Dijon Attractions
Dijon, once capital of the duchy of Burgundy and now chief town of the département of Côte-d'Or, the see of a bishop and a university town, lies in hilly country at the junction of the rivers Ouche and Suzon. It preserves many buildings of the ducal period which are among the finest in France. Dijon is also an industrial town.
In Roman times Dijon (Dibio) was a fortified post on the road from Lyons to Mainz. After many centuries of vicissitudes it became part of the duchy of Burgundy in the 11th century and was soon raised to the status of its capital. In the 14th and 15th centuries, under Dukes Philip the Bold (1364-1404), John the Fearless (1404- 1419), Philip the Good (1419-1467) and Charles the Bold (1467-1477), Dijon enjoyed a first cultural growth.
At the end of the 18th century the English traveller Arthur Young wrote: "Dijon, on the whole, is a handsome town; the streets, though old built, are wide and very well paved, with the addition, uncommon in France, of trottoirs." At that time Dijon had no more than 20,000 inhabitants. It was only in the mid 19th century, with the increase in trade and traffic, that it began to develop into the large city that we see today.
In Roman times Dijon (Dibio) was a fortified post on the road from Lyons to Mainz. After many centuries of vicissitudes it became part of the duchy of Burgundy in the 11th century and was soon raised to the status of its capital. In the 14th and 15th centuries, under Dukes Philip the Bold (1364-1404), John the Fearless (1404- 1419), Philip the Good (1419-1467) and Charles the Bold (1467-1477), Dijon enjoyed a first cultural growth.
At the end of the 18th century the English traveller Arthur Young wrote: "Dijon, on the whole, is a handsome town; the streets, though old built, are wide and very well paved, with the addition, uncommon in France, of trottoirs." At that time Dijon had no more than 20,000 inhabitants. It was only in the mid 19th century, with the increase in trade and traffic, that it began to develop into the large city that we see today.
Read More
Musée des Beaux-Arts
(Palais des Ducs)
Found in the Ducal Palace is the Musée des Beaux-Arts, one of France's premier fine arts museums.
Read More
Notre Dame
Notre Dame is a 13th C Burgundian Gothic church with a clock tower featuring mechanical figures.
Read More
Palais des Ducs
The Palais des Ducs is a creation of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, built in the late 17th and early 18th C.
St Bénigne Cathedral
In Dijon, west of the Ducal Palace is the twin-towered Gothic Cathedral St-Bénigne (1280-1314), originally the church of a Benedictine abbey. It incorporates a Romanesque doorway and a large crypt with the tomb of St Bénigne and pre-Romanesque capitals from an earlier church on the same site. The dormitory of the abbey now contains an archeological museum (Roman and medieval antiquities).
St Michel
To the east of the Ducal Palace in Dijon is the 16th C church of St-Michel, in Flamboyant style, with three richly decorated doorways. South of the Ducal Palace is the Palais de Justice (Law Courts; 16th and 17th C).
Chartreuse de Champmol
On the western edge of Dijon, can be seen the remains of the Chartreuse de Champmol, with a church door and Moses fountain dating from 1404. Once the burial place of the Dukes of the House of Valois, it is now a psychiatric clinic.
Dijon Festival
The French Grand Prix is held in June in Dijon. The International Folk Festival is in August and September.
Festival of Folklore
The Dijon Festival is a 10-day festival that takes place in early September. Folk groups from over 30 countries come to sing and dance in an international competition during the festival. The finale is a Grand Parade through the cobbled streets of the town.
Dijon Festival de Musiques et Danses Populaires
Cellier de Clairvaux
27 boulevard de la Tremuille
F-21025 Dijon
France
Cellier de Clairvaux
27 boulevard de la Tremuille
F-21025 Dijon
France
Musée Magnin
In Dijon is found the Hôtel Lantin, a 17th century mansion which was adapted by Auguste Perret to house the Musée Magnin, with a large collection of pictures, mainly French.
Hours
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Closed | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 | 10:00 |
| Close | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | 12:00 | |
| Open | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | 14:00 | |
| Close | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 |
Always closed on:
New Year's Day (January 1)
Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Rue des Forges
In Dijon there are charming old houses to the east of Notre-Dame, in Rue Verrerie, Rue Chaudronnerie and Rue Vannerie, and also in Rue des Forges, between the Ducal Palace and Notre-Dame.
Attractions in Other Popular Destinations
