Visit Burgundy and Franche-Comté
The Burgundy
Chablis, Côtes de Nuit, Côtes de Beaune, Santenay ... are names that instantly come when thinking Burgundy. These magnificent wines from varietals such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are a call to the discovery and tasting. The first two are north of Dijon, the other south to Beaune in a splendid territory and diversity. Several tourist tours exist to explore the cellars.
You will not resist of course to some good gourmet stop at famous starred chefs like Lameloise in Chagny, Loiseau in Saulieu, La Côte Saint Jacques in Joigny, the Hotellerie du Chapeau Rouge in Dijon, Greuze in Tournus ...
Beaune
Beaune is of course famous for its Hospices de Beaune, a palace created in 1443 to house the poor and underprivileged. The monuments are of Gothic architecture of incomparable majesty with polychrome tiles roofs. It is in these Hospices that annually held on the third Sunday of November, the famous wine auction around several days of festivities.
Outside the city there are many monuments to visit such as the abbeys of Citeaux, Fontenay and Cluny and castles as Ancy le Franc and Rochepot ...
Dijon
Dijon was the capital of the Dukes of Burgundy, a crossroads between North Europe and the Mediterranean. Rich in history, the city has retained its neighborhoods renaissance with their magnificent mansions including the Place de La Libération built by Hardouin-Mansard, probably one of the most beautiful in France. From the Dukes' Palace to the Halles built by Eiffel, you have a wonderful array of beauty.
In 2022, Dijon will open its famous International Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin, a space offering a magical journey of discovery and tastings with restaurants and cellars around exhibitions...
The city is also renowned for his famous "Dijon mustard" some of them realized by craftsmen like the Maison Fallot.
Many tours allow you to explore some good wines but you can still taste them in many caves of the city.
Nevers
Capital of the beautiful earthenware and place of pilgrimage, Nevers is the ancient city of the Dukes whose castle is the first to be built on the Loire. The cathedral has two apses, one Romanesque, the other Gothic. The city is also known for its famous Formula 1 circuit at Magny-Cours.
Châlon sur Saône
Chalons sur Saône is the birthplace of Nicephore Niepce who invented photography. It is the world capital with museums on the item.
Vézelay
Vézelay is a must. This place of pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago is an initiatory experience that starts by walking up the steps to the Basilica surrounded by medieval houses. Many writers and artists have taken their inspiration.
Noyers
Noyers is one of the most beautiful villages in France. With its medieval houses with wood sides with carved pilasters, its castle, it will enchant you with its charm.
Le Creusot
Le Creusot, it is the story of the Schneider family, Masters of Forges. Buying the Royal Foundry, they experienced an economic success in the steel in the eighteenth century, an era in full economic development. The interest of the site lies both in the construction principle of the city where everything has been designed to keep the workers by giving them what they need : schools, hospital, shops etc ... but also memories of Schneider family as the incredible Chateau de La Verrerie in which still exist old ovens glassware.
You are here in the Jura doors. A slightly hilly country, a marvel of landscapes, superb gourmet terroir, the land of cheese, wine, including the famous Arbois wine and kirsch since it is also the land of the cherry ... and some big cities like Dole Besançon and Belfort.
Besançon
On the banks of the Doubs lies the city of Besancon. Town of art and history, the city of Besançon has a rich historical past. Its architectural heritage is a strong witness with its many buildings and mansions. Since the founding of a Gallic oppidum, the city has continued to develop and grow before it became a cultural, military and economic center. Sometimes French and sometimes German, the Comtoise capital has kept many vestiges of different periods of its history from antiquity to the nineteenth century as the Citadel Vauban and the Time museum as Besançon was capital of watchmaking. Besides you will have to visit the extraordinary astronomical clock with 30,000 parts.
Dôle
The counts of Burgundy and the Habsburgs contribute to develop the Comtoise capital of Dôle. Attached to the Kingdom of France, the city lost its status. Of this sumptuous period, it retains many buildings Renaissance with teeming decorations of multicolored stones. For nearly 500 years, the bell tower of the Notre-Dame, noble stone vessel beautifully restored, proudly overlooks the historic center with its mansions and convents ...
Belfort
Located between the Vosges and the Jura mountains, the city of Belfort is a crossing from east to west. Its strategic position was so that Louis XIV asked Vauban to fortify the city, the fortifications are interesting to visit. Belfort experienced a turbulent history during several wars. The Lion of Belfort monument sculpted by Bartholdi commemorates resistance to the Prussians. Industrial city, it has nevertheless retained its old town, a nice place to walk.
La Saline Royale d'Arc et Senans
The Royal Saline of Arc et Senans, between Dole and Besancon, is the extraordinary witness of salt production period, the underground is full of salt springs. Today the thermal baths are operated in Salins les Bains not far away. The Saline Royale is an example of industrial architecture built in the 18th century. The Saline Royale operated as an integrated factory where lived almost the entire labor community. Built in the shape of an arc, it sheltered housing and production sites, 11 buildings among which the House of the Director, the Stables, the buildings of the Eastern and Western Sels ...
Arbois
Nearby, the charming town of Arbois is the place of production of the famous wines of Arbois. One of the productions is called Vin Jaune or Jura Gold, a golden wine, dry, aged in barrels for more than 6 years and develops very special flavors. This is also the place of birth of Pasteur.
Luxeuil les Bains
Luxeuil les Bains is a charming spa town famous for its hot springs. Strolling through the old center, the stately buildings classified as historic monuments, rising in Vosges sandstone, revealing here and there statues and gargoyles facetious faces whose feast visitors : the illustrious remains of Cardinal Jouffroy said facing to the Tower of Aldermen, the Francois 1er House saved from destruction by Napoleon III, or the Bailli House among others ... Every building is marked by centuries of histoiry including the Abbey, St. Peter's Basilica and cloister, it is the “monastic Luxeuil” which show all its splendor and charm for the visitor in search of spirituality. The underground of Luxeuil-les-Bains contains important archaeological remains, precious traces of the city history.