Dijon Old Town

Dijon escaped wartime bombing, so its centre kept a dense run of timber-framed houses, hotels particuliers and glazed polychrome roof tiles in the Burgundian pattern. The Palace of the Dukes stands at the heart of it, now the town hall and the Musee des Beaux-Arts, which holds the extraordinary carved and gilded tombs of the Valois dukes. A stone owl carved on a buttress of Notre-Dame has been rubbed for luck for centuries, worn almost smooth, and the tourist office marks a walking route through the old town with bronze owl plaques in the pavement, twenty-two of them, called the Parcours de la Chouette.

What you actually see

• The owl trail - twenty-two bronze plaques marking a walking route.
• The ducal tombs - carved and gilded Valois tombs in the fine arts museum.
• The glazed roofs - Burgundian polychrome tiles in geometric patterns.
• The worn owl - the luck-rubbed carving on Notre-Dame's wall.

When to go

April to October; the fine arts museum is free and open year-round except Tuesdays. The Cite de la Gastronomie and food markets are good in any season. Autumn is harvest time in the vineyards south.

Honest expectations

Museum sections close on rotation during long restoration campaigns. The owl trail is easy to lose without the leaflet or app. Mustard sold in tourist shops is mostly not made from local seed.

Nearby

Beaune lies south; the Cote de Nuits vineyards start at the edge of town.