Must-see attractions in Burgundy

  • Archaeological sites in Bibracte.

    Bibracte

    Burgundy

    For anyone who's ever read an Astérix comic book and wondered how France's Celtic people really lived, Bibracte is a must-see. This hilltop stronghold of…

  • Entrance of Saint Mary Magadalene abbey in Vezelay, France.

    Basilique Ste-Madeleine

    Yonne

    Founded in the AD 880s on a former Roman and Carolingian site, Vézelay's stunning hilltop basilica was rebuilt between the 11th and 13th centuries. On the…

  • Cluny Abbey.

    Église Abbatiale

    Burgundy

    Cluny's vast abbey church, built between 1088 and 1130, once extended from the map table in front of the Palais Jean de Bourbon to the trees near the…

  • Saint-Lazare Cathedral in Autun, France.

    Cathédrale St-Lazare

    Burgundy

    Originally Romanesque, this cathedral was built in the 12th century to house the sacred relics of St Lazarus. Over the main doorway, the famous Romanesque…

  • Musée des Beaux-Arts

    Dijon

    Nearing the end of a nine-year renovation, these sprawling galleries in Dijon's monumental Palais des Ducs are works of art in themselves and constitute…

  • Hôtel-Dieu des Hospices de Beaune

    Beaune

    Built in 1443, this magnificent Gothic hospital (until 1971) is famously topped by stunning turrets and pitched rooftops covered in multicoloured tiles…

  • Pontigny Abbey.

    Abbaye de Pontigny

    Yonne

    Founded in 1114, Abbaye de Pontigny rises from the lush mustard fields 15km north of Chablis. The spectacular abbatiale (abbey church) is one of the last…

  • Saint Germain Abbey in Auxerre.

    Abbaye St-Germain

    Yonne

    This ancient abbey with its dramatic flying buttresses began as a basilica above the tomb of St Germain, the 5th-century bishop who made Auxerre an…

  • Fosse Dionne - the karst spring located in the center of Tonnerre, France.

    Fosse Dionne

    Yonne

    Some 200L of water per second gushes from Fosse Dionne, a natural spring near the centre of Tonnerre that was sacred to the Celts and whose vivid blue…

  • Notre Dame church in Dijon, France.

    Église Notre Dame

    Dijon

    A block north of the Palais des Ducs, this church was built between 1220 and 1240. Its extraordinary façade's three tiers are lined with leering gargoyles…

  • The clock tower in Auxerre, France.

    Tour de l'Horloge

    Yonne

    In the heart of Auxerre's partly medieval commercial precinct, the golden, spire-topped Tour de l'Horloge was built in 1483 as part of the city's…

  • Saint Philibert Abbey in Tournus, France.

    Abbatiale St-Philibert

    Burgundy

    A masterpiece of 10th- to 12th-century Romanesque architecture, this abbey church has a beautiful 12th-century bell tower, along with some superb and…

  • Philip the Good Tower, Dijon, France.

    Tour Philippe le Bon

    Dijon

    Adjacent to the ducal palace, this 46m-high, mid-15th-century tower affords fantastic views over the city. On a clear day you can see all the way to Mont…

  • The castle of Brancion in Burgundy, France.

    Château de Brancion

    Burgundy

    This imposing château, built between the 11th and 14th centuries, looms above the medieval hilltop village of Brancion, 12km west of Tournus. It's a…

  • Musée Rolin

    Burgundy

    Don't miss this superb collection of Gallo-Roman artefacts, 12th-century Romanesque art, 15th-century paintings and modern art including work by Maurice…

  • Rue de la Chouette

    Dijon

    Around the north side of Église Notre Dame, this street is named after the small stone owl (chouette) carved into the exterior corner of the chapel…

  • La Fabrique de Pain d'Épices

    Dijon

    Around the time of the French Revolution, Mulot & Petitjean founded one of several bakeries making Dijon's famous pain d'épices (gingerbread). Nine…

