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A former abbey converted into a Relais & Château property, some of the world’s best grand crus, friendly wine bars well stocked with prized bottles, and the lasting memory of the Cistercian Order. Many cultures claim this part of Burgundy as their birthplace. Slowly, our journey trails along the Côtes de Nuits wine region. We get a glimpse of the colourful roofs on the Hospices de Beaune, the remains of Cluny and the medieval village of Brancion. Further along, the south of Burgundy heralds different riches: the region of Bresse brings you unforgettable markets and flavours...
To give you inspiration, Relais & Châteaux presents the Routes du Bonheur: suggestions for travel itineraries that you can fully personalise according to your wishes and the experiences you would like to discover. Our consultants are available to help customise your route and assist you in making reservations at our properties. It is up to you to reserve any recommended activities on-site or nearby that might interest you.
*Total price provided for information only, based on accommodation for two people in a double room for the number of nights per property as indicated on this page, exclusive of recommended activities, properties that cannot be reserved online and restaurants.
Hotel and restaurant in a park. With a lake and a botanical garden, the grounds of this 12th century Cistercian abbey are marked by a long tradition of humility, peace and hospitality and exude tranquillity. Magnificently restored by the Cummings family, the subtle architecture of the exterior of the Abbaye de la Bussière contrasts with the spectacular interior design, which incorporates ancient frescoes discovered during the renovation of the building. Antique furniture and silken fabrics create an ambiance of subtle sophistication and pure elegance. Dine in a cathedral-like setting and enjoy a wine list that offers the very best of Burgundy.
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Located in the antiques quarter, in Dijon, this little bar is a meeting place for wine-lovers, viticulturists, and other oenologists. Well known in the world of gastronomy, its owner, Bruno Crouzat, has an excellent palate and a sensible motto: ‘My tastes are simple: I am happy with the best’. Over glasses of wine, the ambiance is both lively and friendly.
Cîteaux Abbey
Even though it might not be the most impressive – far from it! – Cîteaux Abbey was the founding location of the Cistercian Order in 1098. The Rule of Saint Benedict (silence, poverty, solitude) is still respected by the resident small religious community, who also produce one of France’s great cheeses, Cîteaux.
La Côte
The name ‘La Côte’ brings to mind great Burgundy wines. Sixty-five kilometres of vines to each side of the road between the city of Dijon and the village of Santenay. Each hamlet or slope here is an international wine landmark. Along the Côte de Nuits, stop at Gevrey-Chambertin, Vougeot, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée or Nuits-Saint-Georges. On the Côte de Beaune, to the south, there is Aloxe-Corton, Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and more. The list alone is enough to intoxicate!
On the route
Vézelay
Many well-known writers and artists have come here: Théodore de Bèze, Romain Roland, Jules Roy, Bataille, Maxpol-Fouchet, Picasso, Giacometti, and more. Their words and their influence fill the streets that wind up to the Abbey of La Madeleine; they all came to find freedom of thought and expression. The streets and houses, the artists, the faithful and the locals are all wonders to be appreciated.
Abbaye of Fontenay
It was in this small green valley where Cyrano de Bergerac was filmed and where Gérard Depardieu gave his exceptional performance. It is still easy to imagine 12th century monastic life in this Cistercian monastery.
A few hundred metres from Château de Vauban, in Bazoches, you’ll find a chapel, three firs and a cemetery with an incredible view of Vézelay and the slope; a country unchanged over 5 000 years.
Village of Montréal
A small village of less than 2 000. You can stop here and take in gorgeous views of the Auxois horses, the pastures and the magnificent 13th century stalls in the Collegiate church.
Hotel and restaurant in a vineyard. On the banks of the river Bouzaize sits a beautiful white house with an elegant French-style garden and a majestic five hectare park with century-old trees. Susanne and Jean-Louis Bottigliero are the happy owners of this very charming property that skilfully blends tradition and modernity, in the heart of the prestigious Côte de Beaune vineyards. In the gourmet restaurant the chef serves a traditional cuisine with a modern flair. The vegetable garden allows for simple, delicious dishes at the Bistrot du Bord de l’Eau in the ancient kitchen that dates back to 1750. Finally, the cellar boasts a selection of 800 references from the most prestigious wines from Burgundy.
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Visiting the wine auctions at the Hospices de Beaune
Every year, on the third Sunday in November, the Hôtel-Dieu in Beaune hosts the most famous charitable sale in the world. On this occasion, the bottles produced in the extraordinary 60-hectare vineyard of the Hospices are bought by collectors from around the world. Under the splendid coloured slate roofs, the stars of the day are Aloxe-Corton, Pommard or Meursault...
