What to do in Dijon with kids? For most visitors to the city, Dijon is a nice stopover with the kids on their way to southern France. And as for our family, Dijon was also a nice stopover. The city is not super big and in one day you can see many of the sights. Several days you don’t need to stay in this city. We have listed for you the best sights of Dijon with kids.
Dijon with kids
#1 Scavenger hunt through the city of Dijon
You can do a scavenger hunt in Dijon with kids! The Dijon City Council has created a fun scavenger hunt through the city using owls placed on tiles throughout the city. In all, there are 22 tiles with an owl hidden throughout the old town with a number each time, so you can see which ones you’ve already had on this owl trail.
This walking tour will lead you past all of the city’s historical sites. Your kids will be busy looking for the tiles with the owls on them, and you can enjoy all the beautiful sights that Dijon’s Old Town has to offer in the meantime. The scavenger hunt continues to expand and the tiles can now be found outside the city center.
For a few euros you can buy the booklet of the scavenger hunt at the tourist information point in town. The scavenger hunt is available in Dutch, among other languages. Look online for more information about this scavenger hunt through Dijon. If you have an Android smartphone, you can also download the app about this scavenger hunt and then you can use your phone to do the scavenger hunt through Dijon with kids.
#2 Park Jardin Darcy
Park Jardin Darcy is the most fun park in Dijon with kids. From downtown, it is less than a ten-minute walk to this park. When you walk to the beautiful gate Guillame (see photo below), you walk into this park, so to speak.
The park itself is beautiful with beautiful fountains, bridges, statues and also a small playground for the smallest kids. At some of the bridges, with a little imagination, you imagine yourself in Venice.
By the way, this is also a great park for a family picnic. Buy goodies from the supermarket in advance and bring a rug so you can have a nice picnic on one of the park’s lawns. When we visited the park it had rained a lot and unfortunately this was not an option.
#3 Climb the tower of Philip the Good
It is also possible in Dijon with kids to climb a tower to get a beautiful view of the city. Together with your kids, climb the tower with 316 stairs. Along the way you can stop and take a rest on one of the seven floors.
For a few euros, you can make this climb, and they estimate that you will spend about 45 minutes in total, from entry to standing outside again. At the top there is a viewing platform, where you have a 360-degree view of the entire city.
#4 Playing at the fountains of Place de la Libération
Place de la Libération is the city’s central square and how simple can entertainment be for kids. In fact, in the square you have fountains, where especially in summer it is great for kids to play.
The square is spacious and car-free, and for parents you also have great cafes near these fountains, so you have a good view of your kids. So you can enjoy a drink in this main square while your kids play with water. In addition, you also have a great view of the city’s palace.
Of course, as in almost every French city, there is an old-fashioned carousel in the center of town for the kids. Somehow our little daughter has an eye for this kind of carousel, because she usually sees them from a great distance and usually before us ;).
#5 Kir Lake
To the northwest of the city a ten-minute drive from downtown is Lac Kir (Lake Kir). If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city of Dijon, this lake is a great option to go to with kids.
Also, if the weather is warm and you want to escape the heat of the city for a while, this is a very good option. In fact, in the northeast part of the lake there is a small beach with lifeguard service and the possibility of renting beach chairs and an umbrella. The beach is clean and there is plenty of parking for the car. You have a beautiful view of the mountains here. And your kids can enjoy the beach, water and sun here!
#6 Carousel pool
You can also go swimming in Dijon with kids. The Carrousel pool is located right in the center of Dijon and you can swim here with kids both indoors and outdoors. This also makes the pool a great option if, for example, the weather is a little less in the city and you still want to do something with the family in Dijon.
Inside there is a pool and an area for kids to play and also outside you have a 50-meter pool. In addition, outside there is a large slide with 4 lanes that kids can go down. Outside you also have a lot of sunbathing areas around the pool, so you can also sunbathe here in the summer months. You also have 2 saunas and a hammam by the pool.
This can also be a great place to take a break as a stopover from the journey south to France or Spain. Near the pool is also a restaurant with a terrace, where you can go in Dijon with kids for a snack and a drink.
#7 Jardin de l’Arquebuse – Museum
You can also go to a museum in Dijon with kids. This is obviously also a great children’s activity in Dijon if the weather is a little less and you still want to do something with the family. In addition, the museum is free to visit, which also makes it a budget outing in Dijon. It is a nature museum and you will find many stuffed animals.
