Belle Bourgogne Part 5: A morning in Beaune

We dedicated a few hours one morning to re-visit Beaune. Having previously visited several times in 2009, it seemed timely to reacquaint ourselves with this popular town that sits between Lyon and Dijon, at the very heart of Bourgogne. A perfect place to indulge in history, food and wine. The town has walled ramparts and a moat. It is easy to explore on foot. There is a good range of accommodation and it can be accessed by train.

Unfortunately, the morning was overcast and cool for July, so jackets were required. It is a fairly quick drive from Savigny-lés-Beaune to Beaune and as we approached the town centre I began pointing out several great parking area options.

My driver and adventure partner, Chris

Chris enjoys being the driver on our overseas adventures and always attempts to get closer to the heart of the action before looking for the perfect parking space. This trait has previously ended in a parking fine in Italy for driving through the "ZTL" (Zona a Traffico Limitato) signs in historic centres, as restricted areas use cameras to issue automatic fines.

We have also had some hair-raising moments in village streets that start off wide enough to fit our vehicle but then gradually narrow leaving us basically stuck and needing to reverse. Again, thankfully manoeuvring a vehicle is one of Chris’ great skills.

The parking meter was not in the best condition

Not being city dwellers, our experience with parking meters is limited and stressful even in our own country and language. So when we found a great spot near the very centre of Beaune, I tried desperately to record our vehicle number plate and pay for our parking spot with the nearby parking meter, but it vehemently refused to cooperate. It would not accept a payment and eventually displayed a malfunction message. Not stressing too much and thinking we might be able to sort it out later, we headed off to the Wednesday morning market stalls.

Halle de Beaune find more details on the tourism website here

The market was not the large fresh produce market held on Saturdays but there were plenty of colourful and tempting stalls and we were able to buy some gifts of lavender oil, tea towels, soap, tapenade and of course, Dijon mustard.

Famous Dijon mustard (in French, moutarde). So many varieties on offer it was hard to choose. Luckily we were able to buy a sample pack of 5 varieties to bring home.

After this, we strolled the old cobbled streets, admiring the many delightful and invitingly colourful shops and stopping for a few other purchases. I love a French shop window. The French expression for window shopping is: faire du lèche-vitrines. Literally to lick the windows.

One of the many enticing shops in Beaune, Mulot-Petitjean Pain d’Epices

At a lovely shop, called Athenaeum, the staff assisted us with some special children’s books for our grandchildren. The shop went from books, to gifts and homeware items it was extensive. As we browsed the rest of the shop, I was tempted to buy more art supplies and regretfully chose not to. Always a great reason to return!

Fabulous offerings at Alain Batt Chocolatier above and below

We purchased some chocolates at Alain Batt Chocolatier at 11 Rue Monge. The delightful shop assistant was very helpful as we made our chocolate choices and allowing Chris to take photos of the displays. Our visit was prior to 2024 Paris Olympics and some of the offerings included the Olympic theme.

Chocolate creations to celebrate the Paris 2024 Olympics. Les Jeux Olympiques de Paris 2024

We tried to do a wine tasting in March de Vins but it was near to their midday closure so we wandered to Place Carnot and had a glass of wine at Maison Jules Café Brasserie and watched the small children enjoying Le Carrousel.

Le Carrousel in Place Carnot Beaune

We can’t leave Beaune without mentioning the magnificent Hôtel Dieu - Hospices de Beaune, located in the town centre. Although we didn’t visit on this trip, we had visited in 2009 and would definitely recommend a visit to experience the beautiful building.

Visitors queuing to enter Hôtel Dieu Hospices de Beaune for more information click here

You will learn the history of the medieval hospital established in 1443 to care for the poor and disadvantaged. Not to mention that this being Burgundy, there is a connection to local wine.

Hôtel Dieu established in 1443

For a bird’s eye view of the spectacular tiled roof and a quick look inside watch here.

Unfortunately my photographic evidence didn’t help our case

It was now time to head to our special lunch booking in Bligny-sur-Ouche, so we headed back to the van. I confronted the parking meter again and tried to add and pay for our parking but to no avail. I took photos as proof. Unfortunately, post trip, we received a notice of non-payment, tried to argue our case and ended up with an horrendous fine of 70 Euros, this included the car rental company’s fee, for good measure!

 Lesson learnt. Take the free parking option and walk that little bit further.

Please join me next time for a small taste of our cycling adventures in Burgundy and a glimpse of Le Tour de France 2024. À bientôt!