  • Chantier Médiéval de Guédelon

    Yonne

    At this unique medieval building site, a team of skilled artisans, aided by archaeologists, has been diligently working since 1997 to build a fortified…

  • Château d'Ancy-le-Franc

    Yonne

    The Italian Renaissance makes a cameo appearance at this imposing château, built in the 1540s by celebrated Italian architect Serlio. The richly painted…

  • Le Château de Bazoches

    Yonne

    Le Château de Bazoches sits magnificently on a hillside with views to Vézelay, 12km to the north. Built in the 13th century and visited by royalty…

  • Haras National

    Burgundy

    Founded by Napoléon in 1806, the Haras National houses some of France's finest thoroughbreds, ponies and draught horses. A regular schedule of afternoon…

  • Cathédrale St-Étienne

    Yonne

    This vast Gothic cathedral and its stately 68m-high bell tower dominate Auxerre's skyline. The choir, ambulatory and some of the vivid stained-glass…

  • Maison des Climats

    Beaune

    Opened in 2017 to celebrate the two-year anniversary of Unesco's recognition of Burgundy's vineyards as a World Heritage Site, this free interpretive…

  • Museum of Celtic Civilisation

    Burgundy

    Adjacent to the ancient Celtic stronghold of Bibracte, the excellent Museum of Celtic Civilisation is housed in a minimalist modern structure designed by…

  • Musée d'Art et d'Archéologie

    Burgundy

    For an enlightening historical perspective on Cluny and its abbey, start your visit at this archaeological museum inside the Palais Jean de Bourbon…

  • Château de Sully

    Burgundy

    Hidden away in the countryside 15km northeast of Autun, this Renaissance-style château has a beautifully furnished interior and a lovely English-style…

  • Moutarderie Fallot

    Beaune

    In business since 1840, Burgundy's last family-run stone-ground-mustard company offers guided tours through its mustard museum, focusing on mustard's…

  • Château de Tanlay

    Yonne

    Dominating the northern edge of the tranquil riverside village of Tanlay, the elegant French Renaissance-style Château de Tanlay is surrounded by a wide…

  • Musée Zervos

    Yonne

    This fantastic museum in the exquisite townhouse of Nobel Prize–winning pacifist writer Romain Rolland (1866–1944) holds the collection of Christian…

  • Musée Chevalier d'Éon

    Yonne

    Tonnerre's newest attraction is this house-museum, once home to the colourful Chevalier d'Éon, a gender-bending 18th-century diplomat and spy. The…

  • Collégiale St-Lazare

    Yonne

    Eight centuries ago, masses of pilgrims flocked here thanks to a piece of the skull of St Lazarus, believed to provide protection from leprosy. The early…

  • Musée de la Vie Bourguignonne

    Dijon

    Housed in a 17th-century Cistercian convent, this museum explores village and town life in Burgundy in centuries past with evocative tableaux illustrating…

  • Musée Archéologique

    Dijon

    Truly surprising Celtic, Gallo-Roman and Merovingian artefacts are displayed here, including a particularly fine 1st-century AD bronze of the Celtic river…

  • Château de Ratilly

    Yonne

    The elegant 13th-century Château de Ratilly sits in verdant countryside near Treigny. Interior rooms display a collection of pottery by the Pierlot family…

  • Château de Maulnes

    Yonne

    The only château in France built on a pentagonal plan, and buttressed by five towers, the Renaissance-era Château de Maulnes, 24km east of Tonnerre, is a…

  • Fontaines Salées

    Yonne

    Located along the D958, 5km southeast of Vézelay, these ancient saltwater springs served as a salt production site in Neolithic times, then later a Celtic…

  • Musée Colette

    Yonne

    Colette, author of La Maison de Claudine and Gigi, lived till the age of 18 in the tiny town of St-Sauveur-en-Puisaye, 40km southwest of Auxerre. The…

  • Théâtre Romain

    Burgundy

    Let your imagination run wild at this ancient theatre, designed to hold 16,000 people; try picturing the place filled with cheering (or jeering), toga…