The information in the museum is all in French, though, so you should mainly just take a tour of the museum with kids to admire the different animals. Check the museum’s website in advance for opening hours, as the museum is not open all day.
The museum is located in a botanical garden and in this botanical garden there is also a planetarium. You can also visit this planetarium for free with kids in Dijon. By the way, you have other museums in the city that you can visit for free, including the archaeological museum and the art museum. If you like museums as a family, then these might also be fun options to do in Dijon.
Family-friendly hotel Dijon
You can stay in Dijon with kids just fine. You have plenty of family-friendly accommodations you can book in the city. We list some of these family-friendly accommodations in Dijon below.
Budget hotel: Odalys City Dijon Les Cordeliers
During our stay in Dijon, we stayed at Odalys City Dijon Les Cordeliers with our family. The hotel is located right in the historic center of Dijon in a former monastery. An excellent apartment right in the center, with good parking for the car. For us an ideal hotel and certainly not too expensive. The advantage is that they have many rooms for families in this monastery.
Mid-range hotel: Hotel Des Ducs
Luxury hotel: Vertigo: a member of Design Hotels
Also, check out the entire list of family-friendly hotels in Dijon.
Family-friendly restaurant Dijon
Dijon is a big city and therefore you have plenty of nice family-friendly restaurants in the city center where you can go with families with kids.
Lucilla Le Clan Des Mamma: At this Italian restaurant in Dijon you can go for different pastas and pizzas with kids. The price-quality ratio is very good of the restaurant. The decor of the restaurant is informal, which makes it great to eat here with kids as well. The restaurant also has delicious drinks boards that you can order with the family.
Mama Restaurant Dijon: This family-friendly restaurant is located right in the center of Dijon and the decor of the restaurant is very nice. You can go here with kids for the brunch buffet, for example. This buffet has many healthy options. Just keep in mind that it is not a cheap restaurant.
Les Fils À Maman Dijon: You can also visit this family-friendly Dijon with kids just because of its interior. There are all sorts of dolls and toys in the shelves on the wall, so there is plenty to see in the restaurant. The menu is wide, so there are plenty of suitable options for families with kids on the menu as well.
Of course in Dijon there are also the various well-known fast food chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King, where you can go for a quick bite. We occasionally go to these kinds of restaurants when we are abroad for a quick bite to eat and always like to have this alternative always behind us as well. So there are plenty of choices for eating in Dijon with kids.
Transportation to and in Dijon
Most families with kids travel to Dijon by car. However, it is also possible to travel to the city of Dijon with kids by train or plane. In fact, the city has 2 train stations and an airport located slightly outside the city. The center of Dijon is compact and you can easily explore the city on foot with kids.
If you want to see a little more of the city of Dijon with kids and also want to see some of the sights outside the city center then you can use the car or public transportation. There are several buses in Dijon and also the city has two different streetcar lines that go to different places in the city.
Another way to see much of the city with the family is to rent a bicycle. In downtown Dijon, it is possible to rent a bike from Bourgogne Evasion.
Located right in the center, this rental company also rents children’s bikes and carts behind bikes. Always think carefully beforehand about whether you will let the kids ride by themselves through Dijon’s busy city or whether you will rent a tandem bike or a cart behind the bike, for example.
Best travel time Dijon with kids
The best travel time to visit Dijon with kids is from June through September. During these months, temperatures in Dijon regularly exceed 20 degrees and you have the best chance of sunny weather. After all, most of the sights are outdoors and then you do want the weather to be good. Still, you can always have to deal with a rain shower, as we had.
We visited Dijon with our daughter in the middle of summer and still had a lot of rain during the day. So keep this in mind. The busiest months in the city of Dijon are July and August because of the international vacation period.
It may be then that accommodations are already fully booked and prices of accommodations rise. If you want to avoid these crowds in Dijon with kids, June and September are good alternatives.
Dijon City Pass
Now if you are staying in Dijon a little longer with kids, it may be advantageous to purchase the Dijon City Pass. You can purchase this card for 24, 48 or 72 hours and this card gives you “free” access to various attractions in the city. In addition, you can also use public transportation in the city for free with this card.
Before you take a city trip to Dijon with kids, see exactly where you all want to go and then see if the card is advantageous for your family. Who knows, you might save some money during the city trip this way. For more information, check out the Dijon City Pass website.
