Dijon is the largest city in the easternFrench region ofBourgogne-Franche-Comté. Dijon is best known for its mustard (named after the town), which is no longer produced in its metropolitan area, but it is still one of the most beautiful cities in France, and its historic buildings and byways were not heavily damaged by bombing in World War II and are largely intact.
The surroundings is also an important wine production region, and Dijon has historically been the centre for regulatory bodies for wine production (some wine classification systems were invented here) and therefore the historical centre of Dijon forms part of theUNESCO World Heritage site "Climats, terroirs of Burgundy".
Dijon was for some time the capital of the Dukes of Burgundy. Burgundy was a great power during the 14th and 15th centuries, when the dukes controlled a large part of what is now northeastern France, westernGermany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
The dukes were great patrons of the arts, so Dijon was a major centre of Gothic and early Renaissance music, painting, and sculpture, attracting some of the greatest and most famous artists and musicians from Flanders in particular. The music the great composers left behind can be performed anywhere, but it is particularly in the fields of sculpture and architecture that masters left a lasting mark on Dijon.
Today, Dijon is a cosmopolitan city, with universities in the centre and industrial plants on the outskirts. Traffic is restricted in the centre of the city, so many parts of central Dijon are quiet and relaxing.
There are three tourist offices in the city:
They have free maps of the downtown area, including a map and guide for the self-guided walking tour of Dijon. The walking tour uses a small brass pavement marker with an owl design to note the path along the sidewalks of Dijon. Larger numbered owl markers correspond to different stops on the tour, and the guide pamphlet will have descriptions of the art, history and architecture of that stop.
There are two train stations in Dijon: Dijon-Ville and Dijon-Porte-Neuve. The main one by far isDijon-Ville, the other being way smaller, without any personel and used only for some minor lines.
Thetrain à grande vitesse (TGV) speeds travellers from Paris (only 100 min) and other major French cities to Dijon. There are also regular train services to a variety of destinations, including, but not restricted to,Italy (Milan,Turin,Florence andRome among them),Switzerland,Luxembourg andBelgium.
(updated Aug 2021)From Paris(Gare de Lyon) by TGV: approx. 1 hr 40 min. Variable prices.
From Paris(Bercy) by TER: approx. 3 hr. Fixed prices: €36 per adult or €18 per passenger under 26 years old for one way.
From Lyon by TGV: approx. 1 hr 35 min. Variable prices.
From Lyon by TER: approx. 2 hr 5 min. Fixed prices, €31.60 per adult or €15.80 per passenger under 26 years old for one way.
There are a few TGV high-speed trains directly from the center of Dijon toParis CDG airport. If your arrival is at Paris Gare de Lyon, which there are frequent TGV trains to Dijon, you can either :
Eurolines[dead link] connects Dijon to all the major European cities andMobigo[dead link] is the regional bus service of the region.
Dijon is well connected to the freeway and highways networks, where you can drive cars. Traffic is restricted in the centre of the city and mostly reserved to pedestrians. So you will probably want to park your car for the duration of your visit in one of the P+R parkings close to the tramway or buses lines and resume with public transportations, except to access the Well of Moses, which is on the outskirts of the city.
For most purposes, walking is the best way to get around the center of the city. A comprehensive network of buses covers farther local destinations.
If you want to get a bit outside of the downtown (like to get to the well of Moses) it's often easier and faster to use a bicycle.
Buses and trams in Dijon are operated by Divia. As of August 2021, a one-hour ticket costs €1.40 (plus 30 cents for a reloadable card or if you buy it to a bus driver), €14 for a "10+1" tickets recharge, €4.20 for a 24-hour ticket, €7.35 for a 48-hour ticket, and €9.45 for a 72-hour ticket. There is also city bus which is free of cost which will take you around the city.
The city offers the Diviacity, a free, frequent shuttle bus for visitors that connects many of the downtown destinations in a loop, along with several parking areas. The shuttle is a minibus that is often congested with locals.
If you arrive by train, the orientation maps can be a bit misleading: maps are oriented with west, rather than north, in the upward position.
There is a self-guided walk in the city, calledParcours de la chouette, shown by owl arrows and numbered owl plates in the ground. There are 22 stops of interest. The book with the description of stops is available at the tourist office for €2.50, there is also an app on theGoogle Play store for €2.99 or on theApp Store for €1.99. But it's not mandatory.
(updated Dec 2023)There are a lot of religious buildings in the city. François I said "c'est la ville aux cent clochers" ("it's the city of one hundred bell towers") when arriving in Dijon.
Most museums are free for everyone. English and French audio guide is available most of the time.
Many of the dishes that Americans think of as traditionally French originated in Burgundy, for example 'coq au vin'. One great strategy is to order the fixed-price (prix fixe) menu, usually three courses including dessert. It provides a good sense of what the restaurant is like.
Jambon persillé (terrine/meatloaf of parsleyed ham) and pain d'epices (gingerbread) are local delicacies of the region.
There are 23 Michelin-starred restaurants in the area.
Dijon is well known for cassis, a sweet black current liqueur that is a bright reddish-purple in colour. If you are of legal drinking age in France a traditional Dijonnaise cocktail is called a "Kir", a blend of cassis and a local white wine (traditionally "Aligoté") - you can also order it made with champagne for a tasty and festive "Kir Royale". Make sure that you try the wonderful local wines - Burgundy has the highest number of Appellations of any French region. Of course the reds are terrific, and Americans unfamiliar with wine history might be surprised to find that white burgundies compare favorably with California chardonnays - they are, after all, from the same grape.
You can reserve vineyard tours through the Dijon Tourist Office to visit the Côte de Nuits and participate in wine tastings in some of the most famous wine-making villages of Burgundy. Wine and Voyages has the longest running tours available and are wine experts.☏+33 3 80 61 15 15
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