More than mustard ... the characteristic roof tiles of Dijon, on the 17th-century Hotel de Vogue.Credit: Getty Images
Louise Southerden finds the Burgundian capital has all the style of Paris without the big-city attitude.
There's more to Dijon than mustard. About ninety minutes by the high-speed TGV rail service from Gare de Lyon, Paris's little sister is just as chic as the capital, without the big-city vibe. Rue de la Liberte is Dijon's Champs-Elysees shopping street, there's a mini Arc de Triomphe, there's even a bike rental scheme called Velodi, a kissing cousin of the original Parisian version, Velib.
But Dijon has its own delights, too. As the capital of Burgundy, it's surrounded by some of the most highly prized vineyards in the world. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the Duchy of Burgundy was more powerful than the kingdom of France (Burgundy became part of France in 1477) and today Dijon remains one of the best-preserved cities in France with 100 hectares of historical monuments, mediaeval turrets, stained-glass windows and gargoyles.
It's also superbly people-friendly, as only a European city can be. Rue de la Liberation is for pedestrians and buses (cars are allowed only after 9pm and there are plans to phase out buses, too) and Place de la Liberation, which was a car park until 2005, is now a lively plaza. All museums are free. And a €400 million-€450 million tramway project, which will have 20 kilometres of track and 37 stations, is under way to serve the city's 250,000 residents and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Vive la difference.
8am
If the sun is out, start the day at O'Bareuzai cafe and tea room. Its name comes from bas rosé, the "red stockings" of winegrowers after crushing grapes with their feet, and its outside tables are in Place Francois Rude, named for the Dijon-born sculptor whose best-known piece, La Marseillaise, graces the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Or pick up an owl, the symbol of Dijon, made of gingerbread (pain d'epices) at nearby La Rose de Vergy.
O'Bareuzai Cafe and Tea Room, at 3 Place Francois Rude, has a breakfast special for €7; phone +33 (0)3 8023 5734. La Rose de Vergy is at 1 Rue de la Chouette; see rosedevergy.com.
10am
From Place Francois Rude, it's a short walk to the nearest Velodi station at Place Grangier. There will be 19 kilometres of cycle paths alongside the new tramway when it opens in 2013 but the streets are already bike-friendly and Velodi bikes are for tourists and locals (although the website is in French only). The first 30 minutes of any journey is free, and the bikes are comfortable and lightweight, with adjustable seats, automatic lights for night-riding and a rack (for your shopping ride along Rue de la Liberte).
Use your mobile phone (wap.velodi.fr) or internet (velodi.net) to get a Velodi ID number and PIN. A seven-day subscription costs €1, plus €0.50 for every half-hour (or €1 every half-hour if you use the bike for more than two hours); annual subscriptions cost €24.
Noon
There's no such thing as "just a sandwich" in Dijon, so allow plenty of time for a leisurely lunch, perhaps at L'Autre Entree, just five minutes from the city centre. Like Dijon itself, it's a seamless blend of old and new, an ultra-modern restaurant and wine bar occupying the ground floor of a 15th-century hotel. Try Burgundian snails (€8), Le Burger de L'Autre Entree (€15) and a creme brulee (€7) with a cocktail (gin, blackcurrant cassis and tonic) or a glass of premier cru red or white wine.
L'Autre Entree, at 19 Rue Berbisey, is open Tues-Sat; lautreentree.com. Dijon's annual International Gastronomy Fair is held in November; see foirededijon.com.
2pm
Walk off lunch with a stroll up Rue de la Liberte whose shops are a reflection of the fact that les Dijonnais pride themselves on being "bobo", classy but cool "bourgeois bohemians". At the top of the street is Place Darcy and Dijon's Arc de Triomphe, Porte Guillaume. Self-guided walking tours of the city start here, outside the tourism information centre, and follow the Parcours de la Chouette (Owl's Trail), a 22-stop hopscotch of bronze plaques (bearing owls), which takes about an hour to walk. Allow more time for stops at chocolatiers, patisseries and mustard shops such as Boutique Maille (32 Rue de la Liberte).
An English-language map/booklet of the Owl's Trail costs €3.50. There are also walking tours with English-speaking guides; these start at the tourist office, 11 Rue des Forges, at 11am and 3pm (year-round), 5pm (May-October) and 9.30pm (July and August), and cost €6, €9 a couple; see visitdijon.com.
3pm
Every major city in France has a Notre Dame. Dijon's, built between 1230 and 1250, has an elaborate limestone facade guarded by 57 gargoyles, representing various vices - a reminder to leave your vices at the door before entering to pray. Inside, there's a wooden Virgin Mary from the 11th century, one of the oldest in France. Outside, around the side of the church, you'll see a small stone owl at about head height. Touch it with your left hand (the hand closest to your heart), as people have been doing for centuries, for good luck; students from the University of Burgundy in Dijon often come to wish for success in exams.
