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Top Things to do in Burgundy

For our first wedding anniversary the Englishman and I decided there would be no better place to celebrate than in France.  We had both been to Paris before, so we decided to check out some other regions in France and our first stop was Burgundy, which is about 3 hours southeast of Paris, right in the middle of France. And while I am no expert on the region at all, here some top things to do in Burgundy.

nuits st georges wineBurgundy consists of three provinces with one of them being Cote-d-‘Or which is where we spent our time.  We stayed in the small town of Nuits St. Georges, which was about 22 miles south of Dijon and 15 miles north of Beaune.  Nuits St. Georges was great because it was right in the middle of everything, and was a small enough town to navigate quite easily by foot.  I highly recommend staying in Nuits St. Georges for a few nights if you find yourself in Burgundy.

les halles market dijonAnother must do is visit the Les Halles Market in Dijon.  It’s a large covered market that has food stalls selling everything from fresh produce to meat and cheese.  The Englishman and I had a kitchen in our place in Nuits St. Georges, so we took advantage of all the fresh food at our disposal in the market.  This was also the place where I bought the best goat cheese of my life (no joke) and proceeded to eat it with everything over the course of two days.  Dijon is also known for their mustard, so be sure to stock up on a few jars when you are in the city.

dijon mustardThe small town of Beaune is home to numerous wineries and the famous Hospices de Beaune.  To be honest, the Englishman and I weren’t sure if we would like the hospices, but they ended up being really interesting and the architecture was amazing.  My only regret is not taking more pictures.

BeauneCourtyardBeaune also hosts a weekend farmer’s market, and we spent a Saturday afternoon sampling some food before settling in for a picnic in one of their many gardens with baguettes and fruit.  It’s a perfect way to spend an afternoon in my opinion.

When you visit France, it’s pretty much a requirement that you hit up a boulangerie or two.  The French are definitely not afraid of carbs, and the croissants melt in your mouth like butter.  I was only able to indulge in boulangerie fun for one day before my stomach got other ideas, but having a freshly baked croissant was SO worth it.

boulangerieOf course, you can’t come to Burgundy and not go wine tasting.  Admittedly we didn’t get to taste as much wine as we would’ve liked (but made up for it in Epernay) largely due to the fact that many of the tasting rooms require that you purchase a bottle with your tasting, which is quite different than in the US.  The key is to look for the degustation rooms, where tastings are often complimentary, albeit the pours are pretty small.  Our favorite winery by far was Dufouler Pere & Fils in Nuits St. Georges.  The people who worked there were lovely and the wine was affordable and quite good!

wine tasting nuits st georgesIf you get a chance, bike through a vineyard or spend time hiking in some of the nearby hills.  We unfortunately ran out of time so we didn’t get to do either of these activities, but the countryside is so lovely that you need to take advantage!

Next up: Epernay.