TRAVEL IDEA 2: BURGUNGY,France
 |
GETTING THERE Dijon’s airport is 6 km (4 miles) south of the city with international connections from Paris.. The TGV from Paris stops at Montbard. GETTING AROUND Apart from travelling by canal, the main towns in the region are linked by bus. Car hire is available in larger towns for day trips. Excursions are often provided with cruise packages. WEATHER In November, the average temperature is 9°C and it can become quite cold in the evenings. ACCOMMODATION Crewed B&B and gîtes barges available on per week basis. Smaller canal boats are available for self-drive holidays, with no licence needed,. Charters, including meals and often excursions, “Hotel Canal Barges” take up to 20 passengers See www.holidaysafloat.co.uk for the above. EATING OUT Dijon vies with Lyon for the title of gastronomic capital of France. Le Pré aux Clercs in Dijon is about as good as it gets,
FURTHER INFORMATION www.burgundy-canal.com |
CANAL DIARY
Look out for local harvest festivals – November sees Dijon put on its annual International Gastronomic Fair at the Palais des Expositions and Beaune its Charity Wine Auction. Some smaller museums and châteaux may be closed for the season and Dijon’s museums are closed on Tuesdays. One Week on the Waterways Arrive in Dijon and travel up to Sens to start your cruise. But first explore this ancient town, centred around St Etienne, the oldest of France’s great Gothic cathedrals. Its treasury, one of the largest in the country, is part of the Museum of Fine Arts.
Start your cruise gently, Tonnerre makes a pleasant stop, with good shops, cafés and restaurants. A curiosity that visitors is Fosse Dionne, a mystic spring. Tonnerre’s Hôtel-Dieu was founded in 1293. This is one of the few places that you will see vineyards beside the canal. Montbard lies half way along the canal and it provides a hopping off point for several fine sites in the vicinity: the Renaissance Château d’Ancy-le-Franc (closes mid November), the beautiful Romanesque Basilique Ste Madeleine Vézelay and Abbaye de Fontenay, the oldest surviving Cistercian foundation in France. Hire a car to see them all in a day.
Travel down to Beaune, (https://www.musement.com/us/beaune/) the wine capital of Burgundy, to visit the wine museum in the 16th-century Hôtel des Ducs de Bourgogne and the beautiful Hôtel Dieu, for the annual charity wine auction each November. Dijon is a high spot of the journey and needs time to explore. Start by looking down on the medieval town From the top of the Philippe le Bon Tower. Visit Gustave Eiffel’s covered market and lunch in the Bistrot des Halles. Shops along Rue de la Liberté include the Maille mustard store at no. 32 and the antiques quarter lies behind Notre Dame.
Dos and Don’ts Hire a Segway (2-wheeled personal transporter) from the main tourist office in Dijon – a fun way to get around. Don’t drink and drive; always have a designated driver when going on wine tours. Do buy some of the famous Dijon mustard when in the town, it makes a great gift. |
AUTUMNAL RIVER CRUISE
RIMMING WITH GOOD FOOD AND PINE WINE, Burgundy is the heartiest region of France. In November the hunting season is underway, mushrooms are being gathered and the grape harvest is being celebrated among the renowned Côte d’Or vineyards – it’s a good time for a remarkable Journey. The way to travel is by canal boat or barge, unhurried transports along the 242-km (150-mile) Canal de Bourgogne, the Burgundy Canal. This waterway cuts through the heart of the countryside allowing you to sample its bountiful delights as you go-from picnics to gourmet meals Whether you choose to splash out on a traditional barge with a crew, perhaps with full gourmet dining, or potter alone in a small pleasure craft, you can dictate your own pace, gliding…
 |
Step off the barge to admire the villages, and appreciate their cafés, stretch your legs in the autumnal countryside, hire a bike for half a day or try your hand at fishing – licenses are easily obtainable from local stores. Not far from the canal are châteaux that show just how rich Burgundy once was: it once ruled the continent from the Netherlands to Provence and its hefty ed wine was drunk in all the royal courts of Europe. There are number of fine churches and abbeys, too, as this was the heartland of the Cistercian order.
Dijon, the region’s capital, lies at the southern end of the canal – its famous mustard is made with the juice of unripe grapes. Among other delights of the table you will find hearty boeuf bourguignon from Charolais cattle, coq au vin from Bresse chicken fed on maize and whey, escargots à la bourguignonne, and wild mushrooms, newly gathered. As for the wines – Chablis, Côtes de Nuits and Côtes de Beaune – they are all divine. The annual charity wine auction in the medieval jewel, the Hôtel Dieu in Beaune with its multi-coloured glazed roof tiles, gives you a great opportunity to sample the delights of your winning bid in a perfect Burgundian setting.
