activities. The Jura is a low range of wooded mountains with many gorges, caves and rocky peaks, which gave its name to the Jurassic period.
This is France, so surprisingly people here mainly speakFrench! A swiftly-declining number of people in Burgundy speak a dialect of French calledBurgundian (Bourguignon). The Jura mountains are part of theArpitan-speaking region. Arpitan, also known as Franco-Provençal, is a Romance language spoken mainly by older people in rural areas.
As far asEnglish is concerned, it is quite likely that travellers will be able to find speakers in tourist areas, and the larger towns and cities such asBesançon. As soon as you venture into less-populated areas, some knowledge of French becomes essential. At any rate, having a few basic phrases at your disposal is fundamental politeness, and efforts to speak the language – however clumsy – will help endear you to the locals much more than if you stubbornly stick to English.
The A5 and A6 autoroutes both connect the region toParis. The A6 heads south toLyon, a hub of highways coming from southern Europe. The A40 brings traffic fromGeneva.
For more detail on the region's autoroute system, seebelow.
TheTGV runs from Paris (Gare de Lyon) toDijon (1h 35 min),Besançon (2h) andBelfort (2h 15 min). These stations are also served by TGV services from other cities in France (Lille,Lyon,Mulhouse,Strasbourg) and neighbouring countries (Basel,Frankfurt,Geneva,Luxembourg,Milan)
The region has one tiny commercial airport,Dole-Jura[dead link], which receives Ryanair flights from Fez, Marrakech and Porto. The nearest large international airports offering flights from English-speaking countries areEuroairport[dead link] (near to the Swiss city ofBasel, but actually in the French town of Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin) andGeneva, which straddles the French-Swiss border.
The region is well-connected by road, with the following motorways (autoroutes) being particularly useful:
An extensive local rail network is operated byTER Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Besançon and Dijon are linked by the TGV.
There is an extensive network of cycle routes, which is an excellent and relaxing way to explore the region, whether among the Burgundy vineyards or the hills of Franche-Comté.
Le Boat rents boats of various sizes for multi-day canal and river cruising in the region from bases inMigennes, Châtillon-sur-Loire, Tannay, and Decize. No boating licence is required.
(updated Dec 2022)A cirque is a glacial valley in the shape of a circus amphitheatre, where the name comes from. Cirques are a common geological feature of the Jura. All these provide spectacular viewpoints and are not far apart so a very enjoyable drive can encompass them all.
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté is home to many dishes that have become synonymous with French cooking all over the world; the best among them use the local wine as a key ingredient.
A significant part of the regional cuisine.Comté is a creamy local variety of Gruyère, and is the region's signature cheese. Elsewhere,morbier is a semi-soft cows' milk cheese with a thin blue layer running through the middle. This cheese has made it into the kitchen in a regional speciality, themorbiflette. If you know a thing or two about French gastronomy, you'll guess this is a tartiflette (potato, lardon and onion gratin) made with morbier. Some chefs will switch the lardons for a more typical sausage of the region. Also to try areCiteaux andÉpoisses. Lastly, your inner child may appreciate munching processed lunchbox favouriteLa vache qui rit (The Laughing Cow) on her home turf.
Of the 25 three-star Michelin restaurants in France, three can be found in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
But you do not have to go to a starred restaurant for good food. Even in the smallest villages you will find good traditional restaurants, while along the roads you will findrestaurants routiers where you can orderle menu / plat du jour for a very reasonable price.
Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé ! Every third Thursday of November, the new Beaujolais wine arrives at bars and restaurants across France and select places around the world. This wine is from the historical Beaujolais province and wine-producing region north ofLyon that covers parts of the northern part of theRhône (Rhône-Alpes) and parts of the southern part of the Saône-et-Loire. It is a young wine meant to be drunk as soon as possible as it does not age very well. |
Wine is unmistakably the most well-known product in Burgundy. From north to south, the most famous and recognisable wines of the region grow on carefully exposed soils: Chablis, Côteaux de l'Auxerrois, Côte-de-Nuits, Côte-de-Beaune, Hautes-Côtes, Côtes Chalonnaise et Mâconnais, and Pouilly-sur-Loire.
Away from wine,Crème de cassis is sweet dark red liqueur with the taste of blackcurrant
The cities and towns have a range of hotels to suit any need. Accommodation in the rural areas consists of guesthouses, self-catering gîtes and camping. You can pitch a tent almost anywhere without concerning the locals. Camper vans can be parked overnight in most public parking areas.
Continue your wine odyssey in any direction you choose:
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