I took the train an hour from Paris, to Dijon, where I stayed a few days before setting off on a long walk along the Canal de Bourgogne, the Burgundy Canal.
I walked from Dijon-Ville Station to my hotel on the Rue des Fleurs, then continued on, my goal the medieval center of the city. But along the way I made a detour to pass the market and it soon became clear the old town would have to wait another day.
Surrounded by narrow streets with restaurants and food vendors, who display their wares in front of their shops on market days, Dijon Les Halles is a cathedral of food. The beautiful covered market building opened in 1875, built by none other than the great architectural engineer, Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, who was born in Dijon.
And from the sublime to the mundane, for anyone who travels to see the wonders of Dijon, there’s a very nice little laundromat at the intersection, imaginatively called Place de la Banque, right around the corner from Les Halle. I spent a very pleasant couple of hours there, doing my laundry and chatting with locals, after my canal walk.
(Hold your cursor over the photos for titles.)
To read more of PortMoresby’s contributions, click here.
Beautiful photos! Great market!!
I’m ready for lunch now….
We spent a day in Dijon on the way from Paris to Lyon…and were happy to have visited the medieval core and the home store of the Maille mustard folks…but we obviously missed one of the best attractions! Oh, the bread…and the cheese…and the tomatoes: a summer dream meal right there…
If you can stay for two lunches, make the next one Restaurant Stephane Derbord on Avenue President Wilson. Take the “surprise” lunch deal; it’s 28€ for a 3-course lunch with a Michelin star and the friendliest husband/wife team you could imagine. The menu changes, based on the day’s special (tied to the market!) and was heavenly.
Thanks, TL. I was in Burgundy in May. Stay tuned for more, including French wine, coming soon.
Love the market!!! I’m a big fan of French wine and cheese. What time of year did you visit Dijon?
Also curious about the Canal walk. Was that sort of a “room” to “room” walk? Did you carry a backpack? How did your gear travel with you? How far did you go every day and how many days was the walk?
Thanks for this piece.