International City of Gastronomy and Wine (Cité internationale de la gastronomie et du vin)
Burgundy's showcase of French food and wine, set in a hospital founded in 1204.
- Food maker
- 43 min from Beaune
- Allow 2 to 3 hours
- Dijon
€120one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Official website
- citedelagastronomie-dijon.fr
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 43 min by road (47 km), €120 one way for the whole car.
Or add it to our full-day wine tour, €560.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
The Cité internationale de la gastronomie et du vin opened in 2022 in Dijon's former general hospital. It celebrates the gastronomic meal of the French, listed by UNESCO in 2010, and the Climats of Burgundy. Entry to the site is free, with exhibitions, tasting workshops, cooking classes, food shops and restaurants.
What you will see
Wander freely through the courtyards and the Village gastronomique, with its cheese counter, mustard bar, bakery and restaurants. The main exhibition, À la table des Français, explores French eating and drinking over 1,750 square metres. In the old chapel, the Chapelle des Climats et des terroirs uses projections to explain Burgundy's vineyards. The Burgundy wine school runs tasting workshops, and Le 1204 explains Dijon's architecture free of charge.
History
In 1204 Duke Eudes III of Burgundy founded the Hospital of the Holy Spirit at the gates of Dijon, on an island in the river Ouche. It took in abandoned children and pilgrims. Over the centuries it grew into the city's largest hospital, known from 1669 as the general hospital. Its chapel of Sainte-Croix de Jérusalem was built in 1459.
The last patients and staff left for the new university hospital in 2015. After a ten-year conversion project, the listed buildings were restored and joined by new ones, and the Cité opened in 2022. It stands at the start of the Route des Grands Crus, the wine road that runs south from Dijon toward Nuits-Saint-Georges and Beaune. Its address, Parvis de l'Unesco, recalls the two UNESCO listings it celebrates.
Planning your visit
Tips for your visit
Access to the site and to the permanent exhibitions is free, with a free ticket from the desk or online. The temporary exhibition and the workshops are paid. Tasting workshops are best booked ahead. The Cité is about ten minutes' walk from Dijon station and has its own car park. Several shops and restaurants have closed or changed since the opening, so check the official website for opening times and what is running.
Around here
What to combine with International City of Gastronomy and Wine on the same day, nearest first.
Dijon
1 km awayMarsannay-la-Côte
6 km awayFixin
9 km away
- Christmas
Les Fééries de Noël de Dijon
Usually from the last Saturday of November to the first Sunday of JanuaryDijon - Tradition
Fête de la Pressée
Usually the third weekend of September, during the European Heritage DaysChenôve
Guides about International City of Gastronomy and Wine
Questions
International City of Gastronomy and Wine is about 43 min from Beaune by road (47 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €120 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? The Cité's chapel belongs to a hospital that cared for people on this site for more than 800 years, from its founding in 1204 until the last patients left in 2015.
Sources
International City of Gastronomy and Wine with a private driver
€120 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests