Beaune or Dijon?
 

I'm planing an April trip working my way north through eastern France, and I'm trying to decide whether to spend four nights in Beaune or Dijon. Dijon seems to have more (and cheaper) hotels, more (and better) places to eat, and more to see, plus I'd have to change trains there when I leave. But I won't have a car, and Beaune looks more manageable on foot, and closer to the wineries - I definitely plan some vineyard visits. Any opinions?

There's excellent bus service between the 2 towns. There is more to do in Dijon but it is a larger town. Of the 2 I prefered Beaune for it's villagy feel.

Hi T,

I don;t think that you could do better than staying in Dijon at http://myhomeindijon.com/

Coco is an excellent hostess.

((I))

Any reason why you couldn't spend 2 nights in each town?

I enjoyed Beaune, but I loved Dijon.

<b>Ira</b> - I would like to, but she's out of my price range. I'm looking at Victor Hugo (39 euro), Sauvage (47 for a &quot;style&quot; room) or Jacquemart (48 or 53). Coco would run me 100 euro, and I'm using dollars...

<b>NanBug</b> - I'm trying to take this trip a little slower than usual, and minimize transfers. I'd like to stay in one, and do a day trip to the other. Can you say why you preferred Dijon?

I thought Dijon had much more to to and see. More energy, a more urban vibe (it is a city, after all), lovely buildings, charming streets, great restaurants, nice people. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Have fun!

As mentioned by previous posters, Dijon has much more to offer, more interesting to see; besides without a car, the public transport network in Dijon is much better.

I Stayed at CoCo's place in Dijon for one week in 2007 during train strike, still getting around sightseeing by bus/train easily.

Hi Thurs,

We very much liked the Grillon in Braune.

It is about 15 min walk from the city center.

Singles from 56E plus bkfst.

http://www.hotel-grillon.fr/anglais/home.html

((I))

thursdaysd, I agree with every word NanBug wrote... my recommendation would be Dijon as well. My husband and I spent a weekend there this past June and both wished it could have been longer. We stayed in an apartment managed by Max and Beatrice, dijon-rentahome.com, and loved it (thanks Coco for the recommendation). Max does a fabulous wine tour through Beaune which is worth every penny. The location of the apartment is close to everything. The best part is the washer/dryer and the most comfortable bed imaginable. I hope this helps and enjoy where ever it is you decide, I personally can't wait to go back.

Thanks folks - I've decided on Dijon (although that hotel looks good, ira), but those apartments are out of my price range - I travel solo, apartments tend not to be cost effective for me. I did some research, and Dijon has public transport, so I should be able to get around without too much walking.

Have fun, thurs

Hi thursday and thanks all for your support on Dijon (Hi Judy who had to come from Auxerre by taxi because of the strike!)
Have you checked Thurot hotel not far the train station? http://www.hotel-thurot.com/ from 48 to 54&euro; for a single.
cchottel a good friend fodorite went twice to Dijon and stayed there. Very convenient and the area is not as noisy as the immediate train station area. Also close to Darcy garden.
Don't miss the owl's trail which starts there. (ask the tourist office)
coco

I stayed at the Jacquemart and liked it. Nothing fancy, but clean and atmospheric.

Hi coco - no, that's a hotel I hadn't heard of, thanks. And an owl trail?? Now that's very intriguing - I have a sister who collects owls, I can't pass that up. And thanks for the info on Jacquemart, Cimbrone.

Hotel Thurot doesn't advertise much, I heard of it a few years ago only. I agree with Cimbrone about the Jacquemart but it is much further from the train station (west of the ducal palace).
If your sister likes owls it is the town! The owl is the symbol of Dijon and you'll find nice little owls of all sizes to bring back. As for the owl's trail you'll follow the brass triangles on the floor to see all the nicest sites of Dijon.http://www.dijon-tourism.com/uk/dijo...s_chouette.htm and
http://www.travelsignposts.com/wordp...s-trail-france
Don't forget to make a wish by touching our lucky owl (with the left hand) on the side of Notre Dame church (the one with the gargoyles on the front)
Have fun! :-)

coco - how cool! Now I'm even happier with my decision to stay in Dijon. While my sister collects owls, I collect dragons - do you know if there's a French city I should be visiting for dragons?

Assuming it's OK to link, though I'm sure it will be, as we link to other web resources all the time, here's a link to a very recent discussion asking the same question, on another travel forum I frequent.

http://europetogo.yuku.com/topic/7579

Thanks for the link, kavey - that market sounds fabulous! After checking into the public transport situation, and finding a free shuttle round the center, I sent a reservation request to the Jacquemart, which is really close to that market!

You're welcome!

Kavey thanks for being so enthousiastic about Dijon on the other board, Dijon is so under rated...
T, now you found the free bus &quot;diviaciti&quot; if you need to go rather quickly to the station, you can take it just in front of Notre Dame (wave the driver, say hello when you enter and bye when you leav ;-))
Then leave it near the Triumph arch when it turns left in front of the Hotel du Nord. From there you'll walk about 5 min to the train station.
Also you might find some dragons but I can't remember where exactly (maybe at La Carterie 17 rue du Bourg). I'll try to find out.
Since you like markets, here is a video featuring Ira and others fellow Fodorites, in Dijon market
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDSaNQT-Cho and also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_rNv6TwNNk

I stayed at the Cloche Hotel in Dijon years ago. At the time, it was the best hotel in the city.

Beune is a pretty little town (I had a chocolate croissant there in 1999 and I can still remember how absolutely delicious it was--probably the best croissant I have ever eaten), but I would be bored to tears if I stayed there for 4 nights with no car.

