www.destinationdijon.com. A former Roman stronghold on the ancient military and trade routes between Lyon and Mainz, Dijon was chosen as the capital of the Duchy of Burgundy in the 10thC. During the 13th-14thC, the city flourished under the colourful rule of its wealthy and powerful Valois dukes who built Dijon into a renowned cultural and commercial centre capable of sustaining its, importance even after the duchy was annexed by the crown in 1476.

A major road and rail junction, Dijon is also a prosperous industrial centre, but its character is typically relaxed and Burgundian. No matter how you rush at it, this city will slow you down – encourage you to linger on its elegant streets, in its museums, to touch the lucky owl outside the Gothic church of Notre-Dame, and to savour its gastronomic treats.

The city centre’s maze of one-way streets and pedestrian thoroughfares is a strong argument for taking in the sights on foot. Start on place Darcy (a short walk from the station), and head for rue de la Liberté, the main shopping street, straddled by an 18thC triumphal arch, Porte Guillaume. Two-thirds of the way up, place Rude is a lovely old square with a clutch of popular cafés circling a fountain. The bronze statue of a vigneron trampling grapes is by the Bugundian artist Fran√笵cois Rude. There are some fine medieval and Renaissance mansions in rue des Forges; then make a detour for the beautiful 13thC Eglise de Notre-Dame with its gargoyles, glass, famous Black Virgin, and Jacquemart clock. The lucky chouette (owl) is on the north wall in rue Chouette.

To the south, the grandiose Palais des Dues is the historic power centre of Burgundy. Much altered in the 17thC, you can walk through the palace courtyards to place de la Libération, stop off to visit the Salle des Etats, and climb the 15thC Tour Philippe le Bon for a panoramic view across town and beyond. The Musée des Beaux-Arts (www.beaux-arts.dijon.fr), in the East Wing, houses one of the finest regional art collections in the country, graced by masterpieces from every great school and age of European art. You can also see the vast palace kitchens on the ground floor, and the superb Salle des Gardes with the tombs of Philippe le Hardi and Jean sans Peur, which were moved here from the Chartreuse de Champmol.

Off the sweeping crescent of Hardouin-Mansard’s place de la Libération, the Musée Magnin, 4 rue des Bons-Enfants (www.musee-magnin.fr), is a 17thC hôtel-particulier with original furnishings and a fine collection of 16th-19thC paintings. Further south, the 16thC Palais de Justice is the former Burgundian parliament ranged behind a splendid Renaissance fa√笵cade. The Musée de la Vie Bourguignonne, 17 rue Sainte-Anne, turns the clock back with costume displays, rural crafts and viniculture (www.vie-bourgignonne.dijon.fr).There is a museum of church art, the Musée d’Art Sacre, next door (www.art-sacre.dijon.fr).  

To the west, the 13th-14thC Cathé-drale de Saint-Bénigne sports a roof coloured by traditional glazed tiles and a rare 10thC rotunda in the crypt. Nearby, the Musée Archéologique displays Gallo-Roman finds and medieval art in part of the original abbey building (www.archeologie.dijon.fr). One of the best exhibits here is Flemish sculptor Claus Sluter’s Head of Christ, taken from the Chartreuse de Champmol, avenue Albert-1er (2 km W). Founded as an abbey and ducal burial place by Philippe le Hardi in 1383, the Chartreuse is now a mental institution and most of its treasures (such as the tombs in the Salle des Gardes) have been redistributed around local museums. However, visitors can still gain access to Sluter’s Puits de Moïse (Well of Moses) with its superb Old Testament figures, and the carved chapel portal (inside the main door). On the way back into town, the 19thC botanical gardens occupy part of the Jardin d’Arquebuse, near the station.