4pm
The Duchy of Burgundy was led by four successive dukes: Philip the Bold, John the Fearless, Philip the Good and Charles the Bold. Philip the Good, who ruled from 1419 to 1467, had a major influence on Dijon; he captured Joan of Arc and turned her over to the English. He also made Burgundy a leading centre for the arts and rebuilt the duchal palace (Palais des Ducs, off Place de la Liberation). You can climb the 316 stairs to the 46-metre tower he added for views of colourful tiled rooftops (a trademark of Burgundy), crooked mediaeval streets, monastic buildings and, beyond the city, vineyards, forests and villages. Since 1799, the palace has been a fine arts museum, Musee des Beaux-Arts. One of the oldest and most beautiful museums in France, it is currently being restored, though it remains open to the public.
Tour Philippe Le Bon is open daily in summer 9am-noon and 1.45pm-5.30pm. There are regular guided tours and entry costs €2.30. Musee des Beaux Arts is open daily, except Tuesdays and public holidays, 9.30am-6pm (May-Oct) and 10am-5pm (Nov-Apr). Entry is free, audio guides in English cost €4, guided tours cost €6; see mba.dijon.fr.
5pm
A short stroll from the palace and the museum is Les Halles, Dijon's main covered marketplace, which was designed by Gustave Eiffel. He was born in Dijon in 1832 and also created the framework inside the Statue of Liberty, a gift to the US from the people of France in 1886, before his piece de resistance, the Eiffel Tower, in 1889. Spend an afternoon perusing stalls of local delights such as jambon persille (ham terrine with parsley), volaille de Bresse (chicken from Bresse) and escargots.
Market days are Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday mornings.
6pm
After a day of sightseeing, relax with a kir, served at virtually every bar and cafe in Dijon. This typically Burgundian aperitif is made from creme de cassis (blackcurrant syrup) and aligote (a Burgundian white wine) and was named after a former mayor of Dijon, Catholic priest and World War II resistance fighter, Canon Felix Kir. For dinner, the Hotel du Nord, centrally located at Place Darcy, has a three-course menu bourguignon featuring specialties such as oeufs en meurettes (poached eggs in red wine sauce) or half-a-dozen escargots, coq au vin or boeuf bourguignon (beef braised with red wine), and gingerbread ice-cream or crepes a la creme de cassis (blackcurrant crepes).
Hotel du Nord, Place Darcy, has a Burgundian set menu for €25.50 (€29 with cheeses) and a degustation menu for €40; see hotel-nord.fr.
9pm
After dinner, cross the street to one of Dijon's classic cinemas, Le Darcy, to catch a movie starring Gerard Depardieu - it's not unlikely, considering he has made more than 100 films, including seven last year. Cyrano de Bergerac - the film that earned him an Academy Award nomination - was filmed in Dijon. Where better to see such a legend of French cinema acting in his native language, without the safety net of subtitles?
Cinema Le Darcy, 8 Place Darcy, opens about 2pm, last session about 10pm. Tickets €7,50; see allocine.fr.
Midnight
Sidestep generic Irish pubs such as Le Brighton (33 Rue Auguste Comte) and Le Kilkenny (1 Rue Auguste-Perdrix) and head, instead, to Place de la Republique, north of Place de la Liberation, for a club-crawl. There's Le Chat Noir for electronic music from house to hip-hop; Atmosphere, which is popular with expat students, has a pool room as well as a dance floor, and is open until 6am; and the classy Le Cercle Jamaique, open until 4am. You could stay up all night and sleep off your hangover on the 6.20am TGV back to Paris. By 8am you'll be breakfasting on baguettes and sipping un espresso by the Seine.
Le Chat Noir is at 20 Ave Garibaldi (near Place de la Republique); lechatnoir.fr. Atmosphere Internationale is at 7 Rue Audra; phone +33 (0)3 8030 5203. Le Cercle Jamaique is at 14 Place de la Republique; see lecerclejamaique.com. See spectacles-publications.com or download the free Spectacles a Dijon app (in French), see itunes.apple.com.
Louise Southerden travelled courtesy of UTracks, Rail Europe and Thai Airways.
FAST FACTS
Getting there
Thai Airways has a fare to Paris for about $2420 low-season return from Sydney and Melbourne including tax. You fly to Bangkok (about 9hr), then Paris (13hr). The TGV runs from Paris Gare de Lyon to Dijon (1hr 40min). One-way train tickets cost from $27 (second class). Rail Europe's France Rail Pass can be used for three to nine days of travel within one month, from $247 (second-class) or $306 (first-class) for a three-day pass, plus a $10 booking fee. See raileurope.com.au.
Staying there
Hotel Philippe le Bon, 18 Rue Sainte-Anne, in the centre of Dijon, has 32 rooms, from €88 ($116) a night, as well as a gourmet restaurant, Les Oenophiles ("wine lover"). See hotelphilippelebon.com.
Touring there
UTracks has several guided and self-guided trips through Burgundy, including an eight-day Taste of Burgundy bike tour that begins and ends in Dijon, with accommodation on a private barge built for French canals, from $1490 a person. See utracks.com.
More information
See visitdijon.com, bourgogne-tourisme.com, utracks.com.
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