Thin

Coco, I agree, Dijon IS underrated.

I think most visitors fall for the &quot;quaint&quot; attractions of Beaune (and, don't get me wrong, the historical architecture is appealing) but for me, Dijon is far more interesting with it's mix of historical and modern, it's culture, it's bustle... I could see myself living there.

I hope, if you are able, you'll take the opportunity to rent a bike in Beaune and ride through the vineyards of and the surrounding towns of Pommard, etc. This was easily the highlight of my trip to France.

Thank you so much coco - I think I saw that first video when it was originally posted, but I'd forgotten! Dijon looks wonderful - I can't wait!

And what a great market - I was especially taken by the cheese stall - maybe I should have taken a Citadines apartment instead of a hotel and lived on bread and cheese - but I'm already doing that in Grenoble! Talking of food, and bearing in mind that for me 30 euro for two courses with house wine is a bit of a splurge, any places to eat that I shouldn't miss?

FaxMachineAnthem - I have actually forgotten how to ride a bike! I know it's not supposed to be possible, but it is. Maybe I should try again, that's the second suggestion for visiting vineyards on a bike (the other was for Alsace). I was thinking of checking with the TI for a tour, or just taking buses. I'll certainly do a day trip to Beaune and Marche aux Vins!

thursdaysd, I am so glad to read that you decided on Dijon, you will love it! Have fun and safe travels.

Well, Dijon was absolutely the right decision! I spent four nights at the Jacquemart, nothing fancy but fine, and did a day trip to Beaune. While the Hotel de Dieu, is, of course, wonderful, and I had a lovely time tasting at the Marche des Vins, and a peaceful stroll round the ramparts (the bits that weren't private), I was ready to leave earlier than I had planned. Lots of tour groups in the center, and much less interesting architecture than in Dijon.

Dijon was completely dead Easter Sunday and Monday. While that made for better photography and quieter museums, it did make eating a little problematic! I was able to go on a wine tasting tour to Nuits St. Georges my last day. I also did the T.I.'s Wednesday afternoon tour, which was a bit too much of a shopping op. But basically I loved Dijon - so many interesting buildings to admire! Liked the market, too, and didn't make it out to the canal. Turned out that the number 5 bus was better than the free bus for getting to the station, as it went all the way.

BTW, I'm now in Strasbourg, and was completely stunned by the cathedral!

Great thread! I'm moving Dijon up the list of cities to visit!

thursdaysd,

How was the train ride to Strasbourg?

Train ride to Strasbourg:

TGV to Besancon - comfortable, fast and a bit boring - those TGVs go so fast you can't really watch the scenery! About 50 minutes.

TER (regional express) from Besancon to Strasbourg - five ample minutes to change trains in Besancon. Comfortable and a bit (not a lot) slower, arrived maybe five minutes late in a little under three hours. You could change to a TGV at one point, but I didn't see any reason to do that to save 15 minutes. Filled up in Colmar. Quite good scenery, including river and canal.

Sleek tram to the center of town, where it's been raining off and on ever since I arrived....

Hi thursday I'm very happy to see you loved Dijon even when it is so quiet on bank holidays (it was very busy on Friday when I had a walk late afternoon with my Australian guests).

I hope you found a nice little owl for your sister!
BTW what is T.I.'s Wednesday afternoon tour?

Have a nice stay in Strasbourg!

Glad to hear you loved Dijon so much and it was the right decision for you to spend most of your time there and take a shorter trip to Beaune!

coco - I don't have the brochure with me, so I can't give you the exact title, but it was something about flavor or savor. Anyway, it featured stops at mustard and gingerbread shops, as well as the (closed) market. The multilingual guide was good (although I think if you only understood English you might feel left out, her French was clear and slow enough I could follow it pretty well), but I thought we spent too long letting people shop, when they could have come back to do that.

BTW, I had a very good meal at the Bistro les Halles, including a cappuccino de potimarron with crisp ham strips as decoration - not something I'd encountered before.

thursdaysd

Thx for your feedback on Dijon, perhaps you can post a link to your photos?

s

swagman - my pix are totally unedited as yet - since I'm traveling with a netbook I haven't even done my usual evening deletion of obviously bad or duplicate pix - I've just uploaded them straight. If you still want to take a look, see http://kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/752708 - Dijon, password dijon - Beaune pix are nos. 155 to 231.

Thanks Thursday lovely pics by the way, mostly taken all around my apartment. I'm not sure you followed the owl's trail though. Did you touch the lucky owl on Notre Dame church? You will have to come back then! ;-) If you need help with captions let me know.

Thanks coco - I will almost certainly need help with captions - but not for a couple of weeks (I'm currently in Paris, unbelievably beautiful weather!) I didn't realize you had an apartment in town? I did do the owl walk, but I don't think I had the camera with me that day - I don't always carry it. And I did touch the owl - going in the right direction, too.

"I didn't realize you had an apartment in town?" It was the one Ira kindly mentioned!
I was in Paris on Thursday for the day and we had a lovely weather too. Maybe we were not far from each other! I even met "grandmere" who is still there with her daughter and grand daughter.
Unfortunately the weather is changing now so you may enjoy a few more museums!

Yes, Thursday and Friday were gorgeous - and I had a Batobus pass on Friday, so I got to enjoy the sunshine on the Seine. This morning I got the Pere Lachaise cemetery in before it started trying to rain, but I spent the afternoon at the Decorative Arts Museum. Not sure about tomorrow yet. I'm staying in the Marais, so maybe I'll just stick close to home.

I haven't got to the photos yet - still working on the trip report. The piece on Dijon and Beaune is here: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...omment-5662444