Crédits : Charlène Campos. Translation: Jill Harry. Pictures: Beaune tourisme
Discovery
For fun in Levernois, you have a choice: ordinary or electric bikes, a fitness path, flights in a hot-air balloon, tennis courts, or the neighbouring 18-hole Beaune Levernois golf-course. Paths close by will also beckon to fans of wine, history and sport…
A land of Epicuriens, Burgundy has a long heritage of making wine! Set off for immersion in "Les Climats de Bourgogne", a name attributed to vineyard plots. The fortified town of Beaune opens out to the Côte-d’Or vineyards and its illustrious villages. Stop by La Maison des Climats for an interactive visit… Superb!
Then return to the "Champs Élysées" of Burgundy. 37 legendary villages can be crossed between Dijon and Santenay. Which has a double vocation, as a spa and wine-producer, with wine offering delicate nuances depending on the locality. The castle, recalling the Dukes of Burgundy, and the Sorine windmill, also form part of the commune's history.
Next, pay a call to addresses of excellence: Gevrey-Chambertin, a village with 9 top-notch vintages; Vougeot with its legendary "clos"; but also Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and, of course, Pommard. As far back as the Middle Ages, Pommard was seen as "the queen of Le Beaunois wines", a real benchmark… Wine depends on a locality and special know-how. It is the result of a past and a chain of values. So let yourself be guided through this divine realm, worthy of Bacchus... And lift the veil on the thousand or so "Climats" defining Burgundy. A tasting session to arouse the senses... Learn how to distinguish Pinot Noir from Chardonnay, Burgundy's top two varieties. Wonderful memories!
Burgundy is all about discoveries! It offers 1,001 possibilities for excursions… Visitors to Beaune are won over by its narrow cobbled streets, ramparts, charming "échoppes". Visit its Hospices founded in 1443 A.D., a place hosting wine auctions, but above all the Hôtel Dieu Museum with its famous roof of colourful tiles, displaying masterpieces such as The Last Judgement (1446-52) by Rogier Van der Weyden (1399-1464), the third great founder of 15th-C. Flemish painting. Searching for inner meaning, he tried to convey spiritual depth in his paintings and polyptychs. And don't miss La Moutarderie Fallot (1840), the region's last mustard factory, still using a real stone grindstone!
From Beaune to Santenay, you will pedal past Burgundy vintages… Soon, a bike path will link Dijon (and the Dukes' Palace) to Beaune, allowing fans to visit Burgundy's "Champs Élysées" in their entirety via the region's "Grands Crus"; Clos Vougeot, Romanée-Conti, Corton-Charlemagne, Savigny-lès-Beaune… Whether cycling along the "Voie des Vignes" or seen from the sky in a hot-air balloon, La Côte de Beaune is as beautiful as ever... And don't forget that Beaune, a town of art, hosts international festivals all year round, including those dedicated to crime movies, jazz, baroque opera and boogie-woogie…
Finally, follow the canals, still on your bikes, with a pause in the village of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain with its Benedictine abbey (719 A.D.). Discovery of this fine heritage continues with the castles of Cormatin (17th-C.), Couches (11th-C.) and Châteauneuf-en-Auxois (12th-C.), near the Château Sainte Sabine; along with lovely abbeys such as Fontenay (12th-C.) founded by Saint Bernard de Clairvaux… An unforgettable experience!
Further details:
beaune-tourisme.fr
