e-travelguide
0871 508 8768

Search for a Hotel Anywhere

Search This Site

Burgundy

Make the most of your time in Burgundy, use the information provided on this web site by clicking on the links to plan your visit.

Situated on the main north-south Europe axis, Burgundy is located halfway between Paris and Lyon. It offers access to Germany, the Benelux countries, Switzerland and Italy in a matter of hours. Burgundy consists of the departments of Yonne, Côte-d’Or, Nièvre and Saône-et-Loire. The capital of the region is Dijon, an elegant busy city which is a crossroads where all the Burgundian regions converge. The climate in Burgundy is temperate with fine cold weather in Winter and hot weather in Summer, often with welcome showers. The most beautiful season is Autumn which is generally pleasant and sunny.

The region was assigned by the Romans to the Germanic peoples of the Burgundians in the 4th century. The Burgundian kingdom was conquered by the Franks in the 6th century. For centuries the powerful Dukes of Burgundy remained independent of the French crown. By the 15th century their power extended over all of Franche-Comté, Alsace and Lorraine, Belgium, Holland, Picardy and Flanders, and their state was the best organised in Europe. The court in Dijon outshone the French court, both economically and culturally. The region finally fell to the French Kings only when Duke Charles le Téméraire was killed besieging Nancy.

The modern era in Burgundy began with the opening of the Centre Canal linking the Saône and the Loire in 1794. This coincided with the first large-scale exploitation of huge iron-ore deposits at Le Creusot. Today Burgundy has a balanced economy with agricultural production on the one hand and heavy industry on the other, although this has been achieved without detracting from the rural charm of the area as a whole.

With its varied scenery, Burgundy has something to offer everyone from the Mountains of the Morvan to the gentle and attractive scenery in the lower lying areas of the region. Among the major towns and cities are Dijon (the regional capital), Sens, Auxerre, Nevers, Beaune, Maçon and Chalons. Burgundy’s rich past can be seen through its large number of châteaux, many of them architectural masterpieces. They include the Palais de Ducs de Dijon, The Palais de Ducs de Nevers, Château d’Ancy-le-Franc and many more. The region’s religious and spiritual past is also evident through the many Romanesque churches, magnificent cathedrals and Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries.

Burgundy has many other attractions to offer the tourist, who can use any of the 12 tourist  itineraries to help discover the region. Including historical routes and craft and nature trails, they are an excellent way for the visitor to familiarise himself with the countryside. Burgundy is also criss-crossed by 6,000 kms of footpaths which all provide wonderful landscapes and views, as well as 1,200 km of rivers and canals. Sailing and fishing are also widely available as well as golfing, rock-climbing and pot-holing.

Burgundy wines are among the most famous and expensive in the world, and the region has a higher number of Appellations d’origine controlees (AOC) than any other French area. Extending along a ridge of hills from Dijon to Chagny, the Côte-d’Or is the most famous wine-producing area in France. The best known wines – the Burgundies – are red wine made from the Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from Chardonnay grapes. Other popular varieties of grape in the region are Garnay and Aligoté. Further south is the Côte Chalonnaise, although the wines produced here are less well known than those from the Côte-d’Or. Below the Côte Chalonnaise is the Maçonnais region which produces more affordable , easy-drinking wines, and further south again is the Beaujolias region with its fruity red wines made from the Garnay grape. 

Burgundy is also known for its fine food which makes use of the region’s heavy red wines and Charollais beef cattle. The red wines are used in the preparation of many of the sauces which are designated “a la bourguigonne” which means cooked in a red wine sauce to which baby onions, mushrooms and lardons are added. Burgundy is also famous for its large snails which are cooked by stewing them in Chablis white wine with shallots, carrots and onions, then stuffing them with garlic and parsley butter. Other regional specialities include jambon persillé (parsley flavoured ham), hams from the Morvan hills, calf’s head and poussin from Bresse. Burgundy also produces a variety of cheeses including creamy Chaource, the soft Florentin, the orange-skinned Époisses and goats’ cheese from the Morvan.
 

©e-travelguide.info 2003 - 2009