Dijon

Dijon is the city where the Route des Grands Crus begins, running to Beaune and Santenay. Wine travelers stop here for the Cité internationale de la gastronomie et du vin and for estates a short drive away.

Why visit

Dijon is where the Route des Grands Crus begins. The route runs from Dijon to Beaune and Santenay and is 60 km long, with 37 wine villages and 32 Grands Crus. It celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2027.

The city's own wine stop is the Cité internationale de la gastronomie et du vin, which opened on May 6, 2022 on the site of Dijon's former general hospital. It celebrates two UNESCO-recognized heritage items: the gastronomic meal of the French and the Climats of the Burgundy vineyards. A Chapelle des climats et des terroirs presents the Climats.

The Cité is about 1 km from the historic center, or 15 minutes on foot from downtown. It makes a useful first stop before you head out to the vines, because it explains the Climats you will then see from the road.

The vineyards are close. Château de Marsannay is 6 km from central Dijon, and Lippe Isabelle in Brochon is about 10 minutes from the city. Farther along the route, the Château du Clos de Vougeot is a Grand Cru with 50 hectares of vines in one block, enclosed by walls five centuries old.

South of the Côte de Nuits, the Côte de Beaune runs from Ladoix-Serrigny to Marranges and alternates pinot noir and chardonnay. The Burgundy guide covers the wider region.

Visiting the estates

Both estates near Dijon, Château de Marsannay and Lippe Isabelle, receive visitors by arrangement rather than on a walk-in basis. Plan the tasting first and the rest of the day around it.

Domaine du Château de Marsannay, in Marsannay-la-Côte, is an organic estate on the Route des Grands Crus. Its guided cellar visit includes 6 wines and lasts 1 hour 15 minutes, for a maximum of 10 people. Online booking is offered.

Lippe Isabelle in Brochon is about 30 minutes from Beaune, between Fixin and Gevrey-Chambertin. The estate makes Gevrey-Chambertin, Côte de Nuits Villages, Marsannay and Bourgogne wines, and visits and tastings are by appointment only. Ask the estate about tasting fees when you book.

If you are tasting, spit at the estate and name a designated driver for the road back to Dijon.

When to go

Opening hours change through the year, so plan around the place you want to see. Château de Marsannay and the Cité have set seasonal hours.

Château de Marsannay is open from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. from May to September. From October to April it opens from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and it is closed on Sundays from December to March.

The Cité keeps longer hours in summer. From May 1 to September 30, the exhibitions are open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. From October 1 to April 30, they are open Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The ticket office closes at 5:30 p.m.

The Cité is closed on May 1, December 25 and January 1.

Before you go

• Book tastings ahead. Château de Marsannay runs its guided tastings by prior arrangement, and Lippe Isabelle receives visitors by appointment only.
• Château de Marsannay is closed on Sundays from December to March and has shorter hours, 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., from October to April.
• The Cité is closed on May 1, December 25 and January 1, and has shorter weekday hours from October 1 to April 30.

Dijon-Ville is the main station, where TGVs from Paris arrive. The Cité is about 1 km from the historic center, while the estates at Marsannay-la-Côte and Brochon lie outside the city, Château de Marsannay 6 km from the center.