Typically visited en route through to other parts of France, Dijon is well worth a half day visit mainly for its surprisingly cool La Chouette (Owl) City Walk. 1600 small bronze owls are paved into walkways across the city, showing a 22-stop self-guided walking tour – known as Le Parcours de la Chouette – that takes you past each of the major attractions of Dijon’s beautiful old city. Dijon’s unofficial symbol is an owl, inspired by the small owl carved into the façade of a chapel annex to the Notre-Dame de Dijon, hence the owl fascination.
In a nutshell, reasons to visit . . .
- Central France – it really does feel outrageously French at times.
- Effortlessly beautiful city centre – the white stone buildings with sprinklings of gold and blue are gorgeous.
- Great food – Lyon gets all the fame for the gastronomic centre, but Dijon is just as high standard. We ate at Bouillon Notre Dame and would recommend for ticking that “outrageously typically French” food vibe.
- The Owl City Walk – fun, easy to follow 3km walk done well.
Definitely worth the stop . . . we had a great time even with it hammering with rain.
One of the Owl markers as part of Dijon’s La Chouette (Owl) City Walk