49 Best Sights in Burgundy, France

This stately 17th-century Renaissance mansion has a characteristic red, yellow, and green Burgundian tile roof—a tradition whose disputed origins lie either with the Crusades and the adoption of Arabic tiles or with Philip the Bold's wife, Marguerite of Flanders.

The village of Cluny was built to serve the abbey's more practical needs, and several fine Romanesque houses around Rue d'Avril and Rue de la République—including the so-called Hôtel des Monnaies—are prime examples of the period's different architectural styles.

This former coaching inn is a handsome example of 16th-century architecture.

Across the Bassin de la Préfecture, an arm of the Seine, is this historic hospital, fronted by superb 18th-century wrought-iron gates topped with the blue-and-gold fleurs-de-lis emblems of the French monarchy. The west wing houses La Cité de Vitrail, a stained-glass interpretation center with a permanent collection of 50 stained-glass windows, a library, and a workshop. On the ground floor is the entrance to the Apothicairerie de l'Hôtel-Dieu, a former medical laboratory. Inside, time has been suspended: floral-painted boxes and ceramic jars containing medicinal plants line the antique shelves.

Dijon's contemporary arts center spills over two remarkable buildings: a former cassis factory and a newer modern wing designed by architect Shigeru Ban of Pompidou-Metz fame. The museum holds temporary exhibitions throughout the year, with recent successes that included the likes of Joe Bradley, Alex Israel, Brian Calvin, and Shara Hughes. There's also a small permanent collection, a library, a gift shop, and live concerts. Guided tours are offered weekends, and are included in the ticket price.

This museum, in the former abbey buildings of the church of St-Bénigne, outlines the history of the region through archaeological finds.

Housed in the 16th- to 17th-century bishop's palace, this museum's magnificent interior features a wreath-and-cornucopia carved oak fireplace, ceilings with carved wood beams, and a Renaissance staircase. The jewel of the museum is the Lévy Collection (one of the finest provincial collections in France), which includes Art Deco glassware, tribal art, and an important group of Fauve paintings by André Derain and others.

Housed in the former Cistercian convent, one museum here contains religious art and sculpture; the other has crafts and artifacts from Burgundy—including old storefronts saved from the streets of Dijon that have been reconstituted, in Hollywood-studio style, to form an imaginary street.

Beside the basilica, Musée François-Pompon is partly devoted to the work of animal-bronze sculptor Pompon (1855–1933), whose smooth, stylized creations seem contemporary but predate World War II. The museum also contains Gallo-Roman funeral stones, sacred art, and a room highlighting local gastronomic lore.

In a 17th-century mansion, this museum showcases a private collection of original furnishings and paintings from the 16th to the 19th century.

The roof of the 13th-century Palais Synodal, alongside Sens's cathedral, is notable for its yellow, green, and red diamond-tile motif—incongruously added in the mid-19th century by monument restorer Viollet-le-Duc. Six grand windows and the vaulted Synodal Hall are other outstanding architectural features; the building now functions as an exhibition space. Annexed to the Palais is an ensemble of Renaissance buildings with a courtyard offering a fine view of the cathedral's Flamboyant Gothic south transept, constructed by master stonemason Martin Chambiges at the start of the 16th century (rose windows were his specialty, as you can appreciate here). Inside is a museum with archaeological finds from the Gallo-Roman period. The cathedral treasury, now on the museum's first floor, is one of the richest in France, comparable to that of Conques. It contains a collection of miters, ivories, the shrouds of St-Sivard and St-Loup, and sumptuous reliquaries. But the star of the collection is Thomas à Becket's restored brown-and-silver-edged linen robe which is displayed alongside his chasuble, stole, and sandals.

The natural history museum in the Pavillon de L'Arquebuse focuses on current issues such as sustainable development. It is part of an impressive botanical garden, the Jardin de l'Arquebuse, which showcases local and exotic plant life. Strolling among the wide variety of trees and tropical flowers provides a pleasant break from sightseeing.

One of the city's oldest churches, Notre-Dame stands out with spindlelike towers, delicate arches gracing its facade, and 13th-century stained glass. Note the windows in the north transept tracing the lives of five saints, as well as the 11th-century Byzantine linden-wood Black Virgin. Local tradition has it that stroking the small owl sculpted on the outside wall of the adjoining chapel with your left hand grants you a wish.

The meeting place for the old regional Parliament of Burgundy serves as a reminder that Louis XI incorporated the province into France in the late 15th century.

This church, with its chunky Renaissance facade, fast-forwards 300 years from Notre-Dame.

The oldest church in Troyes, Ste-Madeleine is best known for its elaborate triple-arch stone rood screen separating the nave and the choir. Only a handful of other such screens still remain in France—most were dismantled during the French Revolution. This filigreed Flamboyant Gothic beauty was carved with panache by Jean Gailde between 1508 and 1517. The superbly tranquil Garden of the Innocents, established on the ancient \"children's graveyard,\" symbolizes medieval spirituality.

The ancient theater, sitting at the edge of Autun on the road to Chalon-sur-Saône, makes an atmospheric picnic spot. Select lunch fixings in town, and then settle in on the stepped seats, where as many as 15,000 Gallo-Roman spectators perched two millennia ago. On Friday and Saturday nights in the height of summer, a themed performance—the only one of its kind—is put on by locals wearing period costumes. Elsewhere on the outskirts of town are the remains of a Roman Temple of Janus.

Parts of the town ramparts and the much-restored Tour des Fromages (Cheese Tower, now home to the tourist office) also remain intact. You can ascend the 11th-century defensive tower to take in stellar views.