Burgundy

Burgundy is considered a travel destination that brings together wooded trails and canals with historic monuments, religious buildings, gastronomy and distinctive wines.

Wine Landscapes and Terroirs

The Burgundian Climats comprise precisely defined vineyard plots on clay-limestone slopes. They stretch for 50 kilometres south of Dijon to Maranges. The Climats form a living wine landscape that expresses centuries-old traditions, diverse terroirs and viticultural knowledge. If you are interested in wine landscapes, you will find a tangible connection here to their spatial layout and long-established traditions.

Riverbanks, Lake and Moor

Besançon’s old town lies in a bend of the Doubs, surrounded by wooded hills and tranquil waterways. The riverbanks are suitable for walking and cycling; users of EuroVélo 6 can also include them in their route. At Bellefontaine, a different landscape takes centre stage: the shallow, high-altitude lake is fed by springs and melting snow and borders Lac des Mortes. A particularly well-protected peat bog with boreo-arctic vegetation and sensitive fauna lies along its shoreline. It is possible to walk around the lake. The two areas therefore have distinct characteristics: in Besançon, the old town, river and riverbanks shape the landscape; at Bellefontaine, the lake, moor and walking trail take centre stage.

Architectural History and Cultural Routes

The Saline Royale in Arc-et-Senans is a UNESCO site. Formerly a saltworks, it was built between 1775 and 1779 to a design by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux. Fontenay Abbey is privately owned, open to visitors as a UNESCO site and protected as a historic monument. The two places offer different historical points of interest: Arc-et-Senans is a former saltworks, while Fontenay is an abbey whose visitor access and protected status go hand in hand.

The Hôtel de Nault de Champagny in Luzy houses 13th-century Aubusson tapestries, which are accessible year-round. The 14th-century Tour des Barons houses a museum devoted to local life. Another cultural theme is the GR 654 pilgrimage route: it connects the UNESCO basilica in Vézelay with the UNESCO priory in La Charité-sur-Loire. These named buildings, the museum and the pilgrimage route offer different ways to include history and culture in your travel plans.

Boat Trips and Cycling

Boat trips can be combined with visits to wine cellars, characterful towns, abbeys and castles, as well as towpaths. On the Louhans–Mâcon route, passengers can disembark and cycle along the river on the Voie Bleue. Options range from a boat trip that can be combined with a variety of visits to a specific named itinerary that offers the possibility of disembarking along the way and cycling.

Discover more destinations: Côte-d'Or, Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire, Yonne.

Discover more destinations: Centre, Lorraine, Poitou-Charentes, Île-de-France.

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