Things to do in Dijon, France (+ Where to Wine & Mustard Taste)

When you think of going wine tasting in France, two regions come to mind, Bordeaux, known for the bolder wines and Burgundy, known for the lighter wines. I’m a huge wine lover myself so no matter what, both wine regions sound amazing to be. This time, however, I only had a chance to experience one of them.

I welcome you to the capital of the Burgundy region, Dijon (yep just like the spicy yellow mustard, yumm!!!). Home of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Kir, Burgundy escargot, Dijon Mustard, gingerbread, delicious food tours, and a cute little owl that can guide you with things to do in Dijon, France. So without getting too overwhelmed by everything this cute town had to offer here’s how to experience Dijon, France in just 24 hours.

Follow the Owl Trail

They always say that the early bird catches the worm. It’s definitely true if you only have 24 hours to spend in the city. Get up early and start exploring! The Magical owl of Dijon has been the cities good luck charm for over 300 years. Today it is the mascot and the official tour guide of the city that can show you the best things to do in Dijon. Stop at the tour office, or download the Owl’s Trail App to start exploring the city. The trail is 22-stages long and all information about the points of interest can be found in the guidebook/app. The entire tour takes around an hour, depending on your speed, and provides three additional routes to take in case you want to learn more about Dijon.

I thought this was the coolest things about this city, it was the first city where I saw an actual self-guided tour, with arrows/markers by a cute little owl.

Bring on the cheese (and wine of course)!

Wine and Voyages offer several different wine and food tour options depending on your time and preferences. The Sip & Savor Tour is great when you’re short on time. This wine and food tour started out with our lovely guide picking us up midday and driving us toward the vineyards of Dijon. During our 45ish minute drive into the French countryside we learned an extensive amount of information about the area, the different types of wines, and the different classifications of wines.

Our first stop was the Caveau des Musigny, a boutique wine cellar where our first wine tasting took place. Here we tried 3 Pinot Noirs and 1 Chardonnay all from different classifications and years. Our wine tasting was paired with three different types of Burgundy cheeses and French bread.

During our tasting, the boutique owner had an opportunity to chat with us about the different wines and cheeses we were tasting. She talked us through the gestation period of wine, how the winemakers did last year compared to this year, and what they expect from the coming year. She was extremely informative and knew so much about the wine. We finished our tasting and were able to shop around in the store for a few minutes.

Following the first location, we started driving toward our second wine tasting. But before we got there we made a stop at the actual vineyards. Here our tour guide explained more about the classifications of wine and taught us about the grape varietals. It was awesome to be able to taste the different grapes while actually seeing the different classifications of them.

We made one more stop before we headed to the second wine tasting. Here we saw the vineyard of the most expensive wine in the world. At $10K a bottle, I’m gladly accepting donations!!!!

Our final stop and second wine taking took place at Moillard Grivot. Here we were able to get a quick peek at the factory. Our group was there right at the end of harvesting season so we were able to actually see the production of the wines (totally cool!). We tasted 5 different wines from different classification and regions as well as a traditional Kir (crème de cassis topped up with white Burgundy Aligoté from the region. This stop was special because we’ve spent all day learning about the different wines and classifications and now we were able to put our knowledge to good use. We had a chance to read the labels and ask any questions. I’m not saying I’m a French wine expert now, but I definitely have a better understanding and can at least read the label.

What about the Dijon Mustard?

And finally, trying the mustard that the city was named after. I went to two different shops where I was able to try the delicious spicy Dijon Mustard. Moutarde Maille was a great boutique mustard shop that had about 100 different flavors of mustards, everything ranging from regular Dijon to raspberry flavored. They offer different cracker flavors and everyone in the shop is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about what they do.

And then there's Edmond Fallot, the most common Dijon Mustard shop in Dijon. This shop was neat because it was more of a museum with a tasting room and gift shop. There are different sections of the shop where they show you how the wine is made and you can always sample and purchase souvenirs.

Recommended Restaurants

Breakfast: Czez Leon: A delicious traditional Frech breakfast. Get the Burgundy style poached eggs, made with a wine sauce, and completely to die for. Please go to the nearest post office and send some to me!

Lunch: Le Palais Dit Vin: A casual quiet lunch spot that has incredible traditional French food, great wine selection, and amazing prices.

Dinner: L'Arome: A beautiful quiet/small French restaurant that has incredible food at reasonable prices. You'll feel like you just ate at a Michelin rated restaurant after you're done.

Where to stay in Dijon

I recommend staying in the city center of Dijon. The city is extremely easy to walk everywhere by foot and they have a ton of cute AirBnb’s near the center at a reasonable price.

Xoxo Ania Travels 💜