Description | Cuisine | Places of Interest

Major Cities: Dijon, Macon, Beaune

Enjoy this region’s rich history of food, wine and conquests as guests of a fine B and B, Hotel, Rental Cottage or Apartment for a week or a month and lay back. Consider a week's home rental in Burgundy in 2005-06.

Distinctive architecture with colorful tiled roofs and many opportunities for canal trips, biking and hiking until late fall

90 minutes from Paris on the TGV train. Easy access to Switzerland and to Provence.

Let us help you not only visit this region of France but also let us introduce you to wine makers and their families - you are so welcomed in this region at each village and chateau.

Description

YOUR FRENCH CONNECTION knows well the intimate details of Burgundy's wines and will assist you in planning your visit. Soak up the facts in the nearby Wine Museum, or even better - get a taste of them in the villages where they are produced. Visit one of the expanding organic vineyards or stay for a new nights on a farm specializing in organic foods. Vacationers can also visit open-air markets where the bounty of Burgundy's tables is spread out for sale.

The center for wine making in Burgundy is the medieval jewel of Beaune with its distinctive Flemish polychrome roofs, checkerboard patterns of gold and colors woven into a terra cotta tapestry. The huge duchy of Burgundy once included most of Holland and Belgium, so the Flemish influence is striking in the architecture of the city's Hôtel-Dieu (Hospices). Each November, the Trois Glorieuses wine auction inside sells wines to raise money for charity, and in so doing sets prices for the year's vintage.

From Auxerre south to almost Lyon-one should consider visits to both north  Burgundy (Chablis area) and south area around Beaune-Cluny.

Chablis is now practically synonymous with white wine itself, but the town of Chablis is only one of many towns where Burgundy whites are the raison d'être, including Pouilly-sur-Loire and the medieval jewel, Auxerre. Auxerre also is the port of many barge and boating trips. Between Auxerre and Chablis we have a wonderful chateau for your lodging and also a rental apartment.

Burgundy is not all eating and drinking. Its rich history stretches back to Roman Gaul. When most of Europe was still a collection of petty towns and knights, Burgundy was synonymous with splendor, power and grace. Dijon may be more well-known now for its spicy mustards, but it was once the capital of the Dukes of Burgundy. The Ducal palace that sprawls over the better part of a mile housed Europe's most powerful princes, including Charles the Bold. The Palace has been transformed into a magnificent art museum that houses the treasures of the duke's past and a splendid collection of paintings and statues.

Dijon is just under an hour and a half from Paris on the TGV. Within easy reach are other jewels of Burgundy's glorious past, including the Romanesque Basilica of Sainte-Madeleine in Vézelay, Fontenay's Cistercian Abbey, and the remains of Cluny near Mâcon. The Morvan Massif's lakes and hills have also become a Mecca for hikers, boaters and mountain bikers. From this area the canal trips and barge hotels leave for week cruises.

Let us help you visit this region of France. 

Cuisine

The food in Burgundy is what one might think of as more traditionally "French", with dishes such as coq au vin (chicken cooked in red wine sauce), beef bourguignon (cooked in wine and mushrooms), escargots, jambon persillé (parsleyed ham) and pears Belle Dijonnaise. Although the name Burgundy brings to mind its fine red wines, exceptional whites rival any produced : Pouilly-Fumé, Chablis or Mâcon

Much of Burgundy's success in wine producing comes from the exceptional quality of its three distinct, traditional grapes: Pinot Noir, Gamay for the reds and Chardonnay for the whites. The biggest wine-producing district of Burgundy stretches form Dijon to Mâcon and is home to some of the world's most famous wines, named according to their place of origin: the velvety Côtes de Nuits (such as Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, Nuits St. Georges), fruity Côtes de Beaune (Pommard, Volnay, Savigny-les-Beaune, Aloxe Corton, Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault), Châlon (Givry: Henri IV's preferred, Mercurey, Santenay), and Mâcon (Mâcon Villages, Pouilly Fuissé, Viré, Saint-Véran).

From South Saône-et-Loire and Rhône comes Beaujolais and Côte de Brouilly, whose short fermentation makes it a tender, fruity wine - one of the few reds which can be drunk at cool temperatures. From the north, the "Golden Gate" of Burgundy between Auxerre and Tonnerre, comes Chablis, a dry white wine. On the banks of the Loire to the west is Pouilly sur Loire, which produces the wines of Côteaux du Giennois and the Loire, among them the fruity and soft Pouilly Fumé and Pouilly Fuissé.

Places of Interest

Autun 12th century St Lazare Cathedral, Rodin Museum.

Auxerre St. Etienne Cathedral, St. Germain Abbey, Carolingian crypts, Leblanc-Devernoy Museum.

Several Chateaux B & Bs...

Beaune Charming medieval town, its Hospices are a masterpiece of Flemish-Burgundian architecture, Museum of Burgundy Wine. HOSPICES de Beaune were "built" by NICOLAS ROLLIN, Tax Collector of the Dukes of Burgundy

Many places to spend a week ...

Châlon-sur-Sâone.

Nicéphore Niepce Photography Museum, Denon Museum.

Château  Chamirey
Mercurey

La Charité-sur-Loire.

Notre Dame Church.

How about a barge or boat trip in this area?

Clos de Vougeot Chateau of the Brotherhood of the Knights of Tastevin.

Cluny Europe's largest Benedictine abbey. The entire town is worth a stay!

Dijon Palace of the Dukes, States-General of Burgundy, Fine Arts Museum, Burgundian Folklore Museum.

Fontenay Fontenay Abbey and cloister.

Joigny Medieval town with great food!

Mâcon Lamartine Museum, Maison des Vins (Wine center).

Nevers Cathedral, St. Gildard convent, Frédéric Blandin Municipal Museum, ramparts, ducal palace.

Paray-le-Monial Romanesque basilica, pilgrimage center.

Sens Historic buildings: St. Stephen Cathedral, Museum with fine Gallo-Roman collections, Sens Museum.

Tonnerre Hôtel Dieu, the tomb in the chapel is a masterpiece.

Tournus Abbey, Greuse Museum.

Vézelay Fortified medieval hillside, Magdalene Basilica.

We are pleased to share some highlights of cities from www.francetourism.com.  You will also find us on their site under Washington State.

Enjoy Burgundy This Year.