Where to stay in Burgundy: the 3 areas to know in 2026

Our tips for booking the right place

• The Dijon museums are free, and three of our reviews say so separately: This is the most useful measurement in the guide, because it changes a budget. "It is always a pleasure to visit this museum, especially since its renovation a few years ago. Admission is free", writes the first. "Plus, access to the permanent collections is free", confirms the second, who spent "an entire afternoon" there. And the third generalizes, which makes it the most valuable quote of all: "As a bonus, this museum (like all the other museums in Dijon) is free. You only pay to access the temporary exhibitions." Three authors, three wordings, one single fact.
• In Beaune you pay for everything, and the same member puts a price on it and comes away disappointed: The comparison is unintentional and all the sharper for it: the same person visited both cities. In Dijon, she gives 4/5 and 5/5 to six places. In Beaune, she gives 3/5 to three: "Despite a few beautiful Flemish canvases [...] I was a little disappointed by the permanent collections. Compared to other French art museums, I don't feel a visit here is essential"; "While not a must-see, this basilica"; and at the wine museum, "Thanks to numerous explanatory signs, though it lacks an audio guide, I learned a lot [...] I was left a little hungry for more". What she does recommend in Beaune, she recommends wholeheartedly, and with its price.
• $72* for an hour and a half at the Marché aux vins, and our review says it is worth it: This is the only exact price in the whole guide, and it comes with its contents: "Self-guided tours are possible, but I highly recommend the guided tour, which taught me a lot about winemaking, storage, and vintages. Expect to pay €65 (about $70) for about an hour and a half. The price obviously includes the tasting of several exceptional red wines." And the argument that justifies the spend: "I also appreciated that the group was relatively small (fewer than ten people), which allowed me to really enjoy the cellars and the guide". The place is "Right next to the Hospices de Beaune", inside "an old church".
• The Hospices need booking, and it is the only place in the guide that two reviews call compulsory: "If you come to Beaune, you absolutely must visit the hospices. I suggest booking your guided tour in advance because it is always very crowded", writes the first, who adds that "You can do it with children without any issues". The second has been twice: "This is the one site you cannot miss in Beaune! [...] The building is magnificent, particularly its roof with the multicolored glazed tiles", and she lists what waits inside, "the famous Last Judgment polyptych by Rogier van der Weyden", "the Flemish tapestries, as well as the pharmacy". She also mentions packages nobody else brings up: "the starry night, which I loved, featuring telescope observations".
• Both cities claim the same wine route, and that is where the choice is made: "As a bonus, the Route du vignoble de la Côte starts right from Beaune", writes one, about "a town dedicated to epicureans". "wine and oenology lovers who can take advantage of a getaway to Dijon to wander along the famous Route des Grands Crus and discover the prestigious wine villages located there", answers the other, from Dijon. Both are accurate: the Côte runs between the two cities, over some forty kilometres. So the real criterion is not distance, it is what you want to do on the other days, and our reviews answer differently on each side.
• Two warnings our reviews give that nothing else tells you: The first is transport: for Savigny-lès-Beaune Castle and its seven museums, "Unfortunately, the trip is not easy by public transport, so I went by taxi. From the city center of Beaune, the trip takes about ten minutes." The second is a date: at the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame of Beaune, "the interior still houses two notable curiosities, a statue of a Black Madonna and a pretty collection of tapestries depicting the life of Mary. Just a heads up, these tapestries are only accessible from April through the end of the year." Anyone coming in February will miss half of what they came to see.