France has a *lot* of cities in the lower x00000 people range and most of them follow the same general form. TGV access to Paris, a rapid transit network that consists either of ~2 VAL lines or several tram lines, a peripheral highway, 1-3 beautiful and locally famous churches, and of course a semi-pedestrianized historic centre-ville. Regardless of what your Internet friend from Rennes will tell you about Nantes, for example, they're much more similar to each other than either is to any international city.
What sets these cities apart is the specifics, not the general statements about geography that I generally make in my city reviews. So that's what I'll talk about on this page. Culture, food, transit quality, location, and any other unique features will all factor in.
I won't be using a rating system here, but they're all ranked on this page from worst to best! I remind the reader that because they are all so similar, being at the top or bottom of this list doesn't mean a ton. I still like the first city here better than, say, Atlanta.
Been: ~4 times, most recently 2 days, 2025
My dad is from Dijon, so I must issue a bit of an apology to him for this placement. The reality is that there isn't a ton to do in Dijon, and being in France means that the surrounding scenery and architecture don't really stand out. On its own, though, Dijon is quite a nice city: its central "old" district is fully pedestrianized, not too small to be interesting, and not too big to be accessible by transit. The buses and trams work well, although they are entirely unremarkable, and there are TERs and TGVs in various directions.
As you'll learn on this page, it's common in medium-sized French cities for the suburbs to be quite boring, and the towns around Dijon (Chenôve, Talant, Quetigny, etc.) are no exception to this rule. Obviously suburbs tend to be boring wherever you go, but in Dijon it was especially apparent. It's possible it was the pedestrianization of the centre-ville that, if this makes any sense, pulled all the energy inward, just like Paris has been doing to France for decades now. Dijon could benefit from a major world event so it can brag about something other than an owl, but it's still a perfectly good place to visit for a couple days.
Oh, one more thing, I almost forgot! At the intersection of Rue Odebert and Rue Musette, one of the bollards sinks into the ground when you stand on it. I discovered it in 2016 and it still worked in 2025. It might be my favorite little thing in Dijon.
Been: Once, 3 days, 2024
Been: Once, 3 days, 2022
Been: Once, 2 days, 2024
Been: Once, 2 days, 2024
Been: Twice, most recently 1 day, 2025