Maison des Cariatides

Lonely Planet review

Many of Dijon's finest hôtels particuliers (aristocratic townhouses) are north of the Palais des Ducs on and around rues Verrerie, Vannerie and des Forges, whose names reflect the industries that once thrived along them (glassmakers, basket-weavers and metalsmiths, respectively). The early-17th-century Maison des Cariatides, its façade a riot of stone caryatids, vines and horns, is particularly fine.

A bit west you'll find the 13th-century Hôtel Aubriot (40 rue des Forges), the Renaissance-style Maison Maillard (38 rue des Forges) and the truly splendid Hôtel Chambellan (34 rue des Forges), from whose courtyard a spiral stone staircase leads up to some remarkable stone vaulting and a great view of the building's 17th-century architecture.