Why Burgundy Stands Out

Taking LeShuttle is the most elegant, frictionless way to cross into France - 35 minutes from Folkestone to Calais, in your own car, in your own space, with no airport faff, no baggage stress, no fluorescent-corridor queues. You glide back into daylight with a sense of softness and agency the moment the carriage doors open...

Let’s dive into what the region has to offer.

As the official tourism board puts it so well: in Burgundy, you make real encounters. You meet people who open their land, their cellars, their craft and their stories to you.

You also learn to float again, on canals, rivers, lakes, or simply through a slower pace the region naturally instils. If you’re looking for active experiences, you’ll find plenty across the region - but the real magic lies in its unique ways of exploring the vineyards: cycling through vine-lined country roads such as the 22km Voie des Vignes from Beaune to Santenay, following secret lanes between domaines, taking electric scooters through the rows, joining storytelling walks with winemakers, or hopping onto a vintage Citroen 2CV for an open-air tasting.

Small, family-run wineries welcome you with authenticity and no pretence, where you sit on a barrel, hear childhood harvest memories, and discover hidden cuvées very unique to the region. And with your own car, you’re free to wander at your own pace, without tours or timetables defining the pace of your days.

Routes here are, well… delicious. Wines, charcuterie, fruit liqueurs, cassis, and Burgundy’s beloved pain d’épices - a soft, spiced gingerbread native to the region, especially famous in Dijon, where it has been crafted since the 14th century. Add to that some of France’s most iconic cheeses, including Époisses, created by Cistercian monks in the 16th century and later perfected in the village it is named after. Its bold flavour and soft, orange rind has made it one of Burgundy’s culinary signatures.

These routes are not only scenic, but deeply human. They’re threaded with stories passed down for generations and has inspired filmmakers for decades for its cinematic feel, think La Grande Vadrouille, directed by Gérard Oury, or Ce Qui Nous Lie by Cédric Klapisch.

Kilometres of golden-stone houses, cobbled paths, rolling vineyards, and quiet micro-moments like the shared eye contact with a winemaker and the early-morning smell of fresh bread in small town squares. 

No algorithm predicts your best moment in Burgundy. It might happen in Châteauneuf, perched on its hilltop, or in Nolay with its medieval timbered houses. It might happen along the Canal du Nivernais, where cyclists and barge captains greet each other like old friends.