Week-end médiéval de Brancion
Knights, archers and falconers bring the hilltop village of Brancion back to the Middle Ages for a weekend.
- Tradition
- Martailly-lès-Brancion
- 57 min from Beaune
€200one way from Beaune with a private driver
Book a driver
At a glance
- Venue
- Château de Brancion
- Organised by
- La Mémoire Médiévale
- Official website
- tournus-tourisme.com
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 57 min by road (69 km), €200 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the event
For one summer weekend the medieval village of Brancion, perched above the Tournugeois, fills with re-enactors. Combat demonstrations, horsemen, birds of prey and archers recreate life between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries around the ruined castle.
What to expect
Knights fight on foot, riders parade, falconers fly their birds and archers demonstrate their skill, while stalls of medieval crafts and food line the lanes of the village.
History
The weekend is organised by La Mémoire Médiévale, the association that manages the Château de Brancion. It brings together medieval troupes and companies to reconstruct daily life in the Middle Ages, spanning the period from 1248 to 1470.
La Mémoire Médiévale has watched over Brancion since 1972 and has managed the castle since 2005 under a 50-year lease, restoring it one section a year with European, state, regional and departmental funding. Cultural events are one of its three fields of work, alongside the castle and the church of Saint-Pierre.
Good to know
Tips for the day
Cars must be left in the free car park 300 metres from the village; disabled parking is inside the site, and public toilets stand before the postern gate. On ordinary days the castle visit costs 8 euros for adults and 4 euros for children aged 5 to 16, with a free audio guide in English. Brancion is a little over an hour from Beaune; being dropped near the village gate spares the walk from the car park, and the drive can take in the Romanesque church of Chapaize nearby. In the village itself, the church of Saint-Pierre, open daily from 10 am to 6 pm, keeps wall paintings worth the short walk.
Around here
What to combine with Week-end médiéval de Brancion on the same day, nearest first.
- Culture
Mois des Climats
Each year over several weeks in late spring and early summer, usually ending in early JulyBeaune - Wine festival
Les Vin’dredis de la Halle
Friday evenings through the summer, from late MayGevrey-Chambertin - Culture
Lumières à Beaune
Every evening from late June to late September, and from the Vente des Vins weekend in November to early JanuaryBeaune
- Wine festival
Chardonnay Day à Chardonnay
A Thursday in May, from late afternoon into the eveningChardonnay
Viré-Clessé
11 km awayMontagny
20 km awayGivry
26 km away
Questions
The 2027 dates of Week-end médiéval de Brancion have not been announced yet. Usual timing: A weekend in mid or late July; the 2025 weekend was held on 19 and 20 July.. The organiser publishes them on tournus-tourisme.com.
Did you know? The re-enactments span more than two centuries of medieval life, from 1248 to 1470.
Sources
A private driver for the day
No parking to find, no one left as the designated driver: everyone enjoys a glass.