On old medieval town in Côte-d'Or, now listed among the most beautiful village of France, Châteauneuf nestles at the foot of its imposing fortress, which once belonged to the Dukes of Burgundy, at a strategic location between Dijon and Autun. The castle fort, initially no more than a keep, was extended as time went by. A superb example of Burgundian medieval military architecture, it majestically towers over the Auxois plain and the Burgundy canal. On a visit to this historic monument, you can discover the 12th-century keep, the 14th-century south tower, the main building and the 15th-century dwelling of Philippe Pot, as well as the chapel with ancient mural paintings.

It's nice to take a walk in the flowery medieval side streets of Châteauneuf, where some beautiful old stone houses with turrets still stand.

So be sure to stop by the 15th-century Church of St. James and St. Philip, which contains some lovely polychrome stone and wood statues, including one of St. John the Baptist attributed to Claus Sluter.

Near the north door, the mission cross belvedere reveals a stunning view of the Auxois and the Morvan hills.

In late July, in even years every two years, the pretty streets of Châteauneuf come alive for the Médiévales festival: jousting on horseback, medieval dances, a fire show, artillery shooting, craft stands, etc. offer visitors a 100% medieval experience for a whole weekend!

In 52 BC, the Gaulish leader Vercingetorix led his last battle against Julius Caesar on the site of Alise-Sainte-Reine in Burgundy. After leading the revolt of the Gaulish tribes against the Roman occupier, the courageous leader of the Arverni, who was waiting for backup which arrived too late, was defeated at Alesia.

Archaeological excavations at this site in Côte-d'Or have unearthed the remains of a Gallo-Roman town that lived on in the oppidum after the Gauls were defeated: a sanctuary, theatre, forum, monument to Ucuetis… This important ancient site, of which only the foundations and buried structures of monuments and homes remain, is now part of the MuséoParc Alésia site, which also includes an interpretation centre devoted to the siege of Alesia. Based in a glazed cylindrical building of 52 metres in diameter, the museum invites you on a fabulous journey through time: dynamic and interactive display areas, scale models, films, multimedia terminals, educational workshops and a games library offer plenty to fascinate children and adults alike. From the plant-covered terrace complete with orientation tables, visitors can also enjoy remarkable views of the siege site.

Two kilometres from the interpretation centre, not far from the remains of the Gallo-Roman town, a gigantic statue of Vercingetorix by the sculptor Aimé Millet stands at the top of Mount Auxois. From up there, you can see stunning views of the surrounding landscape!

Monday: 10:00 AM – 06:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 06:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 06:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 06:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM – 06:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 06:00 PM
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 06:00 PM

The beautiful, red-roofed medieval town of Semur-en-Auxois stands on a pink granite plateau in the department of Côte-d'Or, between Montbard and Saulieu, within a bend in the Armançon. With a rich heritage and history, the town has a conservation area that's a particularly nice place for an outing. Whether you take a self-guided or guided tour, aboard the little tourist train or with an audioguide, the historic centre of Saumur-en-Auxois welcomes you for a journey through time. Step through one of the fortified doors that used to protect the city in order to take a stroll along the picturesque streets and pretty squares dotted with mansions and half-timbered houses.

First stop: the keep with four towers, including the most imposing one, the Orle d'Or tower. It stands 44 metres tall and has 5 floors that are open to visitors, comprising a museum, a library, a technological collection and a conference room.

Then head to the Collegiate Church of Our Lady, built in the 13th and 14th centuries and restored by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century. Decorated with surprising little gargoyles, this Burgundian Flamboyant Gothic gem houses a painted altarpiece from the 16th century depicting the Tree of Jesse, some beautiful old stained glass windows with illustrations of the butchers' and drapers' corporations, a polychrome statue of the Entombment from the 15th century, and a pipe organ from the 18th century.

Located in the former 17th-century Jacobins' convent, Semur-en-Auxois' municipal museum houses archaeological, geological, natural history and Fine Art collections.

Other sights to see are the pleasant walk along the ramparts which overlooks the Armançon Valley, as well as the Joly and Pinard bridges, offering lovely views of the medieval town!

With a surface area of 281 400 hectares, the Morvan Regional Nature Park covers the four departments of Burgundy, which are Côte-d'Or, Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire and Yonne. This granite massif, both wild and hilly, reaches an altitude of 901 metres at Haut Folin, in the department of Saône-et-Loire.

