Satisfaction for nearly every appetite awaits in Burgundy.
Food? The aristocratic city of Dijon showcases the region’s bounty.
Drink? The Burgundy wine route, granted UNESCO status in 2015, winds through some of France’s most storied vineyards.
Art? France’s second-largest fine arts museum is in Dijon.
Shopping? Markets, antiques, and small boutiques reward a slow browse.
History is where Burgundy quietly excels. Medieval towns, abbeys, and fortified villages remain remarkably intact — grounded in place and proportion rather than theatrical restoration.
This 3 day Burgundy itinerary leans into that strength It balances city time with short, purposeful excursions and pairs Dijon and Beaune with some of the region’s most compelling monastic and medieval sites.
How To Spend 3 Days In Burgundy
Day 1: Dijon — Wine, Stone, and a Very Full Stomach
Dijon is a wine-soaked capital to die for. Not literally, but your head may be spinning a bit by the end of the day.
Set amid Burgundy’s vineyards, the entire medieval core is a UNESCO site, and the city’s relationship with food and drink is unapologetically serious.
Wine shops, cellars, and tasting rooms are everywhere. Many are tucked into half-timbered buildings that look purpose built for prolonged contemplation of a glass.
First Bearings: Place Darcy to Notre-Dame
If you’re arriving by train, start at Place Darcy, a convenient orientation point just outside the old town.
The Porte Guillaume, Dijon’s neoclassical triumphal arch, marks the entrance to Rue de la Liberté, the city’s pedestrianized spine.
From here, it’s an easy walk to Notre-Dame of Dijon, the city’s oldest church and a compact, confident example of Burgundian Gothic.
No sprawl, no excess, and no wasted gestures. Just a tight, self-assured facade and free entry outside service hours.
Before going inside, look up.
Notre-Dame’s gargoyles are one of its quirks: dragons, monsters, and human faces jutting from the facade.
And yes, this is where you’ll find Dijon’s famous owl, embedded in the stone. Tradition says rubbing it with your left hand brings good luck.
I obliged. It seemed unwise not to.
The Owl Trail
Dijon’s Owl Trail (Parcours de la Chouette) is a self-guided walking route linking the city’s main historic sights.
It’s marked by small bronze owls set into the pavement. It’s useful for first-time visitors who want a framework without committing to a formal tour.
Think of it less as a checklist and more as a loose guide you can dip in and out of. Pick up a map at the tourist office and use it as needed.
Lunch, Mustard, and Market Logic
Les Halles, Dijon’s covered market, is the obvious next stop.
Designed by Gustave Eiffel, it’s a cathedral-like sweep of iron and glass filled with produce stalls, cured meats, baguettes, and an impressive number of unapologetically smelly cheeses.
It’s the best place to assemble a picnic if you’re so inclined.
Nearby, Maison Maille offers the city’s most famous mustard tastings — from classic Dijon to more adventurous blends. The truffle mustard has a way of converting skeptics quickly.
Art, Dukes, and a View from Above
Spend the afternoon at the Musée des Beaux-Arts, housed in the former ducal palace. It’s one of France’s oldest museums and, after the Louvre, the second largest — and remarkably, completely free.
Start by climbing the 316 stone steps of the Tour Philippe le Bon for panoramic views over the city (no elevator, no mercy).
Inside, the collection skews heavily medieval. The ducal tombs of Philip the Bold and John the Fearless are the undisputed highlights — masterpieces of late Gothic sculpture that reward close looking.
Finish the day wandering Dijon’s medieval streets — Rue Verrerie, Rue Chaudronnerie, Rue Jeannin — a reminder that much of the city survived WWII intact, and still reads beautifully at street level.
You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to dining in Dijon. Just be sure to make reservations. Check out these options:
- Bistingo by le Petit Roi (French dishes with a modern twist)
- Dr. Wine (beautiful garden in back)
- CIBO (modern, fresh French cuisine)
- Pourquoi Pas (upscale bistro in a vaulted cellar)
- William Frachot (upscale Michelin)
There are also some experiences you may want to book in advance:
- 2 hour private walking tour
- wine master class with a sommelier
- wine and cheese tasting experience
- winery tour with lunch
Day 2: Beaune
Getting Oriented: Squares, Streets, and Walls
Start in Place Carnot, Beaune’s inviting main square, where cafes and shops blur the line between locals and visitors.
