Dijon travel guide, in your ear
The historic capital of Burgundy, gateway to the Route des Grands Crus, famed for its mustard, Gothic dukes' palace, and magnificent wine estates.
- 18 narrated stops
- ~54 minutes of stories
- 6 languages
- Offline ready
What is the Gingerguide Dijon tour?
It is a self-guided audio walking tour of Dijon, France, inside the Gingerguide travel guide app. The tour maps 18 sights and tells the story of each one in a two to three minute narration with a lifelike AI voice. When the story is not enough, ask the built-in AI guide about the place and keep the conversation going. Everything is available in six languages and works fully offline after a one-time download.
About Dijon
Dijon is a city of dukes, mustard, and very good wine. It sits in eastern France at the head of the Burgundy vineyards, a handsome, unhurried town of stone mansions, half-timbered houses, and roofs of coloured glazed tiles laid out in bright zigzag patterns. For a few glittering centuries it was the capital of the Dukes of Burgundy, among the richest princes in Europe, and it has been living well, and eating well, ever since.
In the late Middle Ages the Dukes of Burgundy ruled a realm that rivalled the kings of France, and they poured their fortune into Dijon: a great ducal palace, soaring churches, and treasures of art that still fill the city's galleries. When their line died out, Burgundy was swallowed by France, but Dijon never lost its swagger, nor the confidence of a place that had once been a capital.
Today that pride lives at the table. This is the gateway to Burgundy, one of the greatest wine regions on earth, whose famous road of grand vineyards begins just south of town. It is the home of the sharp golden mustard that carries the city's name around the world, and of the kir, a glass of cool white wine touched with blackcurrant, invented by a local priest. To eat here, slowly and seriously, is the whole point.
A few things capture it. On a grand curved square stands the old palace of the dukes, part of it now one of France's finest art museums. On the wall of a Gothic church nearby is a tiny carved stone owl, worn smooth by passers-by who stroke it, with the left hand, for luck. And a trail of little brass owls set into the pavement leads you through the whole old town.
End the day at a café table on a warm square as the light softens on the old stone and the coloured roofs. A glass of Burgundy, a plate of snails or a wedge of ripe cheese, the murmur of the town winding down. Dijon does not rush, and it does not need to impress. It just knows, better than almost anywhere, how to live.
One day in Dijon
A simple way to walk the highlights, following the route order in the app. Swap anything; Dijon rewards detours.
What to see in Dijon: all 18 stops
Every place below has its own narrated story in the app, and its own answers when you want more. Walk them in any order; the map shows what is around you.
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Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy
The magnificent 14th-century palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, once one of the most powerful courts in Europe, now Dijon's city hall, housing one of France's finest fine arts museums within its medieval and Baroque halls.
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Notre-Dame de Dijon
One of the finest Gothic churches in Burgundy, with an extraordinary facade of three tiers of false gargoyles and a jacquemart bell-ringing mechanism, and the famous carved owl of Dijon on its north wall.
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Place de la Libération
Dijon's magnificent semicircular Baroque main square, designed in 1682 by Jules Hardouin-Mansart (architect of Versailles) for Louis XIV, one of the most harmonious urban spaces in provincial France.
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Well of Moses (Chartreuse de Champmol)
Claus Sluter's 1404 masterpiece, six polychrome Old Testament prophets surrounding a sculptural base, considered the greatest work of late medieval sculpture in Northern Europe, in the former ducal charterhouse.
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Dijon Mustard Tradition
Dijon has been the mustard capital of the world since the 14th century, contrary to popular belief, authentic Dijon mustard is pale yellow (not bright yellow), made with verjuice from Burgundy grapes and ground black mustard seeds.
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Hospices de Beaune
The most beautiful Gothic building in Burgundy, a 15th-century charitable hospital in Beaune (30km south), with its spectacular multicoloured glazed-tile roof, hosting the world's most famous wine auction every November.
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Burgundy Wine Route (Route des Grands Crus)
The Route des Grands Crus runs 60km south from Dijon through Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, and Vougeot to Beaune, the most famous stretch of vineyard in the world, producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of unparalleled complexity.
