France

Paris' monument-lined boulevards, museums, classical bistros and boutiques are enhanced by a new wave of multimedia galleries, creative wine bars, design shops and tech start-ups.
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With its compact and pedestrian-friendly centre, lively street scene and aesthetically pleasing ensemble of half-timbered houses and polychrome tile roofs, Dijon is one of France's most appealing cities. Filled with elegant medieval and Renaissance buildings that hark back to the city's 14th- and 15th-century heyday as the capital of the Duchy of Burgundy, the historic centre is wonderful for strolling, especially if you like to leaven your cultural enrichment with excellent food, fine wine and shopping.

Only 30-40 minutes to Beaune by train.

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Nearing the end of a nine-year renovation, these sprawling galleries in Dijon's monumental Palais des Ducs are works of art in themselves and constitute one of France's most outstanding museums. The star attraction is the wood-panelled Salle des Gardes, which houses the ornate, carved late-medieval sepulchres of dukes John the Fearless and Philip the Bold. Other sections focus on Egyptian art, the Middle Ages in Burgundy and Europe, and six centuries of European painting, from the Renaissance to modern times.
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A block north of the Palais des Ducs, this church was built between 1220 and 1240. Its extraordinary façade's three tiers are lined with leering gargoyles separated by two rows of pencil-thin columns. Atop the church, the 14th-century Horloge à Jacquemart, transported from Flanders in 1383 by Philip the Bold who claimed it as a trophy of war, chimes every quarter-hour.
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Adjacent to the ducal palace, this 46m-high, mid-15th-century tower affords fantastic views over the city. On a clear day you can see all the way to Mont Blanc. Dijon's tourist office handles reservations.
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Once home to Burgundy's powerful dukes, this monumental palace with a neoclassical facade overlooks place de la Libération, old Dijon's magnificent central square dating from 1686. The palace's eastern wing houses the outstanding Musée des Beaux-Arts, whose entrance is next to the Tour de Bar, a squat 14th-century tower that once served as a prison. The remainder of the palace houses municipal offices that are off limits to the public.
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Around the north side of Église Notre Dame, this street is named after the small stone owl (chouette) carved into the exterior corner of the chapel diagonally across from No 24. Said to grant happiness and wisdom to those who stroke it, it has been worn smooth by generations of fortune-seekers.
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Around the time of the French Revolution, Mulot & Petitjean founded one of several bakeries making Dijon's famous pain d'épices (gingerbread). Nine generations later, the founders' descendants have converted part of their factory into this interactive museum, opened in 2017. English-language audio guides and animated talking heads tell you the history of pain d'épices and take you through the production process. Afterwards, taste the goods, including Mulot & Petitjean's companion product – jacquelines – meringue-covered treats filled with nougat or hazelnut pralines. They run several outlets, including one on place Bossuet.
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Housed in a 17th-century Cistercian convent, this museum explores village and town life in Burgundy in centuries past with evocative tableaux illustrating dress, customs and traditional crafts. On the 1st floor, a whole street has been re-created, complete with 19th-century pharmacy and numerous antique-filled shops (grocer, furrier, hat-maker, clock-maker, toy store and more).
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Truly surprising Celtic, Gallo-Roman and Merovingian artefacts are displayed here, including a particularly fine 1st-century AD bronze of the Celtic river goddess Sequana standing on a dual-prowed boat. Upstairs, the early-Gothic hall (12th and 13th centuries), with its ogival arches held aloft by two rows of columns, once served as the dormitory of a Benedictine abbey.
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