Beaune (pronounced 'bone'), 44km south of Dijon, is the unofficial capital of the Côte d'Or. This thriving town's raison d'être and the source of itsjoie de vivre is wine.
Beaune's amoeba-shaped old city is enclosed by stone rampartssheltering wine cellars.
Hôtel-Dieu des Hospices de BeauneHISTORIC BUILDING
Built in 1443, this magnificent Gothic hospital (until 1971) is famously topped by stunning turrets and pitched rooftops covered in multicoloured tiles. Interior highlights include the barrel-vaulted Grande Salle (look for the dragons and peasant heads up on the roof beams); the mural-coveredSt-Hughes Room; an 18th-century pharmacy lined with flasks once filled with elixirs and powders; and the multipanelled masterpiece Polyptych of the Last Judgement by 15th-century Flemish painter Rogier van der Weyden, depicting Judgment Day in glorious technicolour.
Marché aux VinsWINE TASTING
Sample seven wines for €11, or 10 for €15, in the candle-lit former Église des Cordeliers and its cellars. Wandering among the vintages takes about an hour. The finest wines are at the end; look for the premier crus and thegrand cru (wine of exceptional quality).
BUS
Bus 44 links Beaune with Dijon (€1.50, 1½ hours, two to seven daily), stopping at Côte d'Or villages like Nuits-St-Georges.
TRAIN
Trains run to the following destinations:
Dijon €7.80, 25 minutes, 40 daily
Paris Gare de Lyon €75, 2¼ hours, two daily
Lyon-Part Dieu €26.50, 1¾ hours, 16 daily
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