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Sainte-Bénigne Cathedral
Dijon's Gothic cathedral, built over a Romanesque predecessor, with an extraordinary early Romanesque crypt containing the tomb of Saint Benignus, the early Christian martyr who, by tradition, brought Christianity to Burgundy.
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Marché des Vins / Burgundy Wine Tasting
The prestigious cellars beneath a 13th-century Gothic church in Dijon's centre, offering a self-guided tasting of 15 prestigious Burgundy appellations, the finest wine experience in the capital of Burgundy.
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Burgundy Cuisine
Burgundy cuisine is one of France's great regional traditions, boeuf Bourguignon, coq au vin, escargots de Bourgogne, jambon persillé, and gougères define a richly satisfying cuisine built on Charolais beef, snails, and Burgundy wine.
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Musée Archéologique
Housed in the vaulted dormitory of a former Benedictine abbey, this exceptional museum preserves Burgundy's Celtic and Gallo-Roman heritage, including gold votives from the Seine source sanctuary and the extraordinary Bronze Age and Iron Age finds.
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Place François Rude
The lively market square in the heart of Dijon's pedestrianised old town, named after the sculptor François Rude, surrounded by cafés, wine bars, and a fountain, the most animated outdoor meeting place in the city.
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Jardin Darcy
Dijon's elegant 19th-century English-style garden, featuring a famous copy of François Pompon's polar bear sculpture, an ornamental lake, and shaded promenades, the green gateway to the old town from the main railway station.
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Historic Hotels Particuliers (Dijon's Renaissance Quarter)
Dijon's medieval and Renaissance old town contains over 300 classified historic buildings, private mansions (hôtels particuliers) in Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles, creating one of the richest concentrations of historic architecture in France.
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Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon
One of the three finest art museums in France outside Paris, housed within the ducal palace, its medieval galleries hold the incomparable ducal tombs by Claus Sluter, while the painting collection spans five centuries of European art.
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Dijon Art Nouveau & Grand Rue Heritage
Beyond the medieval core, Dijon's 19th and early 20th-century expansion produced fine Art Nouveau and Belle Époque architecture along its grand boulevards, with several remarkable buildings by local architects.
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Dijon Owl Trail (Sentier de la Chouette)
Dijon's self-guided walking trail through the old town, marked by bronze owl markers on the pavement, connecting 22 of the city's most important historic sites, the ideal way to discover the ducal city on foot.
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Burgundy Identity & Franco-Comtois Heritage
Dijon is the historic capital of the Duchy of Burgundy and now the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, a city with one of the strongest regional identities in France, shaped by its ducal past and wine heritage.
Three things most visitors miss
Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy
From the top of the Tour Philippe le Bon on a clear day, you can see Mont Blanc, 200 km away in the Alps, making it one of the longest natural viewpoints from any city tower in Europe.
Notre-Dame de Dijon
Notre-Dame de Dijon's 51 false gargoyles are purely decorative, playing no role in draining rainwater. The medieval originals were removed around 1240 after a falling figure reportedly killed a man below; the present carvings were made during the 1880-1882 restoration.
Place de la Libération
The Place de la Libération was designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart at the same time he was designing the Palace of Versailles, both projects were underway simultaneously in the early 1680s, making Dijon's main square a sister project to Versailles.
Dijon tour: questions and answers
Do I need a tour guide in Dijon?
Not a human one. Gingerguide covers Dijon with 18 narrated sights, so you get the stories a guide would tell, at your own pace and on your own route. And if a story leaves you with a question, you can ask the built-in AI guide and discuss the place right there, the way you would with a guide.
How many stops does the Dijon audio tour have?
The Dijon guide covers 18 sights. Each one has a researched story of roughly three minutes, about 54 minutes of listening in total. You choose the order and the pace; the tour is self-guided.
Does the Dijon tour work offline?
Yes. You can download Dijon in the app, audio, photos, and offline map tiles included. After the download, the full tour works without an internet connection.
Which languages does the Dijon guide support?
Every Dijon narration is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Turkish, and Chinese. You can switch the language in the app at any time.
Is the Dijon audio guide free?
The Gingerguide app is free to download, and Dijon includes a free preview: you can see all 18 sights on the map at no cost. A premium subscription unlocks the full stories, audio narration, and the offline download.
Hear Dijon tell its own story.
Preview all 18 Dijon stops free in the Gingerguide app.