On the route
At the heart of the remains of the Abbaye de Cluny
Before the construction of Saint Peter’s in Rome, the abbey church of Cluny was the largest Christian church in the West. Founded in 910, for many years it played an essential role between the Pope and the Kingdom. Dismantled after the Revolution, the abbey is a formidable reminder of its powerful past. Beyond its ruins, the atmosphere which still reigns offers a fascinating journey...
Relais & Châteaux Restaurant Greuze
For Yohann and Stéphanie Chapuis, their bet has paid off. They have re-ignited the flame of this legendary restaurant in Tournus by honouring Jean Ducloux, the patron saint of Burgundy gastronomy. Trained in the kitchens of many a historic Relais & Châteaux, chef Yohann has taken traditional cuisine and infused it with finesse and inventiveness, designing dishes by looking for the subtlest way to bring out the distinctive flavour of each ingredient, be it escargots or frog legs. The quick arrival of a Michelin star only reinforced the confidence and enthusiasm of the team. It was a fete that has nourished their desire for longevity at this restaurant where you can take pleasure in staying at the table.
Hotel and restaurant in a village. Frédéric and Anne Doucet took over the family restaurant in Charolles, in the south of Burgundy. Between Romanesque churches and wooded areas, the Hôtel de la Poste is a beautiful village manor next to a river, with welcoming and refined rooms for an overnight or weekend stay in the countryside.
But it is the restaurant that is the centre of attention, carried by the generous and creative cuisine of Frédéric Doucet. On the terrace or in the contemporary and sleekly designed dining room, the chef revisits regional dishes such as the Charolais ox tail gnocchi with black truffle and Dijon mustard broth. Highly colourful dishes are accompanied by fine Burgundy and Mâconnais wines.
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Brancion is one of those jewels which are sometimes forgotten in the tourist books. Perched on a hilltop, this small medieval village which has been expertly restored dominates the whole Mâconnais. You can walk slowly through its little streets, in the shadow of the old fortified castle’s ramparts, from where the seigneurs fought the monks from Cluny Abbey many years ago. Here, more than anywhere else, time seems to have stopped in the Middle Ages...
Hotel and restaurant on a river. The Hotel du Bois Blanc is only a few minutes away from Vonnas; but in the heart of its huge 15 hectare park you can unwind. Immersed in greenery, the new hotel of Georges Blanc is a place apart, with its red walls which are reminiscent of the ochre hues of Château d’Epeyssoles nearby, creating a little corner of Tuscany in the heart of Bresse. The large rooms, all on the same level, with walk-in showers and a private terrace, surround a nice pool heated during the season and are an invitation to well-being. Only a few steps lead to the restaurant of the château, La Terrasse des Étangs, set up under a glass roof and opening onto the park, its century old oak trees and its two ponds.
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Restaurant and hotel in a village. In Vonnas, Georges Blanc, emblematic Chef and visionary businessman, has developed a veritable Gourmet Village on the river bank, around a reconstruction of the inn of his great grandparents. Together with his family, Blanc constantly reinvents Bresse specialties through creations such as the “crêpe vonnassienne” with salmon and caviar or the legendary Bresse chicken with foie gras. Visits are available upon request to one of the five most exceptional cellars in the world, with more than 135,000 bottles. In just under five hectares of grounds, discover a heavenly spa, an aquatic space next to a pond and a large, landscaped park that is illuminated at night.
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The first Bresse farm you are able to visit is in Montrevel-en-Bresse. Hidden behind the timber-framed, cob-filled walls and the square sarrasine chimney lie the difficulties of an earlier time. The second farm is in the nearby commune of Romenay. Transformed into a museum devoted to the terroir, time stopped here in 1937… Both yesterday and a century ago.
Les Glorieuses de Bresse: celebrating the fattened chicken
On the last Tuesday before Christmas, livestock farmers from the region line up their finest products in the vast warehouses of Montrevel-en-Bresse: fattened chickens, turkeys and capons, carefully plucked and ready to be admired and served up for tasting. Since 1862, Les Glorieuses de Bresse offers a warm atmosphere and a unique competition somewhere between food festival and show.
Eglise de Brou
A trip to Bourg-en-Bresse isn’t complete without visiting the Royal Monastery of Brou and the masterpiece that is the flamboyant, gothic church. The tombs, the retable and the stained-glass windows are simply magnificent.
Hotel and restaurant in a vineyard. Château de Bagnols, a fortress magnified by eight centuries of French art de vivre, overlooks the Beaujolais vineyards. 1217 is the year when it all started and the name of the restaurant adorned with a monumental gothic fireplace.
Jean-Alexandre Ouaratta, an accomplished chef, focuses on pure lines and colours to honour the riches of the region of the Monts du Lyonnais mountains. The château is a voyage into history through a collection of light-filled suites, richly decorated with frescoes, tapestries and period fireplaces. The wine cellar has been transformed by wood to create a very contemporary design, whilst suites with the fragrances of the countryside open on to a landscaped garden.
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