From here, streets radiate outward toward the city’s ramparts, moats, and surviving watchtowers. Reminders that this peaceful wine region has been fought over since Gallo-Roman times.
A short walk away, Place de la Halle sits in the heart of the old town, opposite the Hôtel-Dieu.
On Saturdays, the square and its surrounding lanes fill with a lively market selling produce, cheese, charcuterie, bread, and Burgundian specialties.
The Hôtel-Dieu: Don’t Stop at the Roof
Beaune’s star attraction is the Hôtel-Dieu. It’s a 15th century charitable hospital instantly recognizable by its riot of multicolored glazed tiles. But the exterior is only half the story.
Inside, the complex unfolds around a central courtyard with arcaded galleries and slender columns, while the Great Hall’s long nave still conveys the building’s original purpose.
Make a beeline for Rogier van der Weyden’s Last Judgment altarpiece, completed in 1450. It’s a monumental Northern Renaissance work that anchors the visit with moral gravity and stillness.
Churches and Cellars
A few minutes away, the Basilique Notre-Dame offers a calmer counterpoint. Its Romanesque core is masked by a broad 14th-century porch that all but invites you inside.
Though much of the sculptural decoration was lost during the French Revolution, the carved wooden doors and surviving interior details reward a slow look.
Nearby, the Musée du Vin, housed in atmospheric vaulted cellars, traces the tools and traditions of French winemaking. The space itself — cool, dim, and subterranean — is as much the exhibit as the objects.
Wine, Inevitably
And then there’s the wine. Beaune makes no attempt to hide its priorities.
Tasting rooms and wine merchants line the streets, many set in 17th and 18th century cellars. Experiences range from casual walk-ins to structured tastings, with prices to match.
Le Cellier de la Cabiote offers a particularly good introduction.
Historic houses like Maison Champy and Maison Joseph Drouhin add layers of history beneath your feet. Their medieval and early modern cellars form a subterranean map of the city itself.
Many wineries have daily tastings. Book early, though, as slots fill up fSTA.
>>> Click here to book a guided Champy cellar tour and tasting
When dinner calls, Beaune is loaded with great restaurants.
I was staying just 10 miles away, so was in Beaune frequently for meals. You’ll need reservations if it’s not winter.
Here are some of the ones I really liked most:
- Le Comptoir des Tontons Restaurant Cave à Vin
- Ma Cuisine
- Le Bistro de L’Hôtel
- Le Benaton
Day 3: Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, Châteauneuf-en-Auxois & Fontenay Abbey Option
Pick up a car for the day or start early if you’re already driving. Head into the Auxois region for a taste of village life.
You destinations are two of France’s les plus beaux villages: Flavigny-sur-Ozerain and Chateauneuf-en Auxois. If you are very efficient, you can also add in the UNESCO-listed Fontenay Abbey.
If it feels like too much, skip one. If you’re all in for a big day, here’s the most efficient way to visit them: Fontenay Abbey → Flavigny (20 minutes)→ Châteauneuf-en-Auxois (35 minutes)
Fontenay Abbey
The UNESCO-listed Fontenay Abbey dates to the early 12th century and was founded under the influence of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. But what matters more than the name or the date is how intact it remains.
This is one of the rare medieval monasteries that never drifted into reinvention. No Baroque gloss. No Romantic patchwork. No later centuries trying to improve on the original idea.
The abbey still reads exactly as the Cistercians intended. Pale stone, strict geometry, and a near total rejection of ornament create an atmosphere that feels disciplined rather than bleak.
The core of the abbey remains fully legible. The church, cloister, chapter house, dormitory, and even the forge still sit in clear relationship to one another.
You can how monastic life functioned on a daily level and how rigorously belief was translated into architecture.
Nothing here is decorative for its own sake. Every space exists to serve a purpose.
Yet for all its severity, Fontenay never feels harsh. The proportions are measured, the repetition calming, the effect quietly meditative rather than austere.
