9 of the best places to visit in Burgundy

Mention Burgundy – or Bourgogne, as the French call it – and most travelers picture orderly rows of pinot noir and chardonnay stretching toward medieval church spires. Yet this storied region in eastern France is far more than its cellars. Roman ruins, monastic powerhouses, vineyard villages and forested countryside all lie within a few hours’ drive of one another, threaded together by slow rivers and empty back roads.

Burgundy rewards slow travel. Trains connect Dijon, Beaune and Auxerre easily from Paris, but to explore the smaller villages, vineyard lanes and nature reserves, you’ll want a car, or at least a bike. Whether you’re here for grand cru (wine of exceptional quality) tastings, Romanesque abbeys or long walks through vineyard country, these are the places that show Burgundy at its best.

1. Dijon

Best for gastronomy and art

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As the former seat of the powerful Dukes of Burgundy, Dijon remains the region’s cultural anchor. Its compact historic center is a pleasure to wander on foot, filled with half-timbered houses, carved stone facades and the grand Palais des Ducs et des États de Bourgogne, which now houses one of France’s finest art museums. Admission to the museum’s permanent collections is free, and the medieval tombs of the dukes are not to be missed. For a bird’s-eye view of the city, climb the neighboring Tour Philippe le Bon.

Dijon is also Burgundy’s undisputed gastronomic capital. The Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin, opened in 2022 on the site of a former 13th-century hospital, brings together food and wine exhibitions, workshops and restaurants under one roof. For something more everyday, Les Halles market is the place to load up on regional specialties: mustard, gougères (savory choux pastries), pain d’épices (spiced bread) and farmhouse cheeses.

Planning tip: Dijon makes an ideal base if you’re traveling without a car. Two tram lines connect the main sights, and trains to Beaune run in around 30 minutes.

2. Beaune

Best for wine lovers

Beaune may be small, but its influence on the wine world is immense. Encircled by medieval ramparts and historic négociant (wine merchant) houses, the town centers on the Hôtel-Dieu des Hospices de Beaune – a 15th-century charity hospital crowned with one of Burgundy’s most spectacular polychrome-tiled roofs. Inside, Gothic halls, a historic apothecary and Rogier van der Weyden’s monumental altarpiece await.

While the most prestigious vineyards lie in the surrounding villages, many of Burgundy’s historic négociants still keep cellars in town. Patriarche Père et Fils offers self-guided tours through kilometers of vaulted underground cellars, while wine bars around place Carnot pour excellent selections by the glass. Beaune’s Saturday market is one of the region’s best, ideal for assembling a picnic before heading into the vines.

Planning tip: Wine tastings with producers can be difficult to arrange, so many visitors opt for bookable cellar tours with Beaune’s négociants. Plan ahead, especially during harvest (September to October) and the Hospices de Beaune wine auction weekend in November.

3. The Route des Grands Crus (Côte d’Or)

Best for iconic vineyard landscapes

Stretching about 60km between Dijon and Santenay, the Route des Grands Crus threads through some of the world’s most prestigious vineyards. Villages like Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet may appear understated – stone walls, wooden gates, the occasional tractor – but their names carry extraordinary weight in the wine world.

You can drive the route in a day, following brown road signs marked with a grape cluster, but it’s far better explored slowly. The Voie des Vignes cycle path offers a more intimate way to move between villages, with gentle gradients and wide-open views across limestone slopes. Even without a tasting itinerary, simply walking the vineyard lanes offers real insight into Burgundy’s patchwork of climats – precisely defined parcels shaped over centuries of observation.

Planning tip: An e-bike makes cycling the route accessible to most travelers and lets you cover more ground between villages with ease.

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4. Flavigny-sur-Ozerain

Best for epicureans

Perched on a hilltop in the Pays d’Auxois, the medieval village of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain is one of Burgundy’s most unexpected stops. Its fame rests on a small oval tin: Les Anis de Flavigny, the hard-boiled aniseed bonbons first produced here by Benedictine monks in 1591. There are still made here today using the same core ingredients – aniseed, beet sugar and natural plant extracts – largely unchanged for four centuries.

The factory occupies the former Abbaye de Flavigny, whose crypt dates to the Carolingian period, and guided visits are as much a history lesson as a confectionery tour. The visit takes in the abbey’s crypt and chapels, vaulted halls where the sweets were made in the 19th century, and a museum tracing the evolution of the brand’s iconic tins. Beyond the abbey, Flavigny itself is a pleasure to explore: cobbled lanes, medieval gateways and views across mustard fields and wooded hills.

