7 min read · Written and checked by Côte Privée, updated
Chablis is about 135 km north-west of Beaune, roughly 1 h 30 each way and almost all of it on the A6 motorway, so it makes a full day rather than a detour. Plan two or three tastings in and around the town, a look at the seven grands crus on their single hillside across the Serein, lunch in Chablis, and one extra stop such as Noyers-sur-Serein, Irancy and Saint-Bris, or Auxerre.
In short
- Beaune to Chablis: about 135 km and 1 h 30; motorway tolls for a car are about €10 to €15 each way, according to APRR's 2026 tariffs.
- Chablis is white only, from Chardonnay, in four appellations: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru.
- The seven grands crus cover 99 hectares on one slope on the right bank of the Serein and make about 1.5% of Chablis wine.
- There are 40 premier cru climats, 17 of them main names, on about 770 hectares on both banks of the river.
How far is Chablis from Beaune and how do you get there?
Chablis is about 135 km from Beaune, around 1 h 30 by car, with about 110 km on the A6 towards Paris.
Leave the motorway at Nitry for the most direct road into Chablis, or at Auxerre-Sud if you are starting with Saint-Bris and Irancy. Motorway tolls for a car are about €10 from Beaune to Nitry and €13 to €15 to Auxerre-Sud each way. There is no practical train connection from Beaune to Chablis, so without a car of your own, a driver is the realistic way to see it in a day. Our long day, 12 hours for €880 per vehicle for up to four guests, is designed for this trip.
What are the Chablis grands crus and premiers crus?
Chablis has four appellations, all white and all Chardonnay, and the two top ones are easy to read on the ground.
- The grand cru climats are Blanchot, Bougros, Les Clos, Grenouilles, Preuses, Valmur and Vaudésir.
- Their soils are Kimmeridgian limestone and marl full of tiny fossil oysters, Exogyra virgula, which give Chablis its saline, chalky edge.
- Well-known premiers crus include Montée de Tonnerre, Mont de Milieu and Fourchaume on the right bank, and Vaillons, Montmains and Côte de Léchet on the left.
- La Moutonne, a plot of 2.35 ha lying mostly within Vaudésir, is not one of the seven official grand cru names.
| Appellation | Where the vines grow | Key figures |
|---|---|---|
| Chablis Grand Cru | One slope on the right bank of the Serein, facing the town, between about 100 and 250 m | 7 climats, 99 ha, about 1.5% of production |
| Chablis Premier Cru | Slopes on both banks of the Serein and its side valleys | 40 climats, 17 of them main names, about 770 ha, 13% of production |
| Chablis | Slopes across the area, largely on Kimmeridgian limestone and marl | The largest part of the vineyard |
| Petit Chablis | Plateaus above the slopes, mostly on younger Portlandian limestone | Light, fresh wines for drinking young |
Where can you taste wine in Chablis?
Start at La Chablisienne or the Cité des Climats for an overview, then taste at one or two domaines by appointment.
- La Chablisienne: the growers' cooperative founded in 1923. Its Caveau de Chablis on boulevard Pasteur opens every day, and private tastings cost €6.50 to €35 per person.
- L'Obédiencerie, Domaine Laroche: a former monastic house near the collegiate church of Saint-Martin, with 12th- to 17th-century cellars and a great 13th-century press; visits and tastings are booked online.
- Château Long-Depaquit: owned by the Beaune house Albert Bichot, with holdings in several of the seven grands crus and the La Moutonne monopole; its Orangerie receives visitors all year.
- Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne, Chablis: an exhibition in the Petit Pontigny, the monks' old cellar, with a wine bar; a good first stop.
- Château de Béru, about 10 km east, receives visitors for tastings, best booked ahead. In Maligny, about 7 km north, the Durup family, whose Chablis carries the Château de Maligny name, receives visitors at its estate on weekdays; the castle itself is private.
What does a Chablis day trip look like hour by hour?
Leave Beaune at 8.30, taste twice in the morning, lunch in town, then add one stop and a last tasting before driving back.
- 8.30Leave Beaune on the A6 and exit at Nitry.
- 10.00Arrive in Chablis. First tasting at La Chablisienne or the Cité des Climats.
- 11.15Second tasting at a domaine, then a short drive below the grand cru slope, where the whole hierarchy fits in one view.
- 12.45Lunch in Chablis.
- 14.30Afternoon stop: Noyers-sur-Serein, 25 minutes south-east; Saint-Bris and Irancy, 20 to 30 minutes south-west; or the Abbaye de Pontigny, 20 minutes north.
- 16.30A last tasting, for example Sauvignon in Saint-Bris or red Irancy.
- 17.30Drive back to Beaune, arriving at about 19.00 to 19.30.
Is Noyers-sur-Serein worth the detour?
Yes, if you enjoy old stone villages: Noyers sits in a loop of the Serein about 25 minutes south-east of Chablis, and visiting it on the way from Beaune adds only about 20 minutes to the drive.
It is one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France. You enter through the Porte Peinte into cobbled squares whose names recall old trades, such as the Place du Marché-au-Blé. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours. From Beaune, the simplest plan is Noyers first, then north along the Serein valley to Chablis for lunch.
Why stop in Irancy and Saint-Bris?
Because they show another side of the Yonne: Irancy makes red Pinot Noir, and Saint-Bris is the only Burgundy appellation made from Sauvignon.
Irancy lies in a bowl of vines and cherry trees south-east of Auxerre. Its reds, which may include a little of the old César grape, gained their own village appellation in 1999. Saint-Bris-le-Vineux, about 10 km from Auxerre, sits above a network of medieval cellars and gave its name to the Saint-Bris appellation in 2003. Nearby, the Caves Bailly Lapierre age Crémant de Bourgogne in old underground quarries: a one-hour visit with a tasting of two crémants. Bring a warm layer, as the galleries stay at about 12 degrees.
Can you combine Chablis with Auxerre or Vézelay?
Yes, but choose one: Auxerre is about 25 minutes from Chablis and Vézelay about 50, and each deserves 1.5 to 2 hours on foot.
- Cathédrale Saint-Étienne d'Auxerre: a Gothic cathedral with 13th-century stained glass and a finished north tower of 68 m.
- Abbaye Saint-Germain d'Auxerre: Carolingian crypts with 9th-century wall paintings, seen on a guided tour.
- Auxerre, Tour de l'Horloge and old town: half-timbered lanes around a 15th-century clock tower that shows the phases of the moon. Auxerre pairs well with Saint-Bris and Irancy on the way back to the A6.
- Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay: a great Romanesque church on its hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. La Chablisienne also runs a tasting cellar in Vézelay from April to October, and the way back to Beaune passes Avallon.
How long is a Chablis day with an extra stop?
Count on 10 to 11 hours door to door and about 285 to 305 km of driving, depending on the extra stop.
Beaune to Chablis via Noyers-sur-Serein and back is about 285 km; adding Saint-Bris and Irancy, Auxerre or Vézelay brings the loop to roughly 300 km. That sits at the limit of the 300 km included in our long day, so tell us your plan when you book and we will confirm the route.
Questions
Yes, if you enjoy white wine: nowhere in Burgundy shows Chardonnay on Kimmeridgian limestone so clearly, and all seven grands crus fit in one view. Allow a full day, as the drive is about 3 hours there and back.
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