Yonne

A Tour of Dijon, France

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• published: 26 Mar 2013
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A Tour of Dijon, France - The Vivid Flower and Produce Markets, Mustard Shops and the Impressive Notre Dame de Dijon. Our hotel barges gently introduce you to some of Europe's finest scenery, fascinating history and local culture. Dijon Dijon is a modern, growing city with a well-designed boat harbor. It is the center of Côte d'Or and was the ancient capital of Burgundy in the 14th and 15th centuries. Visitors can wend their way through the narrow streets of the old quarter and may be drawn to the city's numerous museums; the Ducal Palace, which opens onto the square; the Parliament Building; and the 13th century Cathedral St-Bénigne, with its Romanesque crypt. A number of the buildings in Dijon sport roofs with glazed tiles of varied colors and patterns. And of course the mustard merchants sell their wares in beautiful faïence jars. The recipe for the world-famous condiment dates to the 4th century AD. Burgundy Burgundy boasts some of the world's finest wines with around 60,000 acres of sunlit vines and arguably the prettiest canals in France. The Burgundy Canal winds its way in smooth curves through the heart of renowned wine growing areas such as Chablis, Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits, or rises steeply through a flight of locks that appear like staircases. The Nivernais Canal meanders alongside the picturesque River Yonne, through a largely undiscovered region near the Morvan Hills, passing sleepy villages and Charolais cattle grazing in the lush pastures. This is the original home of hotel barging with its hand-swung bridges and old logging sites, and where time seems to have stood still for centuries. The landscape around the Burgundy Canal is one of rolling hills eroded over the centuries and covered in forests of oak, maple and pine and where spring, summer and autumn each leave a unique signature. Medieval towns are surrounded by unspoilt countryside and the wonderful markets have stalls brimming with fresh local products cultivated on the fertile plains. This is a region with a vast variety of cheeses, in all shapes, sizes and colours, strong in character or mild and fresh and all can be enjoyed with full-bodied red Burgundies, or perhaps with lighter white Chablis wines. Burgundy's gastronomic tradition is certainly rich and diverse and a sedate cruise on a hotel barge along one of its delightful waterways will allow you to indulge in good food and wine, two of the real pleasures in life. *Music by Crocodile Music