Burgundy: Places to Explore

It may be strange to find a textbook example of the Italian Renaissance in Ancy-le-Franc, but in mid-16th-century France the court had taken up this import as the latest rage. So, quick to follow the fashion... Read more

One of the most richly endowed villes d'art in Burgundy, Autun is a great draw for fans of both Gallo-Roman and Romanesque art. It is unfortunate that people don't often think of Autun when creating their... Read more

Auxerre is a beautifully evocative town with three imposing and elegant churches perched above the Yonne River. Its steep, undulating streets are full of massively photogenic, half-timber houses in every... Read more

Beaune is sometimes considered the wine capital of Burgundy, because it is at the heart of the region's vineyards, with the Côte de Nuits to the north and the Côte de Beaune to the south. In... Read more

The pretty village of Chablis nestles amid the towering vineyards that produce its famous white wine on the banks of the River Serein and is protected, perhaps from an ill wind, by the massive, round... Read more

The reason to come to Vougeot is to see its grange viticole (wine-making barn) surrounded by its famous vineyard—a symbolic spot for all Burgundy aficionados.... Read more

The village of Cluny is legendary for its medieval abbey, once the center of a vast Christian empire. Although most of the complex was destroyed in the French Revolution, one soaring transept of this church... Read more

You may never have been to Dijon but you've certainly tasted it. Many of the gastronomic specialties that originated here are known worldwide. They include snails (many now imported from the Czech Republic)... Read more

Wine has been made in Nuits-St-Georges since Roman times; its "dry, tonic, and generous qualities" were recommended to Louis XIV for medicinal use. But this is also the heart of currant country, where... Read more

Saulieu's reputation belies its size: it's renowned for good food (Rabelais, that roly-poly 16th-century man of letters, extolled its gargantuan hospitality) and Christmas trees (a staggering million are... Read more

Sens may be world-famous for its spectacular cathedral but it also has a reputation as a very pretty town. It enjoys a "four-leaf" ranking as a ville fleurie, or floral city. This finds happy and full... Read more

The inhabitants of Troyes would be dismayed if you mistook them for Burgundians. Troyes is the historic capital of the counts of Champagne but is, as the crow—if not the book—flies, some 50... Read more

In the 11th and 12th centuries one of the most important places of pilgrimage in the Christian world, hilltop Vézelay is today a picturesque, somewhat isolated, village. Its one main street, Rue... Read more