Planning tip: Flavigny is an easy 45-minute drive from Dijon and pairs well with a visit to the nearby Abbaye de Fontenay for a rewarding day in the Pays d’Auxois.

5. Noyers-sur-Serein

Best medieval village

Encircled by remnants of 13th-century fortifications and looped by the gentle Serein River, Noyers-sur-Serein feels remarkably intact for a village of its age. Nineteen defensive towers still stand, and the cobbled lanes within – lined with timber-framed houses, carved archways and gabled facades – have an almost timeless quality that’s increasingly rare in France.

In recent years, a small community of artists and craftspeople – many arriving from Paris – has given Noyers fresh creative energy. Workshops and galleries now occupy many medieval houses, producing ceramics, leather goods and illuminated parchments, while summer markets animate the central square. A steep path climbs to the ruins of the former château above the village, where sweeping views open across tiled rooftops and surrounding pastureland.

Planning tip: The walk up to the castle ruins is steep and can be slippery after rain, with limited handrails in places, so wear sturdy shoes and take your time on the climb.

6. Auxerre and Chablis

Best for riverside charm and crisp whites

Auxerre rises above the Yonne River in layers of pale stone and timber, its cathedral spire visible for miles across the plain. The Abbey of Saint-Germain houses Carolingian frescoes among the oldest surviving in France, while the Gothic Cathédrale Saint-Étienne anchors a skyline that has barely changed in centuries. Evenings gather along the riverbanks, where cafes and barges converted into bars draw locals out for long apéritifs beside the water.

Just 30 minutes east, the village of Chablis offers a different expression of Burgundy’s wine culture. Chardonnay grows here on distinctive Kimmeridgian limestone soils threaded with fossilized oyster shells, which give the wines their mineral character. The village itself is small and approachable, with several domaines (estates) welcoming visitors by appointment and relaxed bistros where a glass of Chablis alongside local ham or oysters feels perfectly at home.

Planning tip: A car makes combining Auxerre and Chablis easy in a single day, as train connections between the two are limited.

7. Parc Naturel Régional du Morvan

Best for outdoor adventures

If Burgundy’s vineyards feel cultivated and precise, the Morvan offers a wilder counterpoint. This park of forests, lakes and rolling uplands covers 3220 sq km in the heart of the region, a haven for hikers, mountain bikers and kayakers. Lac des Settons draws swimmers and paddleboarders in summer, while the Maison du Parc in Saint-Brisson provides maps, trail advice and small ecomuseums exploring local traditions.

The Morvan’s villages remain deeply rural, with markets selling raw honey, charcuterie and farmhouse cheeses. History lovers shouldn’t miss Bibracte, the ancient Gallic oppidum on Mont Beuvray where Vercingetorix rallied the Gauls against Julius Caesar.

Planning tip: Base yourself near Lac des Settons or Saint-Brisson to access the park’s main hiking trails and visitor center.

8. Cluny and Southern Burgundy

Best for monastic history

In the Middle Ages, Cluny was the center of a monastic order whose influence stretched from Portugal to Poland. For centuries the Abbey of Cluny was the largest church in Christendom. Much was dismantled after the French Revolution, when its stones were quarried for building material, but what survives – the soaring south transept, Romanesque towers and the Musée d’Art et d’Archéologie – still conveys the scale of what once stood here.

Planning tip: Combine Cluny with a drive through the Mâconnais wine villages. Southern Burgundy feels softer and less visited than the Côte d’Or. Vineyards continue into the Mâconnais, where Chardonnay takes on a rounder character and prices remain refreshingly approachable. Romanesque churches dot the countryside and the pace of life noticeably slows.

9. Abbaye de Fontenay, Montbard

Best for Cistercian serenity

If Cluny represents the medieval church at its most powerful and opulent, Fontenay offers something entirely different. Founded in 1118 by Bernard of Clairvaux – the great Cistercian reformer who believed ornament could distract from devotion – this UNESCO World Heritage abbey is a masterpiece of restraint. No gilding, no frescoes, no soaring excess: just pale limestone, pure Romanesque lines and the sound of water from the monks’ ancient forge and gardens.

Tucked into a wooded valley near Montbard in northern Burgundy, Fontenay is one of the best-preserved medieval monasteries in Europe. Cloisters, church, dormitory and forge remain intact, giving a rare sense of the monastic world as it existed in the 12th century.

Planning tip: Fontenay is an easy stop between Dijon and Auxerre and pairs well with nearby Flavigny-sur-Ozerain.