Bourgogne, more commonly known in English as Burgundy, is a historical territory of France made famous for its vineyards, beauty, and of course food and wine. Beyond its Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, this region boasts lovely rivers and canals, intricately decorated cities, a large natural regional park, and an extensive network of off-road paths. With such a varied and picturesque landscapes, running in Burgundy is as unique and enjoyable as its fine wine. Designing a running guide for a large and attractive region such as Burgundy is a challenge — so we’ve tried to highlight some of the signature multi-use paths, river routes in historic centers, and pretty routes along quiet roads among the vineyards. Our thanks to Mark Miller for his help with several of our Burgundy routes!
Some of the best places to run in Burgundy include a network of hundreds of km of runnable bike routes and multi use paths, many of which are along the area’s rivers and canals: the Saone, Yonne, Canal de Bourgogne, Canal du Centre, Canal du Nivernais, and le Canal Entre Champagne. Runners will also enjoy exploring the major cities such as Dijon, Beaune, Auxerre, and Chalon Sur Saone, as well as quaint small villages like Nolay, Pernand-Vergelesses, Montracet, and Cluny. Outside of wine county, there are plenty of quiet trails and roads to run in the mountainous Parc Regional du Morvan.
Train transportation is Burgundy is one of the best ways to get around the region, although a car may be useful for visiting some of the smaller villages. Within larger cities like Dijon, there are pretty extensive bus networks. The cycling paths also make Burgundy extremely bikeable, so a bike tour is another option if you’re feeling super active!
The area has a mild, humid climate that’s perfect for wine growing: warm, dry summers and cool but not severe winters. In summer, high temperatures are typically in the 25-28C range (low 80s), with coolish nights. Winters are cool, with daytime highs in the 5-8C range (40s) and nights dipping to near freezing. Snow is not common. Winters can be quite cloudy. Precipitation is fairly evenly spread throughout the year.