With its vast forests, dotted with signposted paths, great lakes and rivers - ideal for outdoor activities - the Morvan is a choice destination for sports fans and nature lovers.

Nestling amid verdant scenery, the great lakes of the Morvan, which are Settons, Pannecière, Chaumeçon, Saint-Agnan, Chamboux and Crescent, have plenty to delight fans of fishing, hiking and water sports.

A bastion of Gallic culture, the site of Bibracte on Mount Beuvray, south of the Morvan, is Europe's biggest archaeological site dedicated to the Celtic world. A museum on the slopes of Mount Beuvray in the commune of Saint-Léger-sous-Beuvray tells the story of Celtic civilisation, through collections of items found in archaeological digs.

During your stay in the Morvan, take a detour along the little roads, lanes and paths to see the listed site of the Gouloux Waterfall, the Cure Valley, Breuil-Chenue Forest, the Narvau Gorges, the panoramic view over the peaks of the Morvan from the Mount of Justice in Lormes...

A land of history and tradition, Morvan also invites you to visit its ecomuseum, made up of themed houses and associated sites: the House of People and Landscapes in Saint-Brisson, House of Livestock Farming and the Charolais in Moulins-Engilbert, House of Vauban in Saint-Léger-Vauban, House of Oral Heritage and House of the Carters in Anost, House of Rye in Ménessaire, Clog Museum in Étang-sur-Arroux, Marchand Clog-makers in Gouloux, House of Wine and Barrel-making in Ouroux-en-Morvan, and House of Trades of the Rural World in Tamnay-en-Bazois.

At the heart of a 40-hectare estate, the Saint-Brisson Area, headquarters of the Park House, also offers its ecomuseum dedicated to the history of the morvandiau territory, a museum about the Resistance in the Morvan, a botanical garden inspired by the medieval gardens, an arboretum and an educational path along the Taureau Pond.

When it comes to gastronomy, savour the Morvan's delicious honey, wild bilberries, cooked meats and of course typical local dishes such as potée bourguignonne, a type of hotpot, and râpée morvandelle, a gratin with potatoes, onions and ham.

A Town of Art and History and the capital of Burgundy wine, Beaune is located forty kilometres or so south of Dijon and boasts some exceptional heritage. Surrounded by old ramparts, it is known as the centre for the Burgundy wine trade, as evidenced by the famous auction at the Hospices de Beaune every third Sunday in November.

The old town contains some remarkable monuments and has some beautiful Renaissance mansions for visitors to admire, as well as pretty half-timbered houses and charming inner courtyards. Take the time to stroll around, to see Beaune's architectural treasures at your own pace or using an audioguide.

The first stop along the way: the Hôtel-Dieu, a gem of Burgundian medieval architecture, built in the 15th century at the request of the Duke of Burgundy's Chancellor, Nicolas Rolin, to come to the aid of the poor and sick. A listed Historic Monument, this superb complex with its famous varnished tile roofs has become a museum of medical history. On your visit, you can in particular admire the magnificent ceremonial courtyard (cour d'honneur), the impressive Hall for the Poor (Salle des Pôvres), the Gothic chapel, the kitchen and the apothecary, as well as a masterpiece of Flemish painting dating from the 15th century: the polyptych of the Last Judgment, attributed to the artist Rogier van der Weyden. The world's biggest wine auction takes place here in November, with part of the proceeds going towards the upkeep of the Hôtel-Dieu.

Not far from there, on Rue Paradis, is the mansion of the Dukes of Burgundy, which you can visit. A listed Historic Monument, this old ducal palace from the 14th century now houses the Museum of Burgundy Wine, where the history of the vineyard and winemaking is told through ethnographic and artistic collections, tapestries and everyday objects used by winegrowers.

All around the Beaune region, there are cellar tours, tastings and organised excursions in the vineyard so you can learn about Burgundy's winegrowing heritage.

Another unmissable monument is the Cluniac-inspired Collegiate Church of Our Lady. This superb 13th-century edifice, one of the last big Romanesque churches in Burgundy, possesses a Gothic portal and chevet, as well as a Renaissance bell tower. Inside is a collection of five tapestries from the 15th century illustrating the life of the Virgin, a Renaissance chapel and a black Virgin from the 12th century.

