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BEAUNE FAQ`S
The nearest major airport is Dijon Air Base. This airport has domestic flights from Dijon, France and is 30 miles from the center of Beaune, France. Another major airport is Lyon Airport which is 109 miles from Beaune, France.
From Dijon Airport both bus and high-speed train (TGV) can get you to Beaune. The average journey time between Dijon Ville and Beaune is about 49 minutes and the fastest journey time is 18 minutes. On an average weekday, there are about 42 trains per day traveling from Dijon rail station to Beaune. Trains leave approximately every 23 minutes. Taxi ranks are available at the Beaune railway station to get you to your final destination.
The Beaune railway station is operated by the French national railway company (SNCF) and high-speed trains (TGV) and regional trains (TER). The station is found about 0.6 miles away from the city center (about 15 minutes) to get to the main attractions of the city. There is a taxi rank at the Beaune train station as well which is useful, especially if you have a lot of luggage. Please note, if you do choose to walk, the sign posting is not great, pavements often non-existent and the roads are cobbled.
How do I get around by taxi?A taxi stand can be found at the Beaune train station. Beaune is very compact and pedestrianized so there is not much of a need to use a taxi unless you are traveling outside the city center. The most reliable way to get a taxi is to ask your hotel to arrange a taxi to meet you. If you are exploring the surrounding wine towns in the Côte-d'Or a car hire or taxi is required.
Is Beaune a walking city?Beaune is compact making it a great city for walking. The old center of town is surrounded by a ring street that follows the old city walls.
I will have a car in Beaune, where can I park?There are a number of parking lots on the ring roads. The below parking information are for both free and paid parking options available in Beaune:
Free public car parks
- Parking des Tanneries - 83 spaces including 2 disabled
- Parking Madeleine - 126 spaces including 3 disabled
- Parking Saint-Jean - 83 spaces
- Parking du Jardin Anglais - 111 spaces including 1 disabled
- Parking des Petites Buttes - 63 spaces including 1 disabled
- Parking des Buttes - 103 spaces including 2 disabled
- Parking Lorraine - 135 spaces including 2 disabled
- Parking République - 76 spaces including 1 disabled
- Parking Charles de Gaulle - 115 cars/5 campervans including 3 disabled
Paying public car parks
- Parking Louis Véry - 63 spaces including 2 disabled
- Parking des Chanceliers - 125 spaces including 2 disabled
- Parking Saint Etienne - 200 spaces including 2 disabled
- Parking Bibliothèque - 40 spaces including 1 disabled
Buses: Bus lines 44, 72 and 74 have connection with Chalon-sur-Sâone, Saulieu and Seurre cities respectively.
Taxis: There is a taxi rank at the Beaune train station.
Beaune is small and easily covered on foot, but if you want to explore a bit outside of town, there`s no better way than by bike. The route of Gran Cruns runs 37 miles from north to south, mostly through the vineyards. A daily bike rental starts at about €18 per day.
Is Beaune a dangerous city?Beaune is a safe place to travel, as is the entire Burgundy region. As always we recommend to beware of pickpockets, mostly in crowded buses and in the pedestrian streets. Do not leave any luggage out of view as it might disappear. If you`re taking the bus with a backpack, it`s better putting it between your feet than keeping it on your back.
Can I pay/tip in US dollars?The currency used in Beaune is the euro (€), US dollars are not accepted. You can get euros in different banks opened from Monday to Saturday and automatic cash points opened 24 hours a day.
We recommend that you exchange a small amount of cash prior to your trip, enough for a cab ride or basic spending on arrival. It is also useful to remind your bank and credit card company that you will be traveling to make sure your cards will work while in France. We recommend you record all your credit card numbers, as well as the phone numbers to call if your cards are lost or stolen.
Under the euro system, there are seven notes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 euros. Notes are the same for all countries. There are eight coins: 1 and 2 euros, plus 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents.
Beaune, like elsewhere in France, a service charge is always included in the bill. If you are particularly pleased with the service, you may certainly leave a few extra euros on the table. But this additional tip is neither expected nor necessary.
For more information about tipping visit: Tipping in France
The best months for good weather in Beaune are May, June, July, August, September and October. On average, the warmest months are June, July and August. Historically, February is the coldest month of the year and December is generally the rainiest month.
Harvest time typically runs from mid-late September through mid-October, which makes this a great time to see action in the vineyards. However, if you're looking to visit a lot of smaller, top-end producers, it`s not the best time as many of them are too busy to receive visitors.
Late fall (late Oct to end of November) is much less crowded and offers a great time to see the wine-making in process, in many ways more interesting than the harvest itself. There are also fewer tourists around, though quite a lot of wine visitors.
The highlight of the year is the `Trois Glorieuses` on the 3rd weekend of November - this is 3 days of the most famous wine parties in the world, and the auction of wine at the Hospices de Beaune. Impossible to get into the parties unless you are connected, but great to be around the action!
Summertime (July and August) is hot with lots of tourists. Spring (late April through early June) can be beautiful, with long evenings and warm days - also a good time to visit the winemakers. Winter is cold, wet and sometimes snowy with very short days! This is the slowest time of the year.
French is the official language spoken in Beaune. Many wineries are small family operations, owned by third, and fourth-generation winemakers, that aren`t set up to give tours and tastings in English - so if you don`t speak French you`ll have a hard time. Hotel and restaurant staff in Beaune likely speak enough that you can communicate your order or check into your hotel, but it`s always polite to at least try the local language. We suggest you get a good English-French guidebook and familiarize yourself with common phrases such as hello, goodbye, excuse me and numbers 1-10.
What is the food like?There are many good restaurants in Beaune. Classic burgundian dishes include beef bourguignon, coq au vin, oeufs meurette (considered a quintessentially French meal), escargot, braised beef, red wine stew and Epoisses cheese. For something sweet Pain d`Epices is gingerbread spiced with clove, cinnamon, aniseed and cinnamon.
The local wines: the reds are all pinot noir and the whites are almost all chardonnay (the exception is Aligote, which is usually mixed with crème decassis to make a kir).
The best shopping streets are rue de Lorraine, rue d`Alsace, rue Maufoux, and place de la Madeleine. For smaller boutiques, stroll down the pedestrian rue Carnot and rue Monge. You`ll find plenty of designer labels, vintners, and antique dealers.
There is an outdoor market every Saturday morning. A wide variety of goods, including food, is available at this market. Note that the city is very crowded on market days. There is a Leclerc hypermarket on the outskirts of town, close to the exit of the A6.
Note: Value-added tax (VAT) rate is currently 20% in France for standard goods. A reduced rate of 10% applies to restaurants, transport, and certain medical drugs. And a 5.5% tax applies to food, water and non alcoholic beverages, books, some entertainment events and some domestic personal services. If you are not an EU resident, you may be able to reclaim VAT if you jump through enough hoops.
What should I do if I need medical assistance or need to go to the hospital?Emergency dial 112
Beaune Hospital Avenue Guigone de Salins, 21200 Beaune, France,TEL +33 3 80 24 44 44, www.hospices-de-beaune.com.