Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy and its hospital with coloured roofs.

What is there to see in Beaune?

Beaune is a small town, partly surrounded by its ramparts, that can be walked in a day. First comes the Hôtel-Dieu, the hospital for the poor founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor to the Duke of Burgundy, and his wife Guigone de Salins. It worked as a hospital and care home until the early 1980s and is now a museum. From the courtyard you see its roof of glazed tiles in coloured geometric patterns, the image of Burgundy. Inside are the Hall of the Poor, with the beds in a row beneath a painted wooden vault, the pharmacy, the kitchens and Rogier van der Weyden's Last Judgement polyptych, the most valuable work in the hospital, which has a restoration project under way.

In 2026 the Hôtel-Dieu opens from 9:00 to 19:30 from 1 April to 15 November and for the rest of the year from 9:00 to 12:30 and from 14:00 to 18:30. The ticket office closes an hour earlier so that there is time for the visit, which lasts about an hour. If you arrive by regional train, show your TER ticket: there is a discount.

Afterwards, stroll around place Carnot and the streets of the centre, full of wine, mustard and cheese shops, and step into the collegiate church of Notre-Dame. To understand the vineyard, the Cité des Climats et des Vins de Bourgogne, which opened in May 2023 in the Chartreuse park, explains in an hour and a half or two hours what the climats are, with a tasting at the end. It is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00.

What are the climats?

That is what Burgundy calls vineyard plots with their own names, marked out for centuries by soil, orientation and microclimate. Each produces a different wine, even when next to another and with the same grape: pinot noir for the reds and chardonnay for the whites. In 2015 UNESCO inscribed the climats of the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune as a World Heritage Site, together with the historic centre of Dijon and the town of Beaune.

How do you tour the vineyards?

By car, on the Route des Grands Crus, which runs from Dijon to Santenay through the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune. North of Beaune you pass through Nuits-Saint-Georges and the villages of some of Burgundy's most sought-after wines; to the south, through Savigny-lès-Beaune, Pommard, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Santenay, with the châteaux of Pommard and Santenay.

By bike, on the Voie des Vignes, the best plan of the trip. From Beaune to Santenay it is 22 km on a paved lane for bikes and walkers only, with little climbing, which crosses the villages of Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. Beaune, Meursault and Santenay have stations, and regional trains carry bikes free of charge, so you can pedal out and come back by train. The network adds up to more than 80 km: there is also a section from Santenay to Nolay and from Beaune to Dijon, of 45 km. Ordinary and electric bikes can be hired at the tourist offices in Nolay, Santenay and Chagny.

Where do you taste?

Beneath your feet. Beaune is honeycombed with cellars, and several négociant houses offer visits to their underground cellars with a tasting at the end. The tourist office books tastings and has a list of cellars and domaines in the villages. In the villages along the route the family cellars are small: write or phone ahead, because many don't open without an appointment.

Where to eat and sleep?

For eating, traditional Burgundian cooking at the Caveau des Arches, a 15th-century cellar with a €36 menu, or at Le Fleury, next to the Hôtel-Dieu; for a special dinner with wine, Caves Madeleine. To taste without an appointment, the Patriarche cellars, six wines beneath the town for €25; with children, the Moutarderie Fallot, where you make your own mustard.

To sleep inside the ramparts, the Hôtel des Remparts, a 17th-century mansion, or the five-star Hôtel Le Cep, with a spa. For a motorhome or tent, the Les Cent Vignes municipal campsite, from March to November.

From Paris there are two day trips by train, the Hôtel-Dieu and the cellars and the Voie des Vignes by bike, and a two-night getaway.

When is the auction?

The Vente des Vins des Hospices de Beaune, the charity auction of the hospital's wines, is held on the third weekend of November. In 2026 it is the 166th edition, from 13 to 15 November, with tastings, a street party and the auction. If you are not going for it, avoid those dates: the town fills up and prices rise.

How do you get there from Spain?

By car, from La Jonquera it is about 670 km via Lyon and the A6 motorway, which passes right by the town. By train, via Paris or Lyon: the TGV reaches Dijon and from there there are frequent regional trains to Beaune. Within the town you don't need a car, and for the vineyards the bike and the regional train will do.