Public Transport and Getting Around in Dijon

The tram network was inaugurated in 2012 and instantly became the preferred form of transport. Two lines offer regular service every day of the week between 5:30am and 1am, with trams every five to 15 minutes depending on the time of day. One line travels north to south and the other reaches out the western community of Quetigny, both converging in the Republique, Darcy and the train station for ease of transfer. The tram is quiet, smooth, accessible and affordable. The two lines reach all the main points of interest in the city as well as the train station for passengers arriving by TGV high-speed train. There are ticket dispensers in most stops, payable by cash or credit card. One thing to note is that validation is compulsory for each trip on a bus or a tram, including connections, and for all transport tickets. To validate correctly, the ticket or card must be presented at the electronic reader until it beeps. If arriving by car, there are free park and ride lots on each line, where drivers can exit without charge by presenting the validated tram ticket.

Buses in Dijon are clean, efficient, and frequent. The public transport network is called Divia and serves the main districts of Dijon and its surrounding areas. During the day buses run every three to 10 minutes between 6am and midnight. On weekends and after 9pm frequency normally drops unless it has been reinforced for a special event. As with the tram, tickets and passes must be validated each time.

A convenient little shuttle runs every 10 minutes from Monday to Saturday between 8am and 7pm. It criss-crosses the historic center between the Republique and Darcy squares and people can hop on and off freely – the perfect to move between the many attractions and historical spots in the heart of the city without effort.

Dijon’s automatic bike-share rental system Velodi has 400 city bikes at 40 sites around town. The quick and efficient online registration provides the code necessary to easily pick up the bike from any of the pick-up and drop-off spots around the city. There are different options to subscribe, and the fee is nominal and includes the first 30 minutes free. If the rider exchanges the bike at the next station the counter goes back to zero to keep riding for free. There are long-term subscriptions available, and also the Formule Liberté (very convenient for visitors) that allows users to sign up online or via mobile, with a duration of seven days for €1. The user receives a secret code and can use the service immediately. As with the long-term subscriptions, the first half-hour is free, and the subsequent three half-hours are charged at just €0.50 each.