Beaune vs Dijon

Go ahead and stay in Dijon, there's more to occupy your time. You can scoot over to Beaune for a half-day since that's about all you need there. I'm sure there are bike rentals in both places, but Beaune would probably make it easier to get out of town -- maybe spend a whole day in Beaune and include the bike ride?

I agree with Ed. Dijon is a city with a lot to see, the seat of the former Duchy of Burgundy and an important provincial capital today. On the other hand if you want a more relaxed experience, Beaune is like going to Napa, with the addition of the medieval Hospice and a few other buildings not to be missed.

I hate to disagree with Ed, but given two nights and a desire to see a bit of Burgundy I'd choose Beaune as a base.

Dijon is not without its charms but it's a big place, a bit sprawling. If he wanted to explore Dijon, rather than get a taste of Burgundy, I'd say different.

I picture Bobby spending time unprofitably getting in and out of the city each day and not having enough time for a satisfying visit there.

There are at least two days of bike loops from Beaune, or maybe a car would suit him better.

This is based on about 48 hours in Beaune and 24 in Dijon, which is not a lot of time, but the experience did not leave me wishing I'd spent more time in Dijon.

I´ve only been to Dijon, so I can´t comment on Beaune. I used it as an overnight stop between the Swiss Alps and the Loire... and I wish I had stayed longer. I could have easily added an extra night. And I disagree with the description of it as "sprawling". It´s small enough that you an negotiate all of the city center by foot.

I haven't been to Dijon, only Beaune (loved it) but wanted to say there are two driving tours in Rick's France guide and they are great. Hopefully you can fit them, or at least one, in.

Thanks for the insights. Any advice on where to stay in Beane, or where to get more info on where to stay? I have ordered Rick's book on southern France, since I will be spending a good deal of time there, but I doubt it includes Beaune.

I'm very happy to see so many votes for Dijon which is a great town with a wonderful historic centre (I'm just coming back from a nice walk around the market area and Notre Dame church) My guests from Arizona who already came twice for 10 nights are coming back again next year to discover even more about Dijon.
Anyway if you wish to stay in Beaune check their TO website to find accommodations. http://www.beaune-tourism.com/Accommodation-France/Accommodation-beaune.asp
During your stay, don't miss a visit to Dijon. Take a train(20min trip) and go to the TO near the train station. Ask for the owl's trail brochure to follow the 22 steps that lead to the main sites in Dijon. Fun and informative! http://www.travelsignposts.com/France/sightseeing/dijon-owls-trail
Have fun and welcome to Cote d'Or! coco.

Having enjoyed Beaune so much we thought we would have a train ride up to Dijon to see what we could see there. This was last June on our way to staying a week in Provence.

Everybody is different, but nothing in Dijon appealed to us. It started at the station there where our train stopped right at the very end of the platform which meant a very long slog on a hot narrow platform that we enjoyed not at all. We went outside the station and equally didn't like the hot unpleasant walk into the town. Similarly we weren't impressed by what we saw of the the centre. Back onto the train and back to Beaune.

We really did like Beaune with its pleasant streets, gentle breezes, sidewalk cafes, fountains, city walls, and very much laid back atmosphere.

We stayed just outside the walls at the Mercure, not much to look at but reasonably priced and free parking -- and right on the route to the vineyards which we enjoyed driving through. Saw many folks cycling though them as well.

EDIT>> Having just seen Coco's post, I wish we had known you when we went to Dijon. Another low point of that excursion was the Tourist Office on the left as you walk into town, with big glass doors as I remember it, and a round advertising post outside. They really didn't seem to want to know us since we were only looking for information and didn't need a room. We would have probably been more successful if what had known which pamphlet to ask for. Maybe I'll try again next year as we drive through on the way to Monaco.

Please Nigel try again! You may always contact me and if I'm free on the day you're in Dijon I would be delighted to show you my town. I can assure you my guests love it! I can't resist copying and pasting a part of the message I received today from my present (Australian) guests staying for 9 nights
..."We found Dijon very enjoyable yesterday and bought some lovely food at the market
We are settling our plans for the week and propose to do some walks around Dijon today and we will probably go to Beaune tomorrow - with some possible cycling
We have found the weather great and the town a real gem".... see? :)

Bobby, to look for a hotel in Beaune I'd recommend either going to your library and using guide books there or go to a bookstore - sit and look through guidebooks and make notes, no need to buy them. I like Rick's recommendations but there are plenty of other guides you might like. We stayed at Hotel le Cep in Beaune and liked it a lot, but it's expensive.

Since you're going to stay in Beaune but don't have a guidebook for the area and might not want to buy one, again I recommend seeing if your library has one (I like Rick's) and photocopying the portion about Beaune and the area to take with you.

We were satisfied with the Hotel de la Paix in Beaune.

Not having been to Dijon, and having found Beune great, I would recommend it. We stayed just outside the ring road (I can't remember the name, but if you're interested, e-mail and I'll look it up) and spent 2 nights there. We rented bikes by Florent and spent a day on the bike trail exploring the tiny hamlets that are burgundy and tasting the wine and had a picnic in a vinyard. Spetacular day! We took a cave tour in town (5 senses of wine) which was awesome, and went to the market to pick up supplies for aforementioned picnic. The hotel dieu is worth a visit, as well. For 2 days, you'll really enjoy what beaune has to offer.

If it were me, I would add a night and include a half-day jaunt to Besançon. Dijon and Beaune are close enough to each other that to me, it is 6 of one, a half-dozen of the other as to where you sleep. However, I think that if you have a desire to bike, Beaune would be the easier town to bike from. That doesn't preclude you from staying in Dijon, using a car to get to Beaune and renting bikes once there. As I recall, we did a day trip from my sister's place in Gray that included Besançon and Beaune and for what we wanted to accomplish, was plenty of time for both (it was winter so spending a lot of time outdoors wasn't in the cards). Because we had a car (and it was winter so not much in the way of tourists), it was very easy to get where we wanted to go. Didn't hurt that we had someone driving who'd been living in the area for several months at that point. :-) In fact, that speaks to the value of having a local guide...

Definitely Beaune. Dijon is very generic. Beaune is charming, quaint. All the local big local wine producing villages are within 5-10 Km.

Thanks for all of the very helpful info! I've decided to stay in Beaune, and may pay a visit to Dijon separately if I have time.

I am looking for budget accommodations in Beaune, since I am going way over budget in London. If anybody has had experience with these 3 hotels (or if you have other similar suggestions), please let me know:

Hotel Alesia
Beaune Hotel
Hotel de la Paix

As I said, we had a good experience at the Hotel de la Paix. Good luck!

Great decision. You cannot beat Beaune. We have been there numerous times and we can never get enough of the ambience, wonderful food, wine....Check out Hotel de Cep...Jan

They both have good reviews on tripadvisor (you may also see pictures) Hotel de la Paix is closer to everything especially the Hospices. Le Cep is a 4star hotel and not in the same price range... Have a nice stay!