Hotel Du Lycee

mmmmmm

by Lilasel

Dijon is one of the glories of the French gastronomic tradition, known throughout the world for its mustard (moutard de Dijon), blackcurrant liqueur (creme de cassis), gingerbread (pain d'epice), etc...

Place d'Armes

by ViajesdelMundo

This is the main square of historical buildings, including the Hall of the 'Etats' of Burgundy, the King's Equestrian Statue, Tower of the Great Dukes, etc., AND the Tourist Office at one end, which sells souvenirs, including Mustard and Wines.

One can easily spend most of a day just in this area, if you tour the various buidings. Even if you have just a short time, the Plaza is very interesting and there are several restaurants in the area.

Salle des Gardes: Tomb of Philippe le Hardi (1)

by hquittner

In 1383 Philippe le Hardi (the Bold) started the construction of the Chartreuse de Champmol (See our Off the Beaten Path Tips) to be his mausoleum. In 1385 in a part of the palace complex at Dijon, he installed a team of sculptors lead by Jean de Marville to create his Tomb. Jean’s assistant was Claus Sluter who took over this and other projects at Champmol when Jean died in1389. This was slow and highly original work. In fact Claus died in 1405, leaving the finishing to his nephew Claus de Werve.(Philippe died in 1404). This Tomb is now installed in the Salle des Guardes. TheTomb is topped by an effigy of Philippe lying on a black marble slab, guarded by 2 angels at his head and a lion at his feet. The slab rests upon a series of double arched cells, alternating and connected with niches. Walking through this forest are 41 figures who appear to us in varying life-like poses. They are all dressed in monk habits, usually capped by cowls.

Cathedral St-Benigne - inside.

by breughel

The facade with its twin hexagonal towers has an austere appearance inherited from its function as church belonging to an abbey. The roof with the typical burgundy colored lacquered tiles makes the contrast. The interior is sober and bare and has not impressed us.
The organ built around 1740 by the brothers Riepp was an important one in their time.
In fact it is the crypt which is interesting because it is composed of the lower floor of the rotunda designed by William Volpiano between 1000 and 1003 (it originally comprised three floors) a martyrium and a chapel. The rotunda is 17 meters in diameter. Before the destruction of the upper floors of the rotunda at the Revolution, openings, not existing anymore, were drilled at the top level to allow lighting of the crypt. When we visited the cathedral the crypt was closed.

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La façade avec ses deux tours jumelles hexagonales a un aspect austère hérité de sa fonction d'église appartenant à une abbaye. La toiture contraste avec ses tuiles laquées multicolores typiquement bourguignonnes. L'intérieur est sobre et dépouillé et ne nous a guerre impressionné. L'orgue construit vers 1740 par les frères Riepp était importante à son époque avec son jeu de montre de 32 pieds au clavier.
En fait c'est la crypte qui est intéressante car elle est composée de l'étage inférieur de la rotonde conçue par Guillaume Volpiano entre 1000 et 1003 (elle comportait à l'origine trois étages), du martyrium et d'une chapelle. La rotonde mesure 17 mètres de diamètre. Avant la destruction des étages supérieurs de la rotonde lors de la Révolution, des ouvertures, aujourd'hui disparues, étaient percées au niveau supérieur pour permettre l'éclairage de la crypte. Lors de notre visite la crypte était fermée.

Charming little Dijon - a Mini Paris

by timtrina

What we had envisaged Dijon to be, was not what we encountered upon arrival. What a charming little Town. We dubbed it the "Mini Paris". Full of Uni students, we arrived in the town centre to find heaps of activities going on - what appeared to be a radio station hosting competitions, etc. We had driven from Lyon to Dijon - only a couple of hours. Dijon is tricky to drive in though - very, very easy to get lost! Picturesque buildings, and culture galore - this is definately a "Must See" town if you're travelling through France. Obviously it's famous for it's Dijon mustard, but you simply must enter one of the cheese shops - thank god digital cameras don't capture the smell of these places though! Ageing cheese is not great on the nose......

The mini "Arc de triomphe" in the centre of Dijon. This place brought back so many memories of Paris. It has a great atmosphere though. Even travelling with our daughter, we felt totally relaxed and at home. Everyone was so friendly and the place had a great "buzz" going on.

While in Dijon, if you are travelling with children, you should definately visit one of the many beautiful parks in the area. Even in the cold weather, it was still lovely to stroll through the park, while Imogen played on the swings. Just wandering through looking at the architecture was sightseeing in itself.

Please be sure to check out the up-and-coming travellogues. As with the other pages we've built, this is where the majority of photos will be placed.