There is so much to see and do in Burgundy - where to begin? Well, let's start with the vineyards, Burgundy's most famous attraction - and our favorite!
For a great view of Burgundy, for beginners as well as connaisseurs we strongly suggest taking a wine tour with Wine and Voyages. They give a great explination of the vineyards, wine-making process and terroir. The tours are always followed by at least 1 cellar visit and wine tasting.
There are many options for independant wine tastings and if you send us your preferences we can work on an itinerary of tasting appointments for you. It is not always possible in Burgundy to get into the exact winery you want to visit but we have a long list of vineyard contacts in the Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune and would be happy to do our best to put a great program together. Just send us a profile of yourself and your favorite Burgundy wines and we'll take it from there.
If you are intersted in purchasing wine, we recommend preparing your visits ahead of time with winecollector.fr. They can manage shipment from many of the Burgundy cellars that you might visit, directly to your home in the US (most states) or Japan. But they do not ship wines that you purchase on your own so don't collect a few cases and call them afterwards. The purchase must be set up with the winery ahead of time.
The location of our home makes transport to Dijon or Beaune fantastically convenient by train. You can take one of the frequent trains from Nuits St Georges to either destination, leaving you free to walk around town without worrying about parking - particularly nice for visiting the open market in Dijon.
Dijon
So much to see and do in Dijon. The Tourist Office is a great place to start. The Owl's Path booklet and self-guided walking tour is a great way to see the sites of the city at your own pace. We love spening some time visiting and then stopping for a coffee or a Kir when we want - then starting up the walking tour when we want. The Segway tour of the city is also lots of fun! One of the must see things in Dijon is their open market which takes place throughout the city center - on Tuesday am, Friday am and all day Saturday. It is a great view of life for the people of Dijon and a wonderful way to see, taste and buy some wonderful products.
Beaune
Beaune is the capital of Burgund wines and home of the Hospices de Beaune.We don't have the words to say how amazing the museum of the Hospices is to see; a fantastic site steeped in history of the wines of Burgundy with fascinating medical and religious history as well. But the architecture of the site is unforgetable. Make sure you have film in your camera or room on your memory card!
There are many wineries that offer (free or for a fee) wine tastings in Beaune. There are also great restaurants and great shopping.
Nuits St Georges
Although a small town (population approximately 5,500 people), Nuits St Georges has everything you need to relax in Burgundy. There are many great restaurants, cafés and wineries to visit. There are also unique sites to visit like the Cassisum, Fruirouge and Imaginarium to discover the cassis products of Burgundy and the sparkling wine production or crémant de Bourgogne.
Cultural visits
Northern Burgundy is a great destination to see some amazing cultural and historic sites:
* Vezelay * Fontenay * Chateauneuf en Auxois
Big city visits
With easy train transferts from Nuits St Georges to Dijon or Beaune, you can then make train connections for a day trip to Paris, Disneyland Paris, Lyon, Lille or other destinations.
Simple village life
On a nice day in our village, you will see some neighbors going for a stroll down to the forest near our home - this is one of the French's secrets for staying thin - go for a nice walk after a big meal! The round trip walk of about 30 minutes goes on the boarder of the forest, 2 ponds and then completely around a third pond where there are often villagers fishing when the season is open.
From spring to fall there are also many festivals or artisan fairs between Dijon and Beaune. If you are intersted in this type of activity just let us know and we will happily send a calendar of events to you.
Where to eat
When you check in to your home away from home in Burgundy you will find a list of some of our favorite spots to eat and shop in the region.
Please let us know if you have any special requests or need specific assistance in any matter.
A bientôt!