owl's trail (la chouette)

Drop by the tourist information centre when you step off the train and ask for a map for the Owl Trail. The trail will take you all over the City and it's a great way to see shops, restaurants, pubs, markets, churches and of course the mustard shops along with the stunning architecture.

We followed the Owl trail ourselves as a family and I would highly recommend. It was exciting and we saw so many interesting sites along the way which we probably would have missed otherwise.Dijon in general was a wonderful experience.

This trail winds the follower around the city of Dijon catching most of the wonders of the city. There are actually three trails so be careful to get the map so you know how the trails work. We noticed there is a similar system in Vienne using Trees as the symbol instead of owls. We loved the concept.

Dijon was a place of tremendous wealth and power and one of the great European centres of art, learning, and science. Of course, it is also famous for its mustard.The Duchy of Burgundy was a key in the transformation of medieval times towards early modern Europe. The Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, a hugh complex in the city centre, now houses the city hall and a museum of art. The Duchy at one stage included parts of Holland and the wealth it generated is clearly seen in the city that was the capital of its Empire.Dijon was under siege by Swiss and Imperial armies in 1513, occupied by anti-Napoleonic coalitions in 1814 and by the Prussian army in 1870–71. It was also occupied by Nazi Germany beginning in June 1940, during WWII, when it was bombed by US Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses, before the liberation of Dijon by the French Army and the French Resistance on 11th September 1944. Thankfully, it did not suffer too much damage and has many of its original buildings.The city authorities have set up an Owl trail around the city and we had fun following it. We started by parking our car in the underground car park at Place Darcy in the heart of the city at the start of the Owl trail. Following the trail, we visited among other interesting places Jardin Darcy, Porte Guilaume (18th Century Triumphal Arce originally in the city walls), the Covered Market, Notre Dame, Place du Theatre and the Palais des Ducs et des Etats de Bourgogne.For lunch, we went to a great restaurant beside the Covered Market. We continued on the Owl Trail which included for good luck, rubbing the head of the Owl on the side of the Notre Dame Church.The church of Notre Dame is a masterpiece of Burgundy architecture, including rows of false gargoyles and the Jacquemart Clock. Philip took this clock as war loot from Courtrai in Belgium and gave it to the town in 1383 in recognition of their help with the Flanders War.The Palais de Ducs is enormous and shows the power, wealth and influence of the Dukes of Burgundy at the height of their power. It is one of the few well preserved medieval palaces in France. The Salle des Gardes in the palace houses the tombs of John the Fearless and Philip the Bold two of the Dukes. The palace today also includes the Musée des Beaux Arts which includes many wood carvings and statues.We finished off the visit to the town by calling to the harbour in Dijon. It’s on the Canal de Bourgogne. We wanted to check it out for future trips. We would love to live on the harbour on a boat at some future time and explore more of Dijon.“Adrian & Nuala are on a mature Gap Year in France. You can see more about their adventures on www.adrianandnualagapyear.com”

It is easy to find, and the route is marked almost in every steps. The Owl is really cute ( and the magic works :) . The scenery of medieval houses are beautiful and charming !

Great to have a little walking trail that guides you to attractions and nice spots. Every city should have something like this!

How much did our family of four enjoy this trail? We spent 3 days Turing it, and before left, we bought a replica of the signature Owl Trail markers from the tourism office as a souvenir for our home! Before setting out on this tour through the old city, stop by the Office of Tourism in Dijon (there are 3 locations), and for 3.5 Euros you can by a booklet that describes all of the stops along the trail. Or for free, you can get a trail map that lists the stops, but does not describe them for you. After a day of just using the map, we bought a booklet the came in English as well as other languages. The website has almost no information about this trail, which I think is so the tourism office can get you to stop by.The trail is throughout the old historic town and is marked by a series of brass owls in the shape of an arrow and embedded into the pavement. It was easy to follow and took us by the famous sites, including the cathedrals, the palace and museum, the oldest house in Dijon (build in 1483, where we had a wonderful 4-course lunch!), as well as many shops and cafes. Several of our best meals in Europe were right along this trail. There are a few optional extensions of this trail, all of which are equally great at conveying the flavor of the city. You could walk the trail in less than 2 hours if you really tried, but we enjoyed it much more strolling along it for a couple days, and recalling parts of it at our leisure. Don't miss it while in Dijon!

Le Parcours de la Chouette, the 22-stage walking trail is designed to give the first time visitors a taste of Dijon, to take them through the city landmarks and to show you the history of the town. Just follow a small brass pavement marker with an owl design showing the path along the streets and squares of the city.

Collect the booklet tourist office - small charge. Then the kids can follow the owls around town and you can stop and visit the sights on the way. Very user friendly and enjoyable.

There are little triangles on the pavements with little funny owl on it, if you follow them you arrive to the main old one which is attached to one of the corner of Notre Dame church in Dijon. They say that if you touch it you grant the good luck...

We only wish our city was as inventive as Dijon. 'La Chouette' is a tremendous way of getting a real inside view of the old quarter of this lovely historic and very compact city. One of us followed most of the trail, while the other (because of work obligations) picked up on little bits when he could. Following the pavement plaques of little owls is easy; the guide (cost Euro 3.50 available from the three information offices - all well sign-posted) gives a delightful commentary in rather quaint English; and the prompts get you to look for things you would never have found yourself unaided - such as the black cat on the roof. All credit to the visitor information services - a real credit to the city and to history.

We had a great time with young kids (7 & 10) finding the owls. The walking tour takes you down historic streets and the guidebook, which is highly recommended, describes the sights in a fun and concise way.

following these little metal decals in the pavement gets you around the old town to all the sites. It's long so wear comfy shoes.

This is better than it sounds. Metal owl's in the sidewalk guide visitors around the city. An excellent and interesting walk to say the least. Plus, detours are easy and the return to the walk easy as well. This is something to do in Dijon.

We started our owl trail from number 8 after getting the map (3,50€) from to Tourist Information. Luckily it does not really matter where you start the trail. The little owls on the streets are easy to follow and there are plenty of them along the way to guide you. The tourist map was worth the price as it gives you nice short descriptions of each place yet there is not too much reading to do. The trail took us for a long time to finish because we got distracted by all the lovely shops along the way. So it is a good idea to take several hours for it so that one has time to check out postcards, mustard, little owl souvenirs and take plenty of photographs. The architecture is beautiful and it is a lovely way to see the city.