Beaune is a walled city that has turned itself into a wine cellar. The ramparts survive almost all the way round, and behind them the streets are a mixture of cobbles, courtyards, shopfronts and tasting rooms, with the great Burgundy houses sharing alleys with cheese shops and mustard sellers. At the south end of the Côte d'Or, it is where the grand cru road begins, and for a rider it is as much a pause in history as it is a stop for fuel and food.
The Hospices de Beaune is the thing to see, even if only from the outside. The hospital was founded in the fifteenth century by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy, and its roof of coloured glazed tiles in diamond patterns has become the emblem of Burgundy. Inside, the old wards and the great hall are open to visitors, and the hospice still owns vineyards whose wine is sold at a famous charity auction every November. If you arrive on that weekend, the city will be heaving and rooms will be impossible, so plan accordingly.
North of town, the Route des Grands Crus runs along the foot of the slope through villages whose names are on wine lists around the world: Pommard and Volnay just to the south, Savigny-lès-Beaune to the north-west, and on toward Nuits-Saint-Georges and Dijon. The road is more a scenic drift than a sports ride, with low walls, small plots and the vines turning gold in October. Early morning light on the slope is the best time, and weekdays are quieter than weekends.
Beaune has twenty-four thousand people and all the services you could want. Fuel is easy at the stations on the ring road, and there are plenty of cafés in the central squares. Parking for motorcycles is usually manageable at the edge of the old town, though a boulevard slot fills early on a fine day. Burgundy lunches run long, so decide before you sit down if you are riding on afterwards, and choose the glass accordingly.