Beaune has a busy and lively cultural life all year. One of the most prestigious Baroque music festivals in Europe takes place there in July.

À ne pas manquer, les Lumières à Beaune qui permettent durant tout l'été d'admirer des projections monumentales sur les monuments et sites emblématiques de la cité comme l'Hôtel-Dieu, la collégiale, le musée du Vin, la chapelle Saint-Étienne, le beffroi, le rempart des Dames et la porte Marie de Bourgogne.

Crowned by a lavish glazed tile roof, now emblematic of the region, the Hôtel-Dieu of Beaune is renowned throughout the world for its traditional, prestigious charity wine sale, which takes place on the third Sunday of November. A remarkable example of Burgundian medieval architecture, it was built in the flamboyant Gothic style in the 15th century, at the request of Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor to the Duke of Burgundy, to help the poorest people in times of illness. A listed Historic Monument, nowadays it houses a museum of medical history, with a collection of around 5,000 items of furniture and objects, ranging from tapestries and paintings to sculptures and pharmacy pots, through chests and beds. One notable item amongst all these treasures is the famous polyptych of the Last Judgment, a masterpiece produced in the 15th century by the Flemish artist Rogier van der Weyden.

On your tour of this bastion of French heritage, you can see the impressive Hall of the Poor, with its magnificent oak-panelled ceiling and two rows of beds with red curtains, the chapel, St. Hugh's Hall and its mural paintings, St. Nicholas' Hall and its exhibition on the history of the Hospices, the kitchen and its beautiful Gothic fireplace with two hearths or the pharmacy and its collection of 130 earthenware pots from the 18th century. The tour ends with the polyptych by Rogier van der Weyden, which once hung above the chapel altar, and a superb collection of old tapestries from Tournai, Brussels and Aubusson.

The Langres plateau is where several rivers in France have their source: the Marne, the Aube, the Meuse... and the Seine, which springs forth in the territory of a municipality named Source-Seine, at 446 metres in altitude. Located in Côte-d'Or, some forty kilometres north-west of Dijon in Burgundy, the site of the Seine's sources, bought by the City of Paris 1864, is nowadays a listed Natural Area of Ecological, Floristic and Faunistic Interest. Located next to secondary road 103, the landscaped park includes a romantic grotto designed by Baltard during the rule of Napoleon III, where the main source springs forth. A white stone nymph symbolises the river there. Remains of a Gallo-Roman sanctuary dedicated to the Goddess Sequana, after whom the river is named, were discovered on the site. Pilgrims attributed healing properties to these springs: many ex-votos found in the sanctuary are evidence of this. Today, they are on display at Dijon Archaeological Museum.

Take the time to enjoy a stroll in the superb, green park, which has a dedicated picnic area.

Based in the magnificent palace of the Dukes and States of Burgundy, the Dijon Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1787, is one of France's most prestigious museums. Its exceptional collections, which have been added to continuously over time, now comprise around 130,000 works, ranging from Antiquity to the contemporary era through the Renaissance: paintings, sculptures and drawings, but also decorative arts, make up the museum's fabulous treasure trove. The remarkable medieval collections, consisting of art objects, sculptures and Italian, Flemish, Swiss and German paintings, canvases by such famous painters as Delacroix, Titian, Champaigne, Géricault, Manet and Monet, as well as works by Burgundian artists like François Rude and Jean-Baptiste Lallemand, are among the gems you can admire on your visit.

The museum's centrepiece, the large and impressive palace hall, in the Flamboyant Gothic style, contains the tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy, Philip the Bold and John the Fearless! Masterpieces of medieval funerary art, these two sumptuous tombs are adorned with pleurants, finely carved alabaster statuettes of weeping figures, made in the 15th century.

The museum offers free access to the permanent collections and many activities all year round: themed tours, creative and fun activities, night events, etc.

Occupying a strategic location between Northern Europe and the lands of the South, the capital of Burgundy was home to one of Europe's most brilliant courts in the 14th and 15th century: the court of the Dukes of Burgundy. An exceptional architectural ensemble that testifies to this splendid past, the built heritage of Dijon, a City of Art and History, consists of superb monuments and picturesque old half-timbered houses. In the Renaissance, as well as in the 17th and 18th centuries, elegant mansions were built: the Esterno mansion, Coeurderoy mansion, Legouz de Gerland mansion, Bouhier de Lantenay mansion, etc.

