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Head into Dijon via the Bourroches neighbourhood, along Avenue Gustave Eiffel, and just before you cross the bridge over the Canal de Bourgogne, park in the car park on the right, near the Sainte-Chantal bus stop, along Quai Navier.
If you’re arriving by train, follow Rue Docteur Albert Rémy to start the walk (3).
(S/E) Head towards the bridge and cross the canal, then the River Ouche. Just on the other side of the river, take the path on the left which runs alongside the River Ouche.
(1) Ignore the path on the right (the return route) and you’ll soon come to a signpost. Turn right towards the Jardin de l’Arquebuse. At the T-junction, turn right onto Rue du Faubourg Raines, then left onto Rue de Champmol. At the end of the street, walk a few metres to the right to find the entrance to the Jardin de l’Arquebuse.
(2) Go in, walk alongside the stream, the Raines, keep to the left to passthe Two Sphinxes, the Temple of Love, Heracles and the Nemean Lion, then take the footbridge to visit the botanical garden. Next, head towards the Natural History Museum, in front of which you’ll find a hippopotamus, an elephant and a rhinoceros – but no owl! There’s also a pretty wall fountain. Go round the back of the museum to leave the garden. Cross Avenue AlbertI and go under the railway lines.
(3) Turn right onto Rue Mariotte. At the end of the street, you’ll find yourself facing Saint-Bénigne Cathedral, a former abbey church. To its right, the Square des Bénédictins is home to the Archaeological Museum.
(4) As you leave the church, turn left onto Place Saint-Antoine:as you walk alongside the church, you’ll catch a glimpse of its beautiful bell tower and its glazed-tile roof. However, you won’t be able to spot any little owls! Turn right onto Rue des Vieilles Étuves, then left onto Rue Danton. Pass the former Saint-Jean Church – now a theatre – on your right. You’ll arrive at Place Bossuet.
(5) Head left, walk past the red half-timbered house, then turn right into Rue Piron, a shopping street. You’ll reach Place Jean Macé; take Rue Charrue on the right opposite and walk straight across to Place des Cordeliers. At the corner of the half-timbered house, turn left into Rue Hernoux.
(6) At the end of the street, take a short detour to the left along Rue Amiral Roussin to see a beautiful house with a turret, followed by a small square with several half-timbered houses. A few steps to the right along Rue Vauban will bring you to the porch of the Hôtel Lagouz de Gerland, topped by two lions – though no barn owls are keeping them company! So retrace your steps along Rue Amiral Roussin.
(6) Carry on straight ahead along this street. Turn left onto Rue du Palais, continue diagonally to the right onto Rue Philippe Pot, turn right onto Rue des Bons Enfants, then left to reach Place du Théâtre, and head towards the opera house.
(7) At the corner ofthe former Saint-Étienne Church, now converted into a library (the conversion of churches seems to be a Dijon speciality), turn right onto Rue Vaillant. You’ll arrive in front ofSaint-Michel Church. There’s a small, old statue of the saint on one of the houses in the square. The church has some very beautiful carved porches, but amongst all these sculptures, there’s no sign of the little owl! Leaving the church, turn right onto Rue Longuepierre, go straight on at the junction and you’ll find yourself facing a small green space, the Place des Ducs de Bourgogne (with a fountain and a statue of Philip the Good). On your left, enter the courtyard of the Palace of the Dukes and Estates of Burgundy, where the Museum of Fine Arts is located. A very beautiful courtyard, with a well featuring a lion. Leave the courtyard and walk round the palace on your right, passing between it and the opera house. Then turn right onto Rue Rameau and you’ll reach Place de la Libération, a large semi-circular square, with the palace’s Cour d’Honneur on your right. In this Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, there’s no sign of an owl – not even a great horned owl or a little owl!
(8) Carry on straight ahead, then turn right into the Cour de Flore and exit through the gate opposite (toilets) onto Rue des Forges. Turn right and walk alongside the small green space at Place des Ducs de Bourgogne. Turn left onto Rue Verrerie and, ignoring Rue de la Chouette which branches off to the left (no doubt a trap for tourists), carry on straight ahead along Rue Verrerie , lined with numerous half-timbered houses. Take note of a few houses on the right with beautiful carvings, but amongst all these figures, you’ll search in vain for Athena’s mascot!
(9) Almost at the end of the street, turn left onto Rue du Champ de Mars. Opposite the Prefecture, turn left onto Rue de la Préfecture. Carry on straight ahead until you reach Place Notre-Dame, with the striking façade of Notre-Dame Church on your left. Fifty-one faux gargoyles peer out from the building’s three storeys. Also, if you step back a little, take a look at the Jaquemart clock atop the façade. As you won’t find any strigiform figures on the façade, go inside and visit the church.
(10) Then, just to be on the safe side, as you leave, walk round the church to the right (Rue de la Chouette, oddly enough) and look very carefully: on one of the church’s pillars, a little owl, worn smooth by years of being stroked, is waiting for you! You’ll notice that the little tufts of hair make it look more like an owl. And if, by any chance, you’re also on the lookout for that other Dijon speciality known as mustard, you’ll kill two birds with one stone: a little further on is the Fallot mustard factory, the region’s last remaining artisanal mustard producer. Take a few more steps and turn left into the Jardin de l’Hôtel Vogüé. Return to the church forecourt.
(10) With the church on your left, head straight on towards the tourist office, then turn right into Rue des Forges. You’ll arrive at the pretty Place François Rude, with its fountain, old houses and lovely carousel. Turn right into Rue François Rude, then left into Rue Musette, where you’ll see the beautiful façade of the herbalist’s shop (opposite the market halls). Go straight on at the next junction, Place Grangier (with the ‘Le Compteur du Temps’ sculpture), to the end of the square , where you’ll find old buildings and the Art Deco Hôtel Central, built in 1928 (designed bythe Dijon architect Gaston Paris). Retrace your steps and turn right into Rue des Godrans, then right again into Rue de la Liberté, at the corner by the house with the turret. You’ll arrive at Place Darcy.
(11) Pass under the triumphal arch and cross the square to enter Square Darcy opposite (statues, large fountain). Continue in the same direction through the park and exit onto Rue du Rosoir, turning left. Head diagonally left at the junction, turn right onto Rue Milloret, then right onto Avenue du Maréchal Foch – a typical street in a railway station neighbourhood. Head diagonally left onto Rue Docteur Albert Rémy to return to the junction you passed on the way there.
(3) Turn right to go under the railway lines, then re-enter the Jardin de l’Arquebuse via the entrance at the rear of the museum. Cross the garden again, keeping the botanical garden on your right, then veer right at the vineyard plot and turn left to find the exit.
(2) First turn right then left to follow Rue de Champmol, then turn left and walk about fifty metres before taking a path on the right, into a park. You’ll reach the banks of the Ouche.
(1) Turn left and walk along the river, cross the bridges over the Ouche and then the canal, and you’ll reach the car park (S/E).
Visorando Member
Association / Club / Walk leader
Moderate 
Difficult 