>>> Click here to pre-book a ticket
Flavigny-sur-Ozerain
Just twenty minutes beyond Fontenay sits Flavigny-sur-Ozerain.
It’s a genuinely beautiful les plus beaux villages town wrapped around the remains of a Benedictine abbey — and anchored by a remarkably intact Carolingian crypt.
It’s small, quiet, and immediately appealing, the kind of place that rewards aimless wandering without an agenda. The rustic village itself feels lived-in rather than curated.
Stone houses cluster tightly along narrow streets, softened by flowers and worn doorways.
The setting is unmistakably rural, even if you recognize it from Chocolat. Any cinematic associations fade quickly once you start walking.
What survives of the abbey is layered rather than monumental.
Much of the complex was rebuilt in the 18th century, and today it houses the Anis de Flavigny factory, along with a modest museum and cafe.
It’s an unusual but fitting afterlife for a monastic site. One that connects the town’s past to something still very much in use. And yes, the anise candies are excellent.
Châteauneuf-en-Auxois
Châteauneuf-en-Auxois is small, contained, and unapologetically pretty. You come for the castle, stay for the views, and leave satisfied without needing to block out an entire afternoon.
The village developed around the fortress and very little else, which is still obvious on the ground. Streets are short, views are wide, and the medieval layout reads clearly at a glance.
Officially, it’s listed as one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, though it doesn’t really need the validation. Stone houses, flowers spilling from improbable places, and a hilltop setting do most of the work on their own.
The Château de Châteauneuf-en-Auxois dominates everything, as it was meant to. Built in the 12th century, it once controlled the road between Dijon and Autun. It’s a position that explains both its commanding perch and its no-nonsense demeanor.
Thick walls, massive towers, and a defensive logic that hasn’t been softened by time still define the approach.
Where there were once two fortified gates, you now cross a single drawbridge into a broad inner courtyard. The hierarchy is clear: village below, fortress above.
In the 15th century, the chateau passed to Philippe Pot, a powerful Burgundian noble and adviser to dukes and kings. He introduced a more residential note, adding tall, steep-roofed living quarters punctuated by finely carved dormer windows.
Inside, glazed tile floors survive, polished and worn by centuries of use.
The Great Hall, anchored by a monumental fireplace, still reads as the castle’s ceremonial heart. The chapel also contains a polychrome replica of Philippe Pot’s effigy tomb and exceptional 15th century wall paintings.
Tips For Visiting Burgundy
Where To Base:
Where you base depends on what you prefer. We rented a wine merchant’s stone house set in the vineyards.
It was splendid. We came home at night, wine in hand, and sat out on our deck. And coffee on the deck admiring the vineyards to start the day.
But if you would prefer to stay in Dijon or Beaune just for ease of dinners and whatnot, here are some good hotels to check out:
Dijon: Grand Hotel de la Cloche, Vertigo Hotel, Maison Philippe Le Bon
Beaune: Hôtel Le Cep & SPA Marie de Bourgogne, Cedre Beaune, Maison 1896
Another nice option between these two cities is Chateau Gilly. It’s a 14th century luxury chateau with landscaped gardens set in vineyards.
Driving in Burgundy:
Driving in this region is easy and straightforward. And it gives you flexibility to make as many (or as few) stops as you’d like.
The country roads are narrow especially in the vineyards. And you need to be cautious of cyclists.
In the city, park on the outskirts of town in a public car park.
How To Get To Burgundy:
Burgundy is easy to reach by train via Dijon or Beaune. But a car is the most practical way to explore abbeys, villages, and vineyard detours beyond the cities.
The nearest major airport is Lyon–Saint Exupéry. It’s about 2 hours by car from Dijon or Beaune.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to spending 3 days in Burgundy. You may find these other France travel guides useful:
- Historic abbeys in Burgundy
- Guide to Vezelay Abbey
- Guide To Semur-en-Auxois
- 3 days in Paris itinerary
- 4 days in Paris itinerary
- Hidden gems in France
- One week itineraries for France
- 10 days in southern France itinerary
- One week in Provence itinerary
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