France Guide
Burgundy
The Palais des Ducs
The geographical focus of a visit to Dijon is inevitably the seat of its former rulers, the Palais des Ducs, which stands at the hub of the city. Facing the main courtyard, Mansart's serene place de la Libération was built towards the end of the seventeenth century to show off a statue of the Sun King; it's now something of a sun trap on a good day, and a decision to close it to traffic has stimulated a boom in café trade. The fourteenth-century Tour de Bar dominates the courtyard in front of the east wing, which now houses the Musée des Beaux-Arts, while the loftier, fifteenth-century Tour Philippe-le-Bon can be visited only on guided tours (April– Nov, 11 tours daily; Dec– March on Wed, tours at 1.30pm, 2.30pm & 3.30pm; Sat & Sun six tours; €2.30). The view from the top is particularly worthwhile for the unobstructed views of the glazed Burgundian tiles of the Hôtel de Vogüé and the cathedral; on a clear day the Alps loom on the horizon.