At a glance: The Burgundy Canal links the Seine basin to the Rhône basin over 242 kilometres, from Migennes (Yonne) to Saint-Jean-de-Losne (Côte-d’Or). Its Dijon section, 20 kilometres long across 5 communes of the métropole, offers one of France’s finest greenways. From the canal port, built in 1832, to Lake Kir via the Ouche valley, it is the most accessible nature escape from central Dijon.
An 18th-century waterway still alive
Commissioned under Louis XV and begun in 1775, the Burgundy Canal is the work of engineer Émiland Gauthey. It took over 50 years to complete this colossal project, which originally counted 189 locks, 6 supply reservoirs and a 3,333-metre underground canal tunnel at Pouilly-en-Auxois, the summit of the highest canal in France at 378 metres above sea level.
In Dijon, the canal port was inaugurated in 1832, the very year Gustave Eiffel was born in a house near the present-day port. An obelisk commemorates this double birth: that of the port and that of the tower’s engineer. Long a busy commercial port, the site was converted into a pleasure marina between 1979 and 1984.
The canal port today
The canal port covers 3 hectares, a 10-minute walk from the city centre via avenue Jean Jaurès. Fully accessible to wheelchair users, it is now a leisure space where walkers, cyclists and boaters cross paths.
Facilities include a children’s playground, a multi-sports court and shaded gardens. The Péniche Cancale, an iconic cultural venue that remained moored here for fifteen years, left the port in 2024.
Every first weekend of June, the site hosts “Port du canal en fête”: nautical jousting, sports demonstrations, dance and concerts bring the quays to life. The rest of the year, calm prevails and the port lives at the slow rhythm of pleasure boats and hotel barges, which generate €8.5 million in annual revenue on the Pouilly-en-Auxois / Saint-Jean-de-Losne section.
Did you know? A sculpture called “Le Rêve ailé” (The Winged Dream), installed near the port, pays tribute to Gustave Eiffel, born in 1832 just a stone’s throw away.
The canal greenway
A route for all levels
The Dijon section of the towpath has been transformed into an asphalt greenway, ideal for both cycling and walking. The most popular route links Lake Kir to Pont-de-Pany over 16 kilometres, with virtually no elevation gain. Allow 1h30 by bike, double on foot.
Dijon centre → Pont-de-Pany: step by step
From the city centre, reach the greenway via place du Trente Octobre, then place Wilson, the Parc de la Colombière and the footbridges that lead to the towpath.
For more ambitious cyclists, the La Bussière-sur-Ouche → Dijon stage (33 km, beginner level) forms the finish of the Tour de Bourgogne à Vélo, a signposted 684 km itinerary over 10 stages. The route is fully waymarked, with occasional detours to remarkable villages such as Châteauneuf-en-Auxois or Flavigny-sur-Ozerain.
From the Ouche to Lake Kir
Upstream from Dijon, the canal follows the Ouche valley through wilder scenery. The section between Pont-de-Pany and Lake Kir passes through Plombières-lès-Dijon, its old waterside houses and its church with Burgundy-glazed tiles. Further on, Barbirey-sur-Ouche reveals its château gardens, open from May to October, and the Charme lock (no. 28) at Saint-Victor-sur-Ouche offers summer activities.
Lake Kir, Dijon’s western gateway, is the natural end point of a canal-side ride. This 37-hectare lake, dug in 1964 and gifted to the city by Canon Kir (deputy-mayor of Dijon from 1945 to 1968), offers supervised swimming in summer, water sports and vast shaded lawns - the perfect break before returning to the city centre.
2023-2024: the canal reinvents itself
On 5 May 2023, Dijon Métropole and Voies Navigables de France (VNF) signed a cooperation protocol entitled “A Shared Ambition for the Burgundy Canal.” Four pillars structure this plan: strengthening the link between the canal and Dijon residents (new leisure uses, soft mobility), reinforcing the canal’s ecological function (bank greening, tackling urban heat islands), developing tourism potential (cycle tourism, port enhancement) and guaranteeing optimal waterway management.
An operational action plan is expected by summer 2024, including a study on redeveloping the canal port and consideration of a public service delegation for port sites. The fight against invasive aquatic plants has already begun, with early-season cutting campaigns since March 2023.
Access and practical information
By train and by bike
The canal port is a 10-minute walk from the city centre (avenue Jean Jaurès). The greenway is free and accessible 24/7.
By train: Dijon-Ville station (TGV, regional TER) is a 20-minute walk from the port. Velars station (TER Dijon–Migennes) lets you join the canal midway. Bikes are accepted on board with a reservation (6 spaces per TGV).
Bike rental: several rental shops in the city centre and near the station. Expect to pay €15 to €25 for a day’s hybrid bike rental. Accommodation labelled “Accueil Vélo” offers secure bike storage and repair kits along the route.
Good to know: beyond Pont-de-Pany, a section runs alongside the A38 motorway. The noise soon fades and the canal returns to its full bucolic charm.