After connecting in Paris, we arrived in Beaune, in the Burgundy region, in the late afternoon with our Airbnb owner, Jocelyne, waiting to give us a ride from the station. What struck us immediately was the quaint and historic nature of the town with its stone buildings and narrow cobblestone streets. We were also very excited about finally having an apartment to spread out in rather than a hotel room, as well as to cook and do laundry. The apartment had a very old spiral staircase leading up to each floor and also included a lovely balcony facing a church that rang its bells every hour. We caught up on a few things and headed out to explore the town. We grabbed dinner at a place Jocelyne recommended, La Ciboulette, which turned out to be a Michelin star restaurant with amazing boeuf bourguignon.
Beaune dates back hundreds of years and the entire town is built on top of wine cellars that were originally constructed by ancient monks. That, plus the surrounding world-renowned vineyards throughout Burgundy, makes it a prime destination for wine connoisseurs (and wannabes like us). This was one of the main reasons we chose a visit to the Burgundy region, and Beaune specifically. The first wine tasting we experienced was at Marche aux Vins, which included a “self-guided tour” in the cellars underneath their shop. “Self-guided” basically means that they aren’t watching you aka they don’t care how much wine you consume. The cellars were lit only by candle light and as you explore each room there is a different wine awaiting you. Behind wrought-iron doors scattered throughout the cellars are dust covered uber-vintage bottles. We saw some dating back to the turn of the century. The next day we also visited Patriarche, another wine distributor with the largest underground cellar in Beaune. This cellar was a labyrinth of caves and the tour begins in the ruins of an old church. It included 15 tastings (but with the self-guided tour it turned out to be much more). The combination of the darkness and emptiness of the cellars and the old, dusty vintage bottles of wine gave these places a unique, yet slightly creepy, atmosphere.
After spending most of our first full day getting tipsy below ground, we ventured into what was left of daylight and continued on, visiting a delightful wine bar in the center square, where we drank even more Burgundy and gazed at the town’s picturesque carousel. For dinner that evening, we found a modern bistro called L’Ardoise where I had a delicious tartare and Kevin ate what he still claims as one of the best burgers he’s ever had.
The next day, we visited the Hospices de Beaune, a must see if you are ever in the area. The Hospices is an old hospital dating back to the 1400s. While the museum itself is very interesting, the highlight is the architecture of the building, including the Flemish-style mosaic tile roof. Beaune is also home to the Moutarderie Fallot, a famous mustard distributor and the only company that has authentic “Dijon mustard” in the world. Yes, you read that right – all other Dijon mustards consist of grains coming from Canada and are not actually from the Dijon, or Burgundy, region. We got to take a tour of the facility and Kevin even got to make his own mustard! The tour was pretty interesting but the best part was the tasting at the end. You can definitely tell the difference between this mustard and Grey Poupon – it is much stronger and spicier. Kevin was in heaven in the gift shop where they had mustard vending machines for 1 Euro.
Every Saturday, Beaune has a large outdoor market that takes up the entire main square. Since we decided to make dinner that night, we made a visit and hit the jackpot: fresh baguettes, fruit and vegetables, gourmet cheese, merguez sausage and charcuterie. After eating in restaurants for the last 2 weeks, it was so nice to relax in our apartment and cook a nice meal. The next morning, Jocelyne drove us back to the train station for our quick ride over to Dijon.
Recommendations:
- La Ciboulette. 69 Rue de Lorraine, 21200 Beaune, France.
- Marche aux Vins. 7 Rue de l’Hôtel Dieu, 21200 Beaune, France. https://marcheauxvins.com/.
- Patriarche. 5-7 Rue du Collège/r Paul Chanson, 21200 Beaune, France. https://www.patriarche.com/en.
- L’ardoise. 14 Rue du Faubourg Madeleine, 21200 Beaune, France.
- Hospices de Beaune. 2 Rue de l’Hôtel Dieu, 21200 Beaune, France.
- La Moutarderie Fallot. 31 Rue du Faubourg Bretonnière, 21200 Beaune, France. https://www.fallot.com/en/.
