Day 1 – Saturday (02/07/2016)
Sens
We arrived at Beauvais airport at 10am, picked up the car at Budget and headed to Sens, in Burgundy, because we wanted to visit the St. Etienne Cathedral. It began to be built before 1140, being one of the first Gothic constructions in the country and it is the largest of its style. I found it beautiful, but I always die of love for Gothic cathedrals… lol.
We walked around the city a bit and then stopped for lunch at the restaurant Lolie's Cuisine, One of the few restaurants open after 2pm. I loved the decor, but I wasn't crazy about the food. I thought it was a bit pricey – 50 euros for 2 main courses and 2 glasses of wine – but there weren't many good restaurants open.
Chablis
Now that we have had lunch, we continue our journey to the city of Chablis, known for producing high-quality white wines, all made exclusively from the Chardonnay grape. Chablis wines are categorized into four AOC: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru, the latter being the highest level. We parked in a free parking lot in the city center and went straight to the The Chablisienne, a local cooperative created in 1923, which owns almost 300 vineyards spread throughout the Chablis region, each overseen by its own independent winegrower. We tasted several wines from the 4 categories for free (we could even have more if we wanted) and ended up buying a bottle of Petit Chablis and another of Premier Cru. It's a good thing we didn't like the most expensive level...lol. I highly recommend visiting if you want to do a good white wine tasting!
We strolled through the cute streets and bought some delicious sweets at bakery Degand. We took the opportunity to stop by the market Casino to buy some local snacks, mainly cheese and toast, because we were afraid of arriving in the next city and not finding any markets open.
Vezelay
Our next stop was in Vezelay, village where we slept on this first day of the trip. We chose the hotel Sy Les Glycines (81 euros without breakfast, rating 9.3), because the rooms are very nice and the location is great, very close to the city's main attraction, the Saint Madeleine Basilica. I highly recommend staying there, especially if you can get a room with a great view – look at ours! Just a tip: park your car in the parking lot at the top of the hill (it’s paid, but it’s cheap), near the hotel, because walking up with your luggage can be quite tough… We had to park at the bottom because we didn’t want to go through the police (breathalyzer…) and we got a great workout. The good thing is that we didn’t even have to leave the room afterwards, because we ate and drank what we had bought in Chablis. By the way, what a divine cheese that was! epoisses. It's my favorite so far! Please try it when you're in the area. 😉
Day 2 – Sunday (03/07/2016)
We took advantage of the snacks we had bought the day before and had breakfast in our room as well. We went out to visit the abbey and came across a pilgrimage of parents from France, which apparently takes place every year. The pilgrimage lasts for 4 days and only parents can participate. We spoke to a priest and he told us that there were almost 3,000 men! I thought the energy was really good, especially because they were singing, praying, talking, relaxing… it must be interesting for those who fit the profile.
We walked to the Saint Madeleine Basilica and we come across its imposing façade with just one tower. Built in the 12th century, it is believed that the mortal remains of Mary Magdalene were buried here, which is why some pilgrims make a point of passing by. The magnificent entrance, the carved capitals, the impressive crypt and the golden light inside are all worthy of note. You can also climb the tower, but we didn’t go up…
Fontenay Abbey
We moved on to the next attraction of the day, the Fontenay Abbey (10 euros per person), It is the oldest Cistercian foundation in France, having been built by a monk in the early 12th century. After the French Revolution, it was sold to a paper manufacturer and in 1906 it began to be restored by a French banker. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981, the abbey is worth a visit for the beauty of its buildings and also its gardens. What peace!
Flavigny-sur-Ozerain
We continue our journey to one of the places I've been looking forward to the most, Flavigny-sur-Ozerain. This small medieval village was the setting for the film Chocolate and I found her charming in the film and I had the opportunity to confirm it in person. What a joy! The house in the film is right next to the city's main square, where the church is, so there's no mistake. We stopped for lunch at the restaurant in the main square, the La Grange, which is a very simple restaurant that offers dishes with local ingredients at fair prices. I fell in love with the epoisses cheese quiche (the one I already said was my favorite!). The best quiche of my life! We stopped by famous candy store in the city and we bought a souvenir. They are very traditional…
Chateauneuf-en-Axois
Our next stop was at a castle in the village Chateauneuf-en-Axois, which, like Flavigny and Vézelay, is part of the list of Most Charming Villages in France (see the full list here). We continue to the Château de Châteauneuf (5 euros per person) and we did the tour on our own in about an hour. I didn’t think the castle was anything special, but at least it only cost 5 euros per person. The village is lovely with all its flowers, coats of arms and cute houses, but what’s really worth it is its viewpoint, which has a spectacular view of the region.
