A country house in the Ouche valley, known for its terraced kitchen garden and park.
€560for a full-day wine tour from Beaune, up to 4 guests
Private driver from Beaune: 34 min by road (34 km), €120 one way for the whole car.
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In the green Ouche valley, about 25 km from both Dijon and Beaune, the Château de Barbirey is best known for its gardens. Eight hectares of terraced kitchen garden, orchard, ponds and woodland walks have been recreated since 1989 and carry the Jardin remarquable label. The whole estate is a listed historic monument.
Barbirey depended on the barony of Marigny from around 1120, but its château is not mentioned before 1633, and a survey of 1669 describes it as ruined. The present house was built after 1829, and two wings were added around 1861. The park was laid out following the lines of the old kitchen garden. The gardens as a whole were designed in the 18th and 19th centuries.
At the end of the 19th century the estate belonged to Raymond de Blic and his wife Marie, sister of the explorer and hermit Charles de Foucauld, who stayed here several times; a plaque recalls him. The present owners, the Guyonnaud family, have been recreating the gardens since 1989. The entire estate, buildings and grounds, was listed as a historic monument in 2005.
The house is a 19th-century country residence with two wings. The gardens are the highlight: a terraced kitchen garden with a pool, an orchard whose walls follow the contours of the slope, ponds at the end of the little valley, a belvedere in the grove and a former quarry hidden in the woods. Since 2015 a collection of 100 box varieties has been planted.
The online ticket is valid at any time between 10:00 and 18:00 on the day you choose.
Checked on on the official site.
The gardens open to individual visitors every day from early April to mid-November, with tickets bought online in advance, and groups can visit all year by appointment. Allow one to two hours to explore at a gentle pace. Dogs on a lead are welcome. Check the official website for opening times, events and the autumn festival.
What to combine with Château de Barbirey on the same day, nearest first.
Château de Barbirey is about 34 min from Beaune by road (34 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €120 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? Barbirey has planted a collection of 100 varieties of box since 2015, and contemporary artists, including Jacques Vieille and Erik Samakh, have created works for its gardens.
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Full-day wine tour from Beaune: €560 for the car, up to 4 guests
