We took the regional train to Beaune and cycled back to Dijon. The train trip was straightforward although because the ticket machines don’t take foreign credit cards or notes you need plenty of change. Boarding the train and disembarking was easy, there are plenty of staff around on the train and at the station and they make sure everything goes smoothly.

The ‘Hotel Dieu’ is the big attraction at Beaune but it was being renovated and the famous roof was covered in scaffolding. We cycled through the Grand Cru vineyards to Pernand Verdelesses where we stopped for a degustation (wine tasting) at the Domaine Rapet vineyard and bought a bottle of their 2004 Grand Cru, which was ready to drink, most of the other grand cru wines needed to be left for several more years.

We then cycled through the back roads past more vineyards to Nuits St George where we had lunch at a brasserie in the town square. I had Coq Au Vin which had a very strong taste, probably because it was the real thing with a genuine free range ‘coq’ rather than a chicken. Margaret had escargot.

See the video of cycling near Beaune (use left arrow to return to this page)

We followed the route in the Lonely Planet cyclists guide which involved a side trip to the Abbaye De CiteAux and then back to Clos De Vougeot. We planned to taste the wines there but it was 5 euros to taste two cheap whites and one not ready for drinking Grand Cru red. Our questions about the wines were met with lack of interest; it was just a way to make a quick euro from tourists.

It was getting late so we cycled back along the minor roads to Dijon. It was a hot day and we stopped at a small bar in one of the villages and had two quick beers. The cheerful proprietress quickly restored our faith in French hospitality. We managed to get to our local Charcuterie and Patisserie just before they closed at 7.30 and bought some delicious ham, pate, bread and cakes which we enjoyed with our bottle of Domaine Rapet Grand Cru.