Tourist Attractions & Monuments en Bourgogne

The tourist office of Dijon and its various sites allow to get all the useful information for your stay: lodgings, restaurants, transport, agenda of the events, schedules for theatres... The staff is very friendly and will do everything to help you. In addition, they can advise you to participate in one of the many visits organised by the office. Thus, you can climb the 316 steps of Philippe Le Bon tower and contemplate Dijon or take the route of the owl with your booklet, it is also available on smartphone... There are several guided tours which allow to know everything about the Dukes of Burgundy, the town hall and its sumptuous lounges, the churches of the city or the local nature. In addition, gourmet visits are organised to discover mustard, wines, halls... Finally with different rates, you can spend half days or days in the beautiful Burgundy vineyard and learn everything about this heritage.

This imposing square of not less than 4,680 m² that is fully renovated a few years ago underwent multiple transformations over the centuries and has now become one of the most beautiful places in France. From 1682 to 1689, it was developed in semicircle according to the drawings of Mansart who made the buildings of Palais des États and the arches of the place. It then bears the name of Place Royale. In the 18th century between 1721 and 1736, the rue de Condé (now the Rue de la Liberté) is open to connect the palace to the Porte Guillaume. An equestrian statue of Louis XIV (melted in the Revolution) is installed in the centre of the square. Called Place d'Armes after the Revolution and Place du Maréchal Pétain under the Occupation, it became the Place de la libération in 1944. Formerly a car park, this area has become a real place of life since 2006: terraces have been installed and various events take place there. In winter, when Christmas approaches, you will find the Christmas market...! In summer, a place for children and adults who have fun and cool off around the fountains in the heart of the terraces of cafés and restaurants. This site combines now the classic architecture with the will to look to the future. It is a place to enjoy day and night, enhanced by water and light games and by Comblanchien stone (Burgundy stone) which place is completely covered.

The interface between the work of art and an ever wider audience is the challenge that this association has launched. The challenge is to support young creators by putting at their service an «associative apartment gallery» where they can display their works and disseminate their talent. Also welcomed by artists who have already made a name such as Philippe Cazal, Ming or Jean Dupuy. The gallery has taken place in an apartment of 80 square meters, divided into two pieces which houses temporary exhibitions. Moreover, several times a year, students from the Ecole Nationale supérieure d'art de Dijon are greeted by Interface. Why not you? By the way, perhaps you have already stratified, at the turn of an exhibition, the journal of the association: Out of work. Free, taken from 5 000 copies, it appears twice a year. Of course, it is broadcast in the dijonnais cultural places (Eldorado, ABC, The Saint-Jean, FRAC…), but it crosses the hexagonal borders and is also found elsewhere in Europe. Finally, enjoy the concerts organized several times a year, in partnership with other associations! In short, a breath of fresh air in the circuits of contemporary art…

Not a postcard from here without seeing it enthroned, imperial and majestic, over the city. And for good reason... The emblematic monument of Auxerre, the Clock Tower has dominated the historic center for more than 500 years. It is impossible to pass by without admiring this superb monument decorated with its astronomical clock whose two hands indicate the solar and lunar movements. Built on the foundations of the Gallo-Roman city walls in the 12th century, it was used as a prison in the 14th century while continuing to serve as the city's clock. In 1825, a fire broke out during repair work on the spire and it collapsed. The tower was then partially rebuilt, at a lower cost. Its destruction was even considered. Fortunately, protected by its registration as a historical monument, it was finally rebuilt identically in 1890. Since then, in the heart of the pedestrian district, it marks with its superb architecture an admirably preserved city center. All the more so since its long and magnificent renovation completed in the summer of 2022. No doubt, the Clock Tower has never been so beautiful!

Note that you can still admire the bases of the ancient Gallo-Roman castrum in the tea room of the chocolate maker Gregory Ferret just next door. Finally, next to the tower, the covered passage used to be the house of the famous revolutionary bailiff Cadet Roussel, a great local figure of the 18th century. A commemorative plaque reminds us of this fact.