parisinspring

Hello!<BR><BR>We are traveling to Beaune (Burgundy area) at the end of this month - we will be there for 1 1/2 days. I've checked out their main website - not a lot of info. Has anyone been there? can you recommend things to see or do?

mattsigel

I covered Beaune as a reporter for Let's Go France in 1999 and remember it as a charming old town with nothing to do but drink wine. (ok, or go to a wine museum.)<BR><BR>If you have a car you might consider one of the vineyards north or south of the town, but in that case as well the &quot;activities&quot; remain the same.<BR><BR>To the north the Chateau de Gevrey-Chambertin or the Chateau du Clos de Vougeot are good choices for chateau browsing-cum-wine tasting. By that point you're only 10 miles or so south of Dijon--don't know if you're heading there anyway. <BR><BR>To the south of Beaune (15 minutes by car maybe) is the Chateau de Rocheport which is like a fairy tale castle--pointed turrets, drawbridge, etc--but no wine. <BR><BR>If you're going to stay in Beaune, drink a lot and then eat moules frites at Les Marinieres would be my suggestion.<BR><BR>Have fun.

andy

parisinspring-<BR><BR>Make sure you do NOT MISS the Hospice in Beaune--with all the mosaic tile- It is a fabulous tour and something the city is well known for--<BR><BR>Neat winding downtown--found a fabulous pasamentrie (sp) store filled with different trimmings ( for the home) than we can find here in the states--ie. a man and woman-french peasants-as armoire pulls-- made out of natural beige cotton...VERY different....<BR><BR>Here are some sights:<BR><BR>15th-century charity hospital (H�tel-Dieu; colorful tile roof, well-known polyptch entitled The Last Judgment); Burgundy Wine Museum <BR><BR>Ducal palace (houses renowned Museum of Fine Arts with its European paintings and remarkable tombs) and Philippe le Bon tower <BR>Other museums dedicated to art, archeology, regional history, and Dijon mustard <BR>Gothic Saint-B�nigne Cathedral and other churches <BR>Medieval and Renaissance architecture <BR><BR>Make sure you try these local specialties :<BR><BR>cheeses: citeaux; and �poisse, which is marinated in the local brandy, called Marc .It is to die for cheese and almost inpossible to find in the US unless you live in a MAJOR city- My hubs fell in love with it!<BR>liqueur: cr�me de cassis, a liqueur flavored with black currant.<BR><BR> <BR><BR>Try dinner at this restaurant:<BR>Relais de la Madeleine<BR><BR>And see if you can do wine tasting at the March� aux Vins.<BR><BR>Have a fabulous time- Beaune is a neat little town---but the best part is the wineries in the surrounding area...

MGB

There is also the &quot;Marche aux Vins&quot;, in town, you pay a fee and go through their wine caves and try about 15 different wines with the wine tasting cup they provide along with spitting barrels if you do not like it. (Take crackers with you!!!)

Gregg_G

pis:<BR>Below are a couple of threads from past similar questions. If you type in &quot;Beaune&quot; into the search field you will get a lot of hits. My one rec in Beaune is eat at Ma Cuisine for great affordable food and a tremendous wine list.<BR> http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&amp;tid=1390595<BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&amp;tid=1404716<BR><BR>BTW: MGB-the practice of spitting wine is for those who enjoy tasting wine but would prefer not to digest it. This obviously increases your ability to taste more wine. Due to its acidic level, excessive wine drinking can lead to GI problems. The added problem of ETOH is also an issue. The fine art of spitting is something many enophiles aspire towards. <BR>

HoneyBrown

You absolutely have to try the best restaurant in the region- Ma Cuisine. Had one of the best meals of my life there and one of the best times. Not expensive either and their wine list is outrageous!<BR>Ma Cuisine Passage Sainte-H&eacute;l&egrave;ne 2120 Beaune France Tel. +33 380 223 022 Fax. +33 380 249 979 ...