You can explore the city on foot, by tramway, bike, shuttle bus or Segway, and there are many guided tours for you to learn about its history and its well-preserved neighbourhoods. The Owl Trail, a 22-step walking circuit to take at your own pace, will show you the essential sights of the historic centre. So take the time to stroll around its pedestrian streets and pleasant squares, then make the most of the lovely shops and delicatessens that you'll find along the way.

Based in the Palace of the Dukes and States of Burgundy, which also houses Dijon City Hall, the Fine Arts Museum has remarkable collections ranging from Antiquity to the 21st century through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. In what was once the great ceremonial hall, you can admire the sumptuous tombs of the Dukes Philip the Bold and John the Fearless. Dating from the 15th century, the Philip the Good Tower, which stands 46 metres tall and overlooks the palace, will offer you stunning views of the city and its surroundings!

The city's many churches, spanning every era from the Middle Ages to the present day, have earned Dijon its moniker of "city of a hundred bell towers". The Church of Our Lady, the oldest, is a Gothic masterpiece with its remarkable gargoyle-adorned façade. Its unusual sculpted owl, located on one of the building's buttresses, is thought to bring good luck. You have to stroke it with your left hand while making a wish! Inside the church, at the south apsidiole you can see the very old statue of Our Lady of Good Hope, a wooden Virgin from the 11th century.

Other sights to see are the Cathedral of St. Benignus in the Burgundian Gothic style, the old Church of St. Anne that is now a religious art museum, the Church of St. Michael in the Flamboyant Gothic style, the Church of St. Stephen, where the choir and transept house the Rude Museum devoted to the Dijon sculptor François Rude, etc.

A masterpiece of Burgundian medieval sculpture awaits you at the hospital centre, in the former cloister of Champmol Charterhouse: the Well of Moses, the base for a cross that has now gone, made between 1395 and 1405.

Le Dijon contemporain se dévoile à travers plusieurs espaces dédiés à l'art : des galeries privées ; l'Atheneum, lieu d'exposition ; le Consortium, centre d'art contemporain.

À faire avec les enfants, le musée du cerf-volant, à Perrigny-lès-Dijon, où se dévoilent plus de 1 000 cerfs-volants venus du monde entier !

Porte d'entrée des prestigieux vignobles de Bourgogne, et notamment de la Côte de Nuits, Dijon est la ville de la moutarde, du pain d'épices et de la crème de cassis, qui possède son musée, le Cassissium, à Nuits-Saint-Georges, à une trentaine de kilomètres au sud de Dijon. Son volet gastronomique, incontournable, passe aussi par le boeuf bourguignon, les oeufs en meurette, le jambon persillé, le coq au vin et bien sûr les grands crus... Aux halles, près de 250 stands vous proposent produits frais et spécialités locales. Ce marché des saveurs a lieu les mardi, jeudi et vendredi matin, ainsi que le samedi toute la journée.

Dijon est aussi une ville verte avec ses 700 hectares de parcs et jardins, dont le très beau parc de l'Arquebuse avec son arboretum, sa roseraie et son jardin des Sciences qui réunit un planétarium, un muséum et un jardin botanique dédiés à la biodiversité. À voir également, le parc de la Colombière, un jardin à la française classé aux monuments historiques, riche de plus de 6 000 arbres.

Bordered with ramparts, the historic centre of Autun is home to a rich architectural heritage. In the heart of the old town, the Saint-Lazare cathedral, surmounted by a Gothic spire, has a remarkable Romanesque tympanum depicting the Last Judgment. Also of interest during a visit are the narrow medieval streets around the cathedral, the Rolin museum which houses collections of archaeological objects, sculptures and paintings, and the Natural History museum. The City of Art and History of Autun is also home to remarkable ancient remains, such as the Roman theatre, the biggest theatre of the Gallic Empire; the Saint-André gateway; the Arroux gateway; the Janus temple; the Gallo-Roman remains.

Saint-Léger-Vauban, 30 kilometres from Vézelay and deep in the Morvan Regional Nature Park, is the birthplace of Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, the famous military architect born in 1633.

