Opening hours and tickets
- Grounds opening hours
- 1 to 31 August and 12 to 20 September: every day, 13:00 to 19:00
- Admission
- Adults €8
Checked on on bourgogne-tourisme.com.
Château de Saint-Germain-lès-Buxy
A moated medieval castle reinvented in the romantic troubadour style by Viollet-le-Duc's son-in-law.
- Manor
- 43 min from Beaune
- Park or grounds to visit, 1 August to 20 September
- 15th and 19th century
€150one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Commune
- Saint-Germain-lès-Buxy · Saône-et-Loire
- Style
- Troubadour (neo-Gothic and neo-Renaissance)
- Heritage
- Registered historic monument
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 43 min by road (46 km), €150 one way for the whole car.
Or add it to our full-day wine tour, €560.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the château
East of Buxy, the château of Saint-Germain-lès-Buxy rises from wide moats in a landscaped park. A lowland fortress of the 14th and 15th centuries, it was transformed in the 19th century into a romantic ensemble with neo-Gothic and neo-Renaissance touches. On set days in summer its courtyard, stables and park open to visitors.
History
Saint-Germain began as a lowland fortress of the 14th and 15th centuries: a square of buildings with a round tower at each corner, set on a platform surrounded by wide moats. Two fixed stone bridges still lead onto the castle platform, and the outbuildings to the east probably occupy the site of the old farmyard. For centuries it remained an austere and defensive house.
Between 1866 and 1878 the owner, Henry de la Roche-Nully, had the castle remodelled by the architect Maurice Ouradou, son-in-law of Viollet-le-Duc. The heavy curtain walls gave way to a courtyard of honour opening onto the park, and the house took on a romantic troubadour style. The Lyon landscape designer Luizet laid out a picturesque park, and the whole estate was listed as a historic monument in 2013.
Architecture
Two wings in brick with stone quoins meet at a right angle around the courtyard of honour, and round towers still mark the corners. Carved details mix neo-Renaissance and neo-Gothic ideas. The moats enclose both the house and the outbuildings, creating wide mirrors of water. The stables keep horse-drawn carriages, children's carriages and a harness room, and the park has lawns, clipped box and trees more than two centuries old.
Visiting
Tips for your visit
On set days, in recent years in early June, throughout August and around the European Heritage Days in September, visitors can explore the exteriors, the courtyard of honour, the stables with their carriages and the park. Groups of eight or more can book a visit all year round. The interior of the house is not part of the visit.
Around here
What to combine with Château de Saint-Germain-lès-Buxy on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Château de Saint-Germain-lès-Buxy is about 43 min from Beaune by road (46 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €150 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? The moats are partly fed by rainwater pouring from gargoyles on the west front, which were modelled on those of Notre-Dame de Paris.
Sources
Château de Saint-Germain-lès-Buxy with a private driver
€150 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests