Visiting Dijon With Kids. What We Did On Our Day in Dijon, France.
If you haven’t been following along, then you need to know that this summer we took a road trip across France, driving to the South of France from Calais. On our way back up to Calais, we stopped in Dijon to rest up for the night, and spent the day in the city exploring.
Realistically, we chose Dijon because it was the halfway point between Cote D’Adge and Calais, making it an easy place for us to stop. But actually, we came to really love this beautiful, historically rich city, and it’s somewhere I would recommend as a standalone city break!
Dijon is one of those French cities that manages to feel both historic and family-friendly. With its medieval charm, quirky attractions, and plenty of shopping (for adults and kids alike), whether you’re looking for the perfect stop on a family road trip, a little weekend away, or you just really like mustard, this is a great place to visit.
Thinking of visiting Dijon with kids? Want to know more about this fascinating, underrated city? Read on to find out all about what we did on our day in Dijon, where we stayed, and everything you need to know to plan the perfect trip:
- Riding the Carousel
- Shopping for Mustard (Of Course!)
- Following the Owl Trail
- Shopping in the City Centre
- Where to Stay in Dijon with Kids
- Final Thoughts: Dijon with Kids
- Further Reading
Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
Riding the Carousel
As soon as we arrived in the centre of Dijon, our boys spotted the beautiful old-fashioned carousel in Place de la République. (I’m yet to visit a French city that doesn’t have a beautiful carousel in its heart).
This is the kind of carousel that makes parents nostalgic, with painted horses and traditional music, although it is smaller than some of the others we’ve seen. A quick and affordable activity, it’s the perfect way to start exploring Dijon with kids – especially if they need to burn off a bit of energy after a long drive.
The Place de la Republique is a beautiful square, and the carousel is surrounded by cafes and restaurants. So if the adults want a well-earnt coffee break, this is a great place to stop while you watch your kids ride round and round (usually again and again!)
Top tip: You need a token to ride, and these start from 3 euros per person, per ride. The more tokens you buy, the cheaper the tokens are, so if you know your kids are going to want to ride again and again, batch buy your tokens to save a little money.
Shopping for Mustard (Of Course!)
You can’t visit Dijon without mustard shopping – it’s the city’s most famous export! There are mustard shops literally everywhere. We visited Maison Maille, where the kids loved helping us choose flavours. The variety is incredible – from classic strong Dijon mustard to unusual flavours like truffle or honey. We brought home a black pepper mustard and a honey mustard, which have gone down a treat as a dip for my famous homemade sausage rolls.
To keep the kids entertained, we turned it into a bit of a challenge: who could find the weirdest mustard flavour? (Spoiler: they picked the bright red beetroot mustard as the winner.)
Tip – This is a great time to pick up souvenirs for family back home too – mustard jars travel easily (buy smaller jars if you’re flying and your hand luggage only. Don’t have the luggage space for heavy mustard jars? I found the same brand that we picked up on Amazon (and for a cheaper price too!)
Following the Owl Trail
The Owl Trail (Parcours de la Chouette) was our favourite part of the day. And I think this is the best thing to do in Dijon with kids (whilst also appealing to adults too)
This is an activity that’s completely free of charge (so great if you’re travelling on a budget) and all you have to do is follow little brass owl markers set into the pavements that guide you through Dijon’s historic old town. The small owls will guide your way, and then the bigger owls indicate when you’ve reached a significant landmark.
Our youngest is Harry Potter mad, so spotting owls around every corner was a huge hit. The trail is long enough to keep older kids entertained, but not overwhelming for younger ones.
On the subject of owls, we also stopped by the Notre Dame cathedral on our trail, and rubbed its famous lucky owl. It is said that if you rub the owl on the side of the cathedral with your left hand, it will bring you good luck. That’s why the owl is considered the unofficial symbol of the city.
You can buy the official Owl Trail booklet for just a couple of euros from the tourist office – we’d highly recommend it. It gives a little background at each stop, turning the walk into a treasure hunt for kids.
If your kids love scavenger hunts or interactive trails, it’s a brilliant way to get them engaged with history.
Shopping in the City Centre
Dijon’s city centre is not just mustard shops – there are plenty of modern boutiques and quirky little stores. Our boys were thrilled to stumble across not one, but two Pokémon shops. They spent ages browsing the shelves, and we had to carefully negotiate how many plushies and trading cards could realistically fit in the suitcase! There’s also a Galeries Lafayette in the city centre, which is my favourite department store and guilty pleasure, so everyone was happy!
Parents – if you’re travelling with kids who love Pokémon, this will buy you a good 30 minutes of browsing time.
Where to Stay in Dijon with Kids
We stayed at the Ibis Styles Domaine de Beauregard, a peaceful hotel that worked perfectly for us. Spacious rooms, a family-friendly atmosphere, and easy access to the city made it a great base. It’s also a really affordable choice, so if you just need somewhere to rest your head on a day trip then this is a great pick.
Check prices for the Ibis Styles Domaine de Beauregard on Klook.
If you’d prefer a hotel with a pool (always a winner with my kids who would swim all day every day if we let them), we’d also recommend the Holiday Inn Dijon Sud. After a long day walking the Owl Trail, nothing beats letting the kids splash about before dinner. This was our first choice of hotel (I did a tonne of research) as it’s only £10 more expensive per night than the Ibis Styles, but it was sold out for our dates sadly.
Check prices for the Holiday Inn Dijon Sud on Klook.
🎁 Don’t forget that if you book with Klook, you can use my code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK to get an extra 5% off
Final Thoughts: Dijon with Kids
Dijon might not be the first city that springs to mind when planning a family trip to France, but it was a real highlight for us. It’s not an obvious tourist destination but that only adds to its charm. From the carousel rides and mustard tastings to Pokémon shops and the magical Owl Trail, the city combines French charm with family fun. The boys enjoyed their day in the city as much as we did, so it works well for adults and kids.
If you’re exploring Burgundy with kids, a day (or two!) in Dijon is absolutely worth adding to your itinerary.
Further Reading
Planning your own French road trip? Looking for other hotel recommendations, things to do, and road tripping tips? I’ve popped links to some other handy articles below:
🐘 Everything You Need To Know About The Wonder Of Nantes Giant Elephant
🚗 Planning a Road Trip to France With Kids: What To Pack
🕍 5 Things to Do In Rouen With Kids: What to do, Where to Stay in This Underrated French City
🐟 Our Review of the Seaquarium, Grau-du-Roi in the South of France
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Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
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