Engineer to the King at the age of 22, Vauban began serving Louis XIV by designing the fortifications of many towns in France, building citadels, and erecting awe-inspiring strongholds.

In the village where he was born, a museum in the former home of the sculptor Marc Hénard pays tribute to the illustrious Marshal Vauban. Visitors are invited to immerse themselves in the life and work of this 17th-century genius, who was at once a designer, engineer and builder, but also an economist, humanist, writer and reformer. An audiovisual screening lasting 20 minutes, filmed at Bazoches Castle, completes the tour.

Belonging to the Morvan Ecomuseum, which comprises seven themed houses and four associated sites, the Vauban House regularly puts on events and temporary exhibitions.

Founded by saint Bernard in 1118, this magnificent Cistercian abbey is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The place is magnificently well preserved.

Founded in 1850, deep in the Morvan Forest, Sainte-Marie de la Pierre-qui-Vire Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the municipality of Saint-Léger-Vauban, in the south of Yonne, in Burgundy.

Nestling in a wild and verdant environment, the place's name, meaning "the stone that turns" in French, is a reference to an enormous balanced stone, which now has a statue of the Virgin on top of it. In bygone days, before it was sealed, the rock could be moved by just pressing on it with your hand.

The monks who occupy the monastery welcome people on retreats, in search of spiritual rejuvenation and contemplation, to stay in their hostelry. People simply wishing to visit the site can only access the church, the exhibition about monastic life, and the shop that sells cheese, pottery and religious objects.

The community is also very involved in renewable energy: La Pierre-qui-Vire Abbey has had its own hydroelectric plant since the 1960s, and benefits from a central boiler room where wood bricks are burned to heat all the buildings, which cover 15,000 m². A filtering garden is used to treat the cheese dairy's water: La Pierre-qui-Vire farm, located 800 metres from the abbey, produces famous organic cow's and sheep's cheeses.

After a spot of shopping at the abbey shop, take the time to enjoy a forest walk: a path will lead you to the nearby stream, the Trinquelin.

Monday: 10:45 AM – 12:15 AM, 02:45 PM – 05:00 PM
Tuesday: 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM, 03:00 PM – 05:30 PM
Wednesday: 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM, 03:00 PM – 05:30 PM
Thursday: 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM, 03:00 PM – 05:30 PM
Friday: 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM, 03:00 PM – 05:30 PM
Saturday: 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM, 03:00 PM – 05:30 PM
Sunday: 11:15 AM – 12:15 AM, 03:15 PM – 05:30 PM

Built between 1854 and 1861 to regulate the flow of the Yonne and make it easier to float wood along the river to Paris, Settons Lake lies at the heart of the Morvan Massif, near Montsauche-les-Settons. Nowadays it is a holiday resort popular with water sports fans.

Retained by a unique stone dyke, this 367-hectare lake lies between quiet, wooded banks planted with pine trees and larches. It offers many outdoor activities, with its water sports centre, marina, sailing school and beaches. Hiking, horse-riding and mountain-biking around the lake, supervised bathing in July and August, on the beaches of Presqu'île and La Cabane Verte, fishing, windsurfing, catamaran, canoe-kayak, water skiing, pedaloes and tubing are some of the leisure activities on offer on-site, all in a pleasant, restful setting!

The Cistercian abbey of Cîteaux is located near Nuits-Saint-Georges, in the municipality of Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux in the department of Côte-d'Or, Burgundy.

The birthplace of the Cistercian order, the Abbey of Our Lady of Cîteaux was founded in 1098 by Abbot Robert de Molesmes. It was here that the famous St. Bernard began his monastic life, before becoming the first Abbot of Clairvaux in 1115.

The public can see a permanent exhibition based in the old Définitoire and a film about the life of the Cîteaux monks, take a guided tour of the historic buildings with a look at the 13th-century scribes' cloister and the 15th-century library, and buy products such as honey sweets and cheeses from the abbey.

Monday: Open 24 hours a day
Tuesday: Open 24 hours a day
Wednesday: Open 24 hours a day
Thursday: Open 24 hours a day
Friday: Open 24 hours a day
Saturday: Open 24 hours a day
Sunday: Open 24 hours a day