The Place des Ducs de Bourgogne is a small square on the north side of the Palace of the Dukes in Dijon. While the big Place de la Libération in front shows the palace's 17th-century classical face, this quieter square shows what is left of the medieval ducal residence, with the Gothic lodging of Philip the Good and the 46-metre tower he built rising above the roofs.
Place des Ducs at a glance
- Where: behind the Palace of the Dukes and of the States of Burgundy, a short walk from the Place de la Libération and the Church of Notre-Dame.
- Built: the buildings around it date mainly from the 14th and 15th centuries, when the dukes rebuilt their palace from 1365 onwards.
- What it is today: a pedestrian square in the historic centre, close to entrances of the city hall and the Museum of Fine Arts, which share the palace.
- Time needed: 10 minutes for the square; half a day if you add the museum and the tower.
From ducal residence to city hall
From the early 11th century to the late 15th, Dijon was the seat of the Dukes of Burgundy, and under the four Valois dukes, from Philip the Bold to Charles the Bold, it was one of the richest courts in Europe. Their palace was rebuilt from 1365. Between about 1448 and 1455 Philip the Good added a new residential wing, the ducal lodging, and between 1450 and 1460 the tall watchtower now named after him. These are the Gothic buildings you see from the Place des Ducs.
After Burgundy passed to the French crown in 1477, the palace became the seat of the Estates of Burgundy and the royal governor. From 1685 Jules Hardouin-Mansart reshaped it in classical style and laid out the semicircular Place Royale, now the Place de la Libération, on the south side. The medieval north side was largely left as it was, which is why the two squares feel like two different eras. The Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1787, and Dijon's city hall now share the building, and since 2015 the historic centre has been part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What to look for
- The Gothic façade of Philip the Good's ducal lodging, very different from the classical front on the other side.
- The Tour Philippe le Bon, 46 metres high, rising above the square: from its top you can see over the whole city.
- Burgundian roofs on the buildings around the historic centre, covered in coloured glazed tiles in geometric patterns.
- The passages that lead from the square into the palace courtyards, a reminder that this was once the back of a working court.
- Inside the palace, the ducal kitchens with their huge fireplaces, part of the Museum of Fine Arts visit.
Two squares, two eras
Walk from the Place des Ducs to the Place de la Libération and you move from the 15th century to the 17th in a few steps. The ducal square has the stone towers and steep roofs of a late-medieval court; the royal square has Hardouin-Mansart's regular arcades, designed to frame a statue of Louis XIV that stood there from 1725 until the Revolution. Seeing both is the quickest way to understand how Dijon went from ducal capital to provincial capital of France.
Tips for your visit
- Come in the morning, when the light falls on the Gothic façade and the square is quiet.
- To climb the Tour Philippe le Bon, book a timed visit with the tourist office in advance.
- Visit the Museum of Fine Arts while you are here: the tombs of the dukes are its most famous treasures.
- Walk round to the Place de la Libération afterwards to see the palace's classical front.
Nearby
- Place de la Libération: the semicircular royal square in front of the palace, with fountains set into the paving.
- Museum of Fine Arts: one of the oldest museums in France, with the tombs of Philip the Bold and John the Fearless.
- Church of Notre-Dame: a 13th-century Gothic church with rows of gargoyles on its façade and the famous stone owl on its north side.
- Rue des Forges: one of Dijon's oldest streets, lined with medieval and Renaissance houses, a few minutes' walk away.
See Dijon with World City Trail
Our Dijon scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around two hours, with about 25 minutes of walking, and it includes places such as the Jardin des Cloches, Porte Guillaume, Saint-Bénigne Cathedral and Place François Rude. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Dutch.
If you prefer a different format, Dijon also has a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game.
Play the Dijon scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Dijon →
Play the outdoor escape game in Dijon →
Facts checked in October 2026.