Beaune. Once the capital of a duchy, no less powerful than medieval France, Beaune is very picturesque and somewhat reminiscent of Bruges. The tastes of the Burgundian duke, who owned a significant part of Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg, likely played an important role in its construction.
The old part is surrounded by a powerful wall from the 15th century, inside which are palaces, including the remnants of the ducal palace, ancient streets, churches, bell towers, a market… The most vivid impression of Beaune will be the Hospices, built in the 15th century, which is hardly surpassed in its splendor by Versailles. It was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Philip the Good. This well-preserved striking building with a roof of multicolored tiles is one of the few surviving examples of 15th-century ‘civil’ architecture. Between 1443 and 1451, a polyptych on the theme of the Last Judgment was painted for the Great Hall by Rogier van der Weyden – one of his best works. The Hospices remains the main attraction of the city today.
Beaune is the capital of Burgundy wines. They are stored in cellars that are world-renowned. But, of course, not only in cellars; you can enjoy delicious food, taste, and drink wine everywhere here… And you will never believe how cheap a glass of wonderful Burgundy wine is in a café on the picturesque medieval Burgundy square of Beaune!
Famous Burgundy wines. From the south-southwest to the north-northeast, a national road stretches for about 100 km, with famous wineries on both sides. The higher the plot is located on the slopes from the road, the higher the grade of the wine produced. The southern part of the wine road is primarily white wines, while the northern part is red. Here you will find cellars from the 13th to 15th centuries in the Château de Meursault, and more, wine tastings in estates and small mansions – Montrachet, Pommard, Chambolle, Echezeaux, Corton, Fixin… Two major cities, two capitals of Burgundy mark the boundaries of this road – Dijon and Beaune. There is so much along this route! There are ancient castles, excellent restaurants, charming hotels, abbeys… The picturesque vineyards, the taste of the wine, the beauty of the interiors, ancient cities, and landscapes make this road unique, unmatched by any other wine region in France in terms of these factors combined.
Burgundy wine regions. In principle, there are 6 wine regions in Burgundy: Chablis (in the north of Burgundy, near Auxerre), the road of famous wines (Beaune-Dijon), which includes the wines of Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, the wines of Mâcon and the wines of Chalon (the last two regions are a continuation of the wine road to the south), and the wines of Beaujolais complete the southern direction of Burgundy wines. To see all six regions, you need at least a week. We recommend starting with the main one – the wine road between Beaune and Dijon.
