Route des Grands Crus
The Route des Grands Crus is the spine of any Burgundy (Bourgogne) trip, nicknamed the "Champs-Élysées of Burgundy." Per the official Côte-d'Or route authority it was "created in 1937, France's first wine route," established by the Conseil Général de la Côte-d'Or after the 1936 paid-vacation laws, and runs "60 kilometres of vineyards, 31 villages and 32 Grands Crus" from Dijon to Santenay (source: compass_artifact_wf-5af489e6...).
> Cross-region contradiction: this source calls the Route des Grands Crus (1937) "France's first wine route," while the wiki's Alsace sources call the Alsace Wine Route "France's oldest wine route," inaugurated 1953. Since 1937 predates 1953, the "first/oldest" claims conflict — most likely the Route des Grands Crus is the older signposted route, with Alsace's being the oldest of its kind or a looser marketing claim. Flagged in both Alsace Wine Route and here.
The route (south from Dijon)
Marsannay → Fixin → Gevrey-Chambertin → Morey-Saint-Denis → Chambolle-Musigny → Vougeot / Clos de Vougeot → Vosne-Romanée → Nuits-Saint-Georges → Ladoix → Aloxe-Corton → Beaune → Pommard → Volnay → Meursault → Puligny-Montrachet → Chassagne-Montrachet → Santenay. The strip is never more than ~2 km wide (source).
It is poorly signposted in places — carry a map or the free "Balades en Bourgogne" app, or follow the better-marked Voie des Vignes cycle greenway (source: compass_artifact_wf-5af489e6...).
Which segments matter most
The Côte de Nuits stretch (Gevrey-Chambertin → Nuits-Saint-Georges) is the red-wine pilgrimage, including the iconic Clos de Vougeot photo-op. The Côte de Beaune stretch south of Beaune (Pommard–Volnay–Meursault–the Montrachets–Santenay) is widely considered the most scenic, especially by bike (source).
Related pages
