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Dijon - A day trip from Paris in early Nov with an int'l gastronomy fair taking place?

Posted by (New York, NY) on

I have been to my library trying to figure out where to go on a day trip and then I saw Dijon. I went to RS books and found NOTHING mentioned about Dijon, not even a two sentence blurb; that surprised me. But then RS has not written about Winchester, England where I visited a couple of months ago and adored. So, as they say, chacun à son goût.

I did an online search here and saw closed, older threads in which people were very positive about Dijon. What about today's RS forum participants?

Last, and as the title of this thread mentions, the annual Dijon International Gastronomy Fair will be taking place the first two weeks in November. While that does sound incredibly delicious, will the city be overrun with mobs of crowds thereby maybe affecting access to small restaurants, churches, museums and crowding the old city streets? Has anyone ever been there before? I am not sure if it is spread out throughout Dijon or limited to an exposition center. My idea is to do this day trip on the first Friday in November.

Thoughts? Thanks.

Posted by
21166 posts

I wouldn't worry about Dijon being "mobbed" with tourists in November, no matter what food fair is going on. Maybe hotel prices will be up a tad, but if it is a day trip, that is not an issue for you.
The Ducal Palace is impressive.

Posted by
408 posts

That fair is held at Dijon's Parc des Expositions et Congrès, which is located outside the main tourist area of Dijon. I haven't been to Dijon during that fair, but I would be surprised if the part of town most tourists visit were unpleasantly crowded during it.

From the train station Gare de Dijon Ville, you can walk (or take bus or tram) east into the main shopping and historical area of town. There are lots of half-timbered buildings, some beautiful grand architecture, fountains, parks, a cathedral, Place de la Liberation and the Musée de Beaux-Arts, located in the former palace of the Dukes of Burgundy.

A forum member (Coco, I believe) lives in Dijon and usually is happy to describe the wonderful things about the city. Perhaps she will notice your query and provide her expertise.

Burgundy's weather can be a bit dark, cool, and damp during November, so plan accordingly.

Posted by
4071 posts

Thank you both. I hope "Coco" sees this as it would so helpful getting her advice as someone who lives in Dijon!

It sounds like the gastro fair won't impact foot traffic in the old part of Dijon. I'll dress in layers and have an umbrella for the Nov weather!

Posted by
415 posts

This is out of date information, but I did attend the gastronomy fair in Dijon in 2003. There was both all kinds of food and wine but also at that time, there was another section of the fair where there were all kinds of vendors selling kitchen gadgets, appliances, plates and all kinds of other "stuff".

I found it a great kind of local thing to attend. Dijon did not seem to be more crowded because of it.

Two things of note:
There was a cheese tasting class being held which looked amazing until I realized that it was for kids 12 and under. No wonder the French have such good taste buds.

And, there was a discounted entry rate for foreigners. We had to show ID - I believe my drivers license was enough to get the discount.

But as I say, this is 15 year old information so everything I say should be taken with a grain of salt.

Posted by
4071 posts

Thank you Laura and Shirley. That you went to the gastronomy fair is helpful, Shirley. You gave me an idea of what I could expect.

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