Beaune
We arrived in Beaune and some restaurants were full or already closed because it was Sunday. We went into the Brasserie Le Carnot, which seemed very touristy to me, but had delicious food. We left there for our Bed & Breakfast The Colombier (80 euros with breakfast), which is about 10km from Beaune, in a very quiet village. The place is very well decorated (I loved it, Celo didn't) and cozy, the owners are friendly but speak very little English, and you can even enjoy a little pool behind the house. I thought everything was wonderful!
Day 3 – Monday (04/07/2016)
We had a delicious breakfast prepared by the owner of the B&B. The table was beautifully presented. I loved it!
Nolay
We set off for the city of Nolay, because one of my travel guides said there was an interesting market on Mondays, but when we got there, the market we saw was a dud. It's possible there really is a better market, but with our limited French and the almost non-existent English of the locals, this was what we could find. The city is at least pretty...
Pommard, Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet
We passed through some villages in the region (Pommard, Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet) thinking about having lunch at one of them, but because of the time (1pm-2pm) and the lack of reservations, we couldn't find anything nice. There are several restaurants Michelin in these villages and are definitely worth a visit, so book in advance!
The solution was to head to Beaune and find a restaurant there, which was also quite complicated because the restaurants close around 2pm/3pm! That was horrible. We found an open one with a good review on TripAdvisor – Lady Tartine – and the food was good, but it didn’t change our lives.
Now fed, we headed straight to the Hôtel-Dieu des Hospices de Beaune (7.50 euros per person), which is the city's main attraction. Founded in the 15th century, this hospital is very well preserved and its history is very interesting (read it in this link (which is very brief). We were impressed with what we saw and read. I recommend a visit!
We passed by the church Collegiate Notre-Dame, built between the 11th and 15th centuries, and then in the basement Cellarer of the Old Grange, because someone told us that it was possible to do wine tastings with pipettes directly from the barrel. When we got there, we didn't see anything like that and we even had the impression that the attendant was in a hurry to serve us (maybe because of the time...). The good thing is that we were able to buy two bottles of local wines at great prices. From there we went to the factory Edmond Fallot, which produces Dijon-type mustards in a variety of flavors. We were able to try all of the different types for free before choosing our favorite. Although I'm not a fan, I found the combinations and colors interesting.
We stopped at the supermarket Intermarché on the way to the B&B we bought more cheeses and snacks to have a leisurely dinner by the pool. A delicious evening treat <3
Day 4 – Tuesday (07/05/2016)
Château du Clos de Vougeot
We had another delicious breakfast at The Colombier and we continued our journey to Dijon, stopping before at Château du Clos de Vougeot (7.50 euros per person). This 16th century castle is the headquarters of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin since 1945. We came in to do the tour and even though we told them we were from Brazil and wanted a pamphlet in English, they made us watch a nearly half-hour video in French with the history of the château. I thought it was a rip-off and made sure to complain, so I don't know if I would recommend it to you.
We ended up having lunch at a really nice restaurant in the village, At the Creux de Vougeot, which had a great rating on TripAdvisor. We ordered the menu with starter + main course + dessert (24 euros per person) and found everything delicious. We ordered some typical dishes from the region, including beef bourguignon (meat with red wine sauce, mushrooms, bacon and onion) eggs in the oven (eggs with bacon, mushrooms and onions) and look, I recommend both! This restaurant is halfway between Beaune and Dijon, in a region known as Côte D'or, known for having the best wineries in Burgundy, so it is a great stop for those who want to take a leisurely stroll through them.
Dijon
When we arrived in Dijon, we parked the car in the private parking lot Darcy (3.40 for the time we spent driving around the city) and we started following the owl signs on the ground to visit the main attractions (I had already read this somewhere and I had the guide with me with the details of each of them, but you can go to the tourist office and ask for a map and more details).
The main attractions are the Notre Dame (13th century church that has a Jacquemart clock and an owl that brings good luck when touched) and the Palais des Ducs et des Etats de Bourgogne, which today houses the Museum of Fine Arts and the City Hall. Here are some photos:
We left Dijon around 6pm and hit the road towards the Alsace region. I told you all about our trip to Alsace in this post. From Burgundy, that's it. Did you like it? Do you want to share any tips? Send us a message or leave a comment below. 🙂
ALL POSTS FROM THIS TRIP
- Read the summary of our trip here: 9 days traveling through France and Luxembourg.
- Read about our trip to Burgundy: NodeThis 4-day itinerary in Burgundy
- Read about our trip through Alsace: 2 and a half days in Alsace
- Read about our trip to Luxembourg: An afternoon in Luxembourg
- Read about our trip to Verdun: A morning in Verdun
- Read about our trip to Champagne: 1 day and a half in Champagne
