# Beaune

The Hôtel-Dieu of 1443, cellars beneath the streets and the route of the grands crus on the doorstep. Two or three nights, with a day cycling among the vines.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/burgundy-franche-comte/beaune · Revisado: 2026-11-13

## 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.

## Qué hacer
- **Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune, the 1443 Hospital with the Coloured Roof** (1 h · Everyone; children have their own audio guide · €12.50 general admission; reduced rate with a TER ticket to Beaune from less than 48 hours ago): The Hôtel-Dieu is the visit that justifies the trip to Beaune. It was founded in 1443 by Chancellor Nicolas Rolin and his wife Guigone de Salins as a hospital for the poor, and worked as such for more than five centuries. Today it is the museum of the Hospices de Beaune, the institution that each November auctions the wines of its vineyards.
What you see
You enter through a sober slate façade and, on reaching the courtyard, the roof of glazed tiles in yellow, green, red and black diamonds appears. Inside you walk through the Hall of the Poor, with red-canopied beds in a row under a painted wooden vault, the chapel at the end, the kitchens, the pharmacy with its jars and albarelli and the rooms that tell the life of the nursing sisters. The most valuable piece is the Last Judgement polyptych by Rogier van der Weyden, seen in a room of its own with a magnifying glass.
The self-guided route, called Sur les pas des fondateurs, is done with an audio guide, included in the ticket: there are ten languages for adults, Spanish among them, and four versions for children.
Opening hours, prices and guided visits
In 2026 it is open every day: from 1 April to 15 November from 9:00 to 19:30, and the rest of the year from 9:00 to 12:30 and from 14:00 to 18:30. The ticket office closes one hour earlier, which is how long the visit takes. General admission costs €12.50. If you arrive by regional train, show your TER ticket to Beaune from less than 48 hours ago and they apply the reduced rate.
The online ticket office also sells guided visits: an express 20-minute tour at 10:00 and 17:00, in French and English, and a one-hour visit of the areas not normally shown, in English at weekends from April to mid-November at 11:00. Buy online in high season and in the week of the auction.
Getting there
It is in the centre, at 2 rue de l'Hôtel-Dieu, about fifteen minutes on foot from the station. If you come by car, leave it in the car parks on the boulevards surrounding the rampart: the old town is small.
- **The Voie des Vignes by Bike, from Beaune to Meursault and Santenay among the Vines** (4 h · 22 km · Anyone who rides a bike; on an electric one, effortless · Leisure bike €19 a day · electric bike €39 a day (Bourgogne Randonnées)): The Voie des Vignes is the best day of the trip to Beaune: a paved lane just for bikes and walkers that leaves the town to the south and crosses, among the vines, the villages of some of Burgundy's best-known wines. To Santenay it is 22 km with little climbing, so anyone who rides a bike can do it, and with an electric one you hardly notice.
The route
You leave Beaune to the south and in a few kilometres you are in Pommard, with its château. Next comes Volnay and then Meursault, the village of the great whites. Beyond come Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet, already among the most expensive names in the vineyard, and at the end Santenay. Each village has wineries with a sign on the door; many only receive visitors by appointment.
You do not have to go to the end. To Meursault and back is about 18 km, a relaxed morning. To Santenay and back, about 44 km: a whole day with lunch on the way. The other option is to go one way only: Beaune, Meursault and Santenay have stations and bikes travel free on regional TER trains.
Bike hire
In Beaune, Bourgogne Randonnées hires bikes at 7 avenue du 8 Septembre: a leisure bike for €19 a day and an electric one for €39, with helmet and lock included. It is open every day, Sundays too, closing at midday. It has child equipment at €15 per item per day. Book the electric one in season.
Practical details
Bring water: between villages there is little shade. The lane is shared with walkers. For tasting, share or spit: alcohol limits apply on a bike too.
- **Cité des Climats et Vins de Bourgogne, the Vineyard Museum with Tasting** (1 h 45 · Adults and families; ages 6 to 17 pay the young person's ticket · Adult €14.50 · reduced €11 · ages 6 to 17 €7.50 · family (2 adults and 2 young people) €37 · under 6 free): The Cité des Climats et Vins de Bourgogne explains in a couple of hours what in the vineyards takes days to understand: why two adjoining plots give different wines and what each name on the label means. It is the Beaune site of a network of three centres (the others are in Chablis and Mâcon) and opened in 2023 in a spiral-shaped building, in the Chartreuse park, at the southern entrance to the town.
What you see
The route begins with the geology and climate of the Côte, continues through the centuries of work by monks and winegrowers who drew the climats, the named plots that UNESCO inscribed in 2015, and ends with aromas, appellations and today's craft. The ticket includes a glass of Burgundy wine at the end. Tasting workshops, guided visits and courses are paid separately.
Opening hours and prices
From 1 October 2026 to 31 May 2027 it is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00, and from June to September from 10:00 to 19:00. Last admission is one hour before closing. Closed on 25 December, 1 January and a few days in early January for maintenance.
Entry costs €14.50 for adults, €11 reduced (also with a TER ticket to Beaune from the last 48 hours), €7.50 for ages 6 to 17 and nothing for under-6s. The family ticket, two adults and two young people, costs €37. Animals are not admitted, except assistance dogs.
Getting there
It is at 21 avenue Charles de Gaulle, next to the Novotel and the Ibis Budget Beaune Sud: some GPS devices take you elsewhere, so watch for that. It has its own car park during opening hours. From the station it is about 25 minutes on foot, and urban bus lines 2 and 5 arrive. From 6 July to 30 September there is a shuttle from the centre every 20 minutes. The whole building is wheelchair accessible, with a lift.
- **Caves Patriarche, a Six-Wine Tasting in the Cellars of the Former Visitandines Convent** (1 h · Adults; you must be of legal drinking age · Visite Dégustation Liberté €25 per person): Beaune is riddled with cellars, and those of Patriarche are among the largest in Burgundy: about five kilometres of vaulted galleries under the centre, with around two million bottles maturing. The house, with some 240 years of history, has its entrance at 5 rue du Collège, in the former convent of the Visitandines, a few minutes' walk from the Hôtel-Dieu.
The visit
The Visite Dégustation Liberté costs €25 and lasts about an hour. You go down into the galleries and walk through them on your own, with video terminals that explain the house and the vineyard in nine languages, Spanish among them. At the end, a sommelier serves you six wines: three whites (Savigny-lès-Beaune, Rully and Meursault) and three reds (Santenay, Beaune Premier Cru and Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru). It is a good way to taste in an hour the Côte de Beaune, the Côte de Nuits and the Côte Chalonnaise before exploring them.
For groups or tailor-made there is a Visite Privilège with a price according to the number of people, and during the weekend of the Hospices auction the house runs a special tasting.
Opening hours
In 2026 it is open every day with departures from 9:45 to 10:45 and from 14:15 to 16:45, every half hour, with ten people at most per departure. The tourist office says you can enter without booking subject to availability, but Patriarche recommends booking online and calling ahead to confirm a place. It closes for a few days in February and March, on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January; in 2027, also on 17 January.
Practical details
Down below the temperature is cool all year: bring a layer in summer. Only adults of legal drinking age can taste. The shop is at the exit, with no obligation to buy.
- **Moutarderie Fallot, a Visit to Beaune's Last Family Mustard Maker** (Families and children; under-10s free · Parcours Découvertes €12 adults · €9 ages 10 to 18 · free under 10 (2025 rates)): Dijon gave its name to mustard, but the family mustard maker you can visit is in Beaune. Edmond Fallot has been an independent house since 1840 with its mustard mill on rue du Faubourg Bretonnière, west of the centre. The visit is the Beaune activity children like best, and the only one in town that does not revolve around wine.
The visit
The Parcours Découvertes goes through an old mustard workshop, explains the craft and ends with the practical part: you make your own mustard. Afterwards you try Burgundian appetisers served on a plate, take away a gift and move on to the mustard bar, with a range of exclusive products. The visits are in groups of up to 20 people, at fixed times, and are given in French, English, German, Chinese and Japanese: there is no Spanish version, but the mustard-making part can be understood without language.
There is a second route, Sensations fortes, with its own booking. Check on the website what it includes before choosing.
Prices and booking
With the published 2025 rates, adults pay €12, ages 10 to 18 €9 and under-10s go in free. A private group pays €220. Book online on their website, choosing a time; in French school holidays it is wise to do so a few days ahead.
The shop
The house's workshop shop in Beaune sells the house range. It is the place to buy mustard as a souvenir.

