Beaune succeeded Dijon as capital of the Duchy of Burgundy during its glory days. Today, Dijon is again the capital of Burgundy, a much bigger city, and an important site of industry as well as culture. But Beaune has much to recommend: It is a bustling, wealthy, and charming place of pilgrimage for art lovers, wine lovers, and gastronomes. For the typical tourist, Beaune is a half-day town. The historic center is charming and a pleasant place to walk around. The Hotel-Dieu is a must-see, but only takes an hour or so. For the food and wine lover, there is not enough to time to spend in and around Beaune. Nearly every town along the Côte-d'Or has a fabulous restaurant and multiple places to taste wine. Even though the wine appellations in the Côte-d'Or are not far apart, the wines produced in relatively close appellations vary dramatically. Beaune makes a good base for exploring other small wine towns in the Côte-d'Or. It is centrally located about half way along the wine route, and other famous nearby wine towns like Montrachet, Pommard, and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuits-Saint-Georges Nuits-Saint-Georges are all a short drive from Beaune. http://wikitravel.org/en/Beaune