Dijon: Taste the medieval heritage, savor the wine

by Lucy Komisar

Dijon, the capital of Burgundy, was the home town of the Dukes of Burgundy from the 11th to the 15th centuries. It is a town of charm and history, very well preserved, small enough to walk through, and very worth your time. Living from the wine trade and protected by law, Dijon has not been modernized (or defaced) by the kinds of buildings that mar commercial centers. That means you can steep yourself, visually unperturbed, in the heritage of medieval and Renaissance times.

To start with a sense of history, we stayed at the Sofitel Hôtel de la Cloche, which was built in 1882 for the rich and powerful on their way from Paris to the Mediterranean. Various notables of birth or accomplishment, including an Austrian archduke, Napoléon III, the sculptor Rodin and the composer Saint-Saëns, as well as the inevitable later cine-celebrities (Princess Grace and Maurice Chevalier) stayed here. Inside, the elegance is still apparent. But compared to the buildings we would see, 19th century is recent!

We got our first literal taste of appreciation of Burgundy at dinner at the hotel dining room which overlooks a garden. (There’s also a garden café.) Please imagine this succulent pheasant, accompanied by an astonishing local Burgundy.

A leisurely way to see a bit of Burgundy is through a 5-day canal trip on the Litote, which meanders east along the Burgundy Canal from Vendenesse-en-Auxois to Dijon, stopping for visits at country chateaux, Beaune, and vineyards. We joined the group a few days into its voyage. The language of the boat is English, and one of the founders of Canal and Company is John Senior, a Brit, who has a passion for barges and joined the tour for a day.

After a walk along the towpath followed by a gourmet lunch on the barge, we piled on a bus for a private cellar visit and wine tasting in the famous appellation of Mersault. Then, the next day, we and the group spent the morning on a guided walking visit to Dijon’s historic center.

The Dijon tourism people make sure you see the best of its historical landmarks with cleverly organized golden owl markers embedded in the sidewalks that, together with a free guidebook, makes a roam around the center easy and fun.

You can pick up the guide at the tourist office which is where the 22 numbered sites begin and was conveniently across from the Hôtel de la Cloche, which is site number 2. The route takes an hour or two, depending on how long you linger.

With our friends from the barge, we happily played the numbers.

At “owl 7” on the Rue des Forges is the Renaissance Maison Maillard with a façade covered with Burgundy cabbages and figures bundled with scarves. It was built for Jean Maillard, the major of Dijon in 1560. Next to that is the Hôtel Chambellan, constructed for Henry Chambellan, mayor of Dijon in 1490. Politicians, as ever, did very well!

My favorite was the Maison Millière, a typical medieval half-timbered house built in 1483 by a merchant on a street so narrow it’s hard to get a good photo of it. You can still see the wooden-beamed walls filled with enameled bricks. The store was on the first floor and the family lived upstairs. The building was used in a scene of "Cyrano de Bergerac" with Gérard Depardieu.

I love it when the buildings are on the main street of town. Here are “the oldest houses” in Dijon, more medieval half-timbered structures.

There’s also plenty of French grandiosity on display, including the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy at the Place de la Libération, started in the 17th century and completed in the 19th. The Fine Arts Museum is inside, with works from ancient Egypt to the present.

And of course you can’t ignore on the business street one of the establishments that helped make Dijon synonymous with mustard!

Of course, that’s only a taste. Forgive the pun.

If you go

By train: You can get a fast (TGV) train direct from Paris or the Roissy airport. It’s just one hour and 35 minutes from Paris to Dijon! The best way to book your train in advance, and to get a Eurailpass if you’re traveling to several destinations, is through RailEurope, at www.raileurope.com or 888-382-7245.

Tourism Offices, Place Darcy 21000 Dijon and 34 rue des Forges, 210022 Dijon.  33 (0)892 700-558; Fax 33 (0)3 8042-1883 www.dijon-tourism.com; info@dijon-tourism.com.

A Dijon pass for 10 euros (24 hours); 15 euros (48 hours), 20 euros (72 hours) gives free and discounted entries, including local transport and guided bilingual walking tours at day or night in Dijon as well as attractions in the surrounding Côte de Nuits.

Tourist office accommodations: www.reserver-dijon.fr.

To learn about the local wines you will drink: www.bourgogne-wines.com.

Canal and Company, John Senior and Guy Bardet, 24 rue Ernest Renan, 21300 Chenove, 33 (0)3 8051-9162; fax 33 (0)3 8051-3903; www.canalandco.com; john@canalandcompany.com.  The Litote is 128 feet long and carries 20 passengers in ten cabins. $1,800 to $2,000 per person double occupancy.

by Lucy Komisar