Foissy-lès-Vézelay, France + Add a trip

Automobiles

Burgundy is connected by good roads, and a car is recommended if you want to visit the vineyards, châteaux and historic towns scattered throughout the region. Avis, Europcar, Hertz and National all have desks at Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport (www.lyon.aeroport.fr). Access Burgundy via the A6 from Paris, or the A7 from Marseille.

Planes

Fly into Dijon-Bourgogne in the north of Burgundy, or Lyon St Exupéry airport if you're visiting the south of the region. Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly Airports in Paris are within easy reach of Dijon.

Trains

From the UK, take the Eurostar (www.eurostar. com) from London St Pancras to Lyon via Lille (around six hours), or Paris (slightly quicker, but you connect from a different station). The TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon takes two hours (www.tgv.com).

Dialing

Country code for France: 33. Dijon: 038.

Reads

Long Ago in France: The Years in Dijon by MFK Fisher celebrates the region's cuisine. The Vintner's Luck by Elizabeth Knox is a novel set in a small Burgundian village at the time of Napoleon.

Do go / Don't Go

ummers are hot and sunny; winters are cold and clear. Spring sees more rainfall but fewer crowds in the towns and cities. The oak and maple forests look spectacular in autumn, and the wine harvest takes place in September and October.

Cuisine

Burgundy's top restaurants use prized local ingredients, including Charolais beef and Grand Cru wines. Say Dijon, and you think mustard. Grey Poupon, the famous original, is now mass-produced by Kraft; it's worth scouring Dijon's delis for local blends. Celebrated dishes such as boeuf bourguignon and coq au vin are claimed by the region, and it's an excellent place to order escargots. The Morvan area produces wonderful goat's cheese.

Taxis

In Dijon, there's a taxi rank at the railway station. Otherwise, book one through Taxis Radio Dijon (+33 (0)3 80 41 41 12) or your hotel.

Tipping

A service charge is normally added to your bill (service compris) in restaurants and cafés but it's still customary to leave a small tip. For taxi drivers, add 10 percent to the metered charge.

Currency

Euro.

Packing

A corkscrew.

Arts

Located in Dijon's magnificent Ducal Palace, the Musée des Beaux-Arts (mba.dijon.fr) has collections both ancient (Egyptian art) and modern (20th century). In Autun on the Rue des Bancs, the Musée Rolin is a cultural archive of the area, housing an impressive restored mosaic of Bellerophon from the 2nd century (www.autun.com). Castles are fairy-tale fabulous in these parts: Château de Commarin in the north has beautiful formal gardens and opulent interiors (www. commarin.com). Château de Drée, in the south, is all formal gardens and 17th-century finery (chateau-de-dree.com).

And...

In Burgundy, DRC stands for Domaine de Romanée-Conti, a small vineyard in the Côte de Nuits that produces some of the world's most expensive 39 Burgundy wine in tiny quantities. If your budget won't stretch to one of the fabled bottles (reported estimates ricochet between £2,000 and £7,000 a pop), content yourself by reading Richard Olney's Romanée Conti.

Shopping

The Place de la Mairie in Autun has stalls selling fresh produce, baked treats, saucissons and cheeses every Wednesday and Friday morning. Get your Dijon mustard at La Boutique Maille on Rue de la Liberté, a shrine to the city's favourite condiment. Dijon's Central Market was designed by Gustav Eiffel and is a treasure trove of local specialities. Mâcon, in the south of the Burgundy region, has a fruit, vegetable and flower market every morning (Tuesday to Saturday) in Place aux Herbes, and on Saturday morning on Esplanade Lamartine. The Sunday market in Chablis is also a culinary treat.

Viewpoint

Climb the 315 steps of the Philippe le Bon Tower in Dijon for a splendid view over the rooftops of the city's well-preserved mediaeval quarter.

Something

Drive 90 minutes west of Dijon to Vézelay, a hill-perched town recognised by Unesco for its significance to pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela. They stop off to pay their respects to Saint Mary Magdalene and her relics at the town's soaring basilica: tours and programmes cost, but it's free to admire the vaulted ceilings and 12th-century stone carvings (+33 (0)3 86 33 39 50).

May Sharpen your leather-patched elbows for the annual antiques fair in Dijon, where dealers and collectors do battle over brocante bargains (www.dijon-expocongres.com). In Semur-en-Auxois, all things mediaeval are celebrated during an annual festival. Raise a toast in a themed tavern, enjoy street theatre, and pick up ye olde ornaments in the craft market (www.ville-semur-en-auxois.fr). June Blues en Bourgogne takes place in the village of Le Creusot; it's a four-day programme of blues - electric, trad and gospel - featuring performers from France, the UK and the US (www.festival-du-blues.com). August Take an empty car boot and a discerning thirst to the Pouilly-sur-Loire Wine Fair - an opportunity to taste the region's finest wines, including Pouilly Fumé, Sancerre and Reuilly. October You may have to jog 26.2 miles, but you'll see lovely scenery if you take part in the Grands Crus Marathon, a circuit from/to Maison de Marsannay la Côte (www.marathondesgrandscrus.com). November Dijon holds its annual International Food Festival, a major diary date among European food connoisseurs, where you can sample produce and wine from all over the world (www.dijon-expocongres.com). Mid-month, the Hospices de Beaune holds a lively and time-honoured charity wine auction, with some of the best Burgundies up for grabs (www.hospices-de-beaune.com).