Beaune/Dijon

Correct spelling is Beaune. They are both easy to tour on your own.

Thank you. :). I knew the correct spelling, just in a hurry.

regarding Beaune and Dijon....I will be leaving Paris and the Olympic craziness and headed to a family wedding and I want to take a quick look and not have to think. It would be easy for a local to show us around and more enjoyable for me.
In any other situation...i love exploring on my own.
Michelle

Will you be spending the night? Or is this a day trip from somewhere else?

Going from Paris to Lyon. Day trip. Decided to get boy stop in Dijon.

Dijon is fairly big, and the train station is a bit of a walk to the center. Beaune station a little walk to the center too. So figure in +- 10 minutes walk each way in each place from train to core.

I'm not sure if Dijon rates a stop and walking tour on a transfer day from Paris to Lyon. Beaune on the other hand you could stop over to visit the Hospice and have leisurely lunch. Or visit the wine info center and lunch, or all three. Beaune is better set up for compact tourism.

But I don't know Dijon well - rode my bike there and looked around a bit, no deeper.

Without knowing the specifics of what type of guide you are looking for, I would contact and use the recommendations of the Offices de Tourisme:

https://www.beaune-tourism.com/
https://www.destinationdijon.com/

I just watched a walking tour of Dijon and ... meh.

OTOH I recall enjoying Beaune and yes it's a good compact size.

Michelle, the TI in Dijon has a small booklet that takes you on a walking tour. Highly recommended, it’s a few Euros, but well worth it. There also is a free little shuttle bus that you can hop on at the train station, tools around town. . The TI is about a block from the Notre Dame cathedral. When you follow the walking tour, there are embedded owls in the sidewalk indicating the stops. I really enjoyed Dijon, I was there a couple nites in 2022, then off to Lyon. Make sure you have quenelle in Lyon. It’s the only place to get it.

Probably don't need a guide for Beaune. It's fairly small with a few attractions. The Rick Steves guide should be sufficient.

I'm not sure if there is anything to see Dijon.

Just to give another opinion. I didn't really like Beaune. I walked all over the city. The tourist area is nicely finished, the other parts of town are quite run down. Another reason I didn't like Beaune is the age of the buildings. I personally prefer Medieval buildings over Rennaissance buildings. Dijon's old center is half-timbered, medieval with canals running through, really pretty. Beaune is just stucco finished buildings and roads. I much prefer Dijon's old center. You can go to Google maps and look at pictures of both and decide for yourself.

Also, Dijon has much better food and lodging options than Beaune. If you choose Beaune, make sure you get reservations for a good restaurant. Half of Beaune's restaurants are good but booked up every night. The other half are awful, mostly empty, and not worth your time at any price.

I'm back in the area this September. I'll visit Beune as a day-stop to see the Hospice (coming from Semur en Auxois), then continue on to stay in Dijon.