## Dónde comer
- **Caveau des Arches** (Restaurant, Beaune · boulevard de Perpreuil, next to the rampart, €€). Qué pedir: the €36 Bourguignon menu with eggs in meurette or snails and bœuf bourguignon
- **Le Fleury** (Restaurant, Beaune · place Fleury, near the Hôtel-Dieu, €€). Qué pedir: the Burgundy classics - snails, eggs in meurette and bœuf bourguignon - with a glass of Hospices wine
- **Caves Madeleine** (Restaurant, Beaune · faubourg Madeleine, €€€). Qué pedir: the multi-course menu and a bottle chosen with them from among the 500-plus references

## Consejos

### Enter the Hôtel-Dieu first thing
At nine you can see the courtyard and the Hall of the Poor without groups.

### Do the Voie des Vignes one way
Pedal to Santenay or Meursault, eat there and come back on the regional train with your bike, which travels free.

### Book tastings in the villages
Small cellars don't always open without an appointment. In Beaune, the big houses do keep set hours.

### Buy mustard and cheese in the centre
Beaune is half an hour from Dijon and its mustard, and the cheese shops have époisses and other cheeses from the area.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long do I need in Beaune?
One day for the town and the Hôtel-Dieu, and another for the vineyards by bike or car. With three nights, the Côte de Nuits and Dijon.

### How long does the Hôtel-Dieu visit last?
About an hour. That is why the ticket office closes an hour before closing time.

### Can you tour the vineyards by bike?
Yes, on the Voie des Vignes: 22 km, paved and almost flat, from Beaune to Santenay, with railway stations for the way back.

### What are the climats of Burgundy?
Vineyard plots with their own name and their own wine, marked out for centuries. They have been a World Heritage Site since 2015.

### When is the Hospices wine auction?
The third weekend of November. In 2026, from 13 to 15 November.

### Can I go without a car?
Yes. Beaune has a station with trains from Dijon and Lyon, the centre is seen on foot and the vineyards by bike and regional train.