Wandering around Beze, an unmissable gem in Burgundy, France. Beautiful, historic and fascinating.

We stayed in Beze, Burgundy, France in September 2023 and what a delightful, beautiful and very interesting village it was. We had never heard of it prior to our visit and it is not particularly championed by tourist information but it is an absolute gem of a village, do not miss it if you are in the region.

Beze is a small village about 25 kilometres north-east of Dijon in Burgundy. The village developed around an abbey founded here in the 7th century. Despite the small size of the village there are several sights of interest in Beze. The small river Beze emerges from the ground in the village and provides a scenic backdrop to several of the houses and monuments and contributes greatly to the charm of the village.

One of the most interesting buildings here is the 'Ecole Monastique' dating from the 13th century and in the main village square. Once a school attached to the abbey, the facade of the building has been altered over the centuries and features several gothic style arches. The 'four banal' is an example of a communal bread oven that can be seen in several places across France. These were buildings where the locals were obliged to buy their bread, which was subject to an imposition of taxes. Note in particular the unusual decoration over the windows of the upper storey. Other notable sights in Bèze include the substantial Tour de Chaux and the 15th century Oysel Tower (both towers were once part of the fortifications of the abbey), the wheat storage building (the oldest building in Beze) and a traditional village washhouse.

The church in Beze is an 18th century building, the original 12th century church having by that time fallen into disrepair.Beze, Saint-Remi church

The gardens of Beze Abbey are also a very peaceful place for a stroll.

Grottes de Bèze
One popular destination here is the caves at Beze, used as a place as a refuge by the villagers since medieval times. The caves are now open to the public and feature an underground lake and are explored on boat and on foot.

The caves are closed in winter because the water fills the caves!

There are lots of marked trails through the countryside around Bèze in the fields and forests of the Val de Vingeanne if you are staying in this area.

There are also two castles with classified 'remarkable gardens' close to Bèze at the Chateau d'Arcelot and Talmay Chateau.

To the south-west of Bèze, Dijon itself is one of our favourite towns in France and a visit is highly recommended.

Music by Pixabay.com

https://www.beze.fr/index.php