--- title: "Château d’Auxonne: History of Louis XI’s Fortress" description: "A five-sided fortress Louis XI ordered in 1479 to guard the Saône, its Tour Notre-Dame 22 m high. Seen from the streets, private driver from Beaune, 1 h." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-d-auxonne lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-d-auxonne.png --- # Château d’Auxonne > Château d’Auxonne: Louis XI's five-sided fortress guarding a crossing of the Saône at Auxonne. Château d’Auxonne is in Auxonne (Côte-d'Or), 51 min by road (59 km) from Beaune. Private, seen from outside · 15th century · Private driver from Beaune: €175 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Auxonne, on the Saône about 30 km south-east of Dijon, was long a frontier town, and its château shows it. Built from 1479 on the orders of Louis XI after the death of Charles the Bold, this five-sided fortress with massive round towers guarded a key river crossing between Dijon and Dole. ## Key facts - Type: Medieval fortress - Location: 45 km north-east of Beaune · Côte-d'Or - Coordinates: 47.1916, 5.3826 - 51 min from Beaune - Private, seen from outside - 15th century - Commune: Auxonne · Côte-d'Or - Style: Late medieval royal fortress - Heritage: Registered historic monument - From Beaune: ≈ 51 min · 59 km - €175 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 51 min by road (59 km), €175 one way for the whole car. Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) Estimates per vehicle for up to 4 guests, tolls included. Your price is confirmed when you book. ## History After Duke Charles the Bold was killed at Nancy in 1477, Louis XI set out to bring the duchy of Burgundy under the French crown. In 1479 he ordered three fortresses to hold the Burgundians in check, at Dijon, at Beaune and at Auxonne, in the south-west corner of the town walls. The work at Auxonne was entrusted to Vauzy de Saint-Martin, and most of it was finished by 1493. The treaty of Senlis in 1493 made Auxonne a frontier town facing the Holy Roman Empire, a role it kept until Franche-Comté became French in 1678, and later kings strengthened its defences. Barracks and a governor's house were built in the courtyard in the 16th century, and under Louis XIV Vauban made Auxonne a fortified stronghold. From 1970 to 2012 the great Tour Notre-Dame housed a museum devoted to Bonaparte. ## Architecture The fortress forms a pentagon with a perimeter of about 400 metres, with five corner towers joined by thick curtain walls. The largest, the Tour Notre-Dame, is 20 metres across and 22 metres high, with walls six metres thick at the base. The towers, curtain walls and gatehouse are listed as historic monuments, and the site belongs to the State. ## Visiting The château is not open as a museum, but its towers and walls can be seen from the streets of Auxonne near the Saône. The town keeps other parts of its old fortifications, which make a pleasant walk of an hour or so. Auxonne is easily combined with a drive across the Saône plain from Dijon. ## Did you know? Auxonne's château is one of three fortresses Louis XI ordered in 1479 to control Burgundy, with those of Dijon and Beaune. The Dijon fortress was demolished in the 19th century. ## Around Château d’Auxonne What to combine with Château d’Auxonne on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/dijon) (30 km away): Burgundy's historic capital, city of the Valois dukes and northern gateway to the Route des Grands Crus. ### Châteaux - [Château de Longecourt](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-longecourt) (17 km away): A moated brick castle in the plain, dressed in 18th-century stucco and still lived in. - [Château de Talmay](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-talmay) (19 km away): A 13th-century keep towering over an elegant 18th-century château near the Vingeanne. - [Château de Bressey-sur-Tille](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-bressey-sur-tille) (20 km away): An 18th-century château east of Dijon with a Palladian-inspired façade added in 1786. ### Things to do - [Cîteaux Abbey (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Cîteaux)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/abbaye-de-citeaux), 23 km away: The mother house of the Cistercian order, founded in 1098 and still home to monks. - [Colombière Park (Parc de la Colombière)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/parc-de-la-colombiere), 28 km away: A 17th-century park laid out for the Princes of Condé, crossed by a Roman road. - [Consortium Museum](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/consortium-museum) (29 km away): A pioneering contemporary art centre founded in 1977, in a building remodelled by Shigeru Ban. ### Restaurants - [Château du Mont Joly](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/chateau-du-mont-joly-sampans) (9 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A Meilleur Ouvrier de France cooking the Jura in an 18th-century manor near Dole. ## Questions about Château d’Auxonne ### How far is Château d’Auxonne from Beaune? Château d’Auxonne is about 51 min from Beaune by road (59 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €175 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château d’Auxonne? Château d’Auxonne is private and not open to visitors. You can see it from the road or the village, and your driver can stop there on the way. ### Can a private driver take us to Château d’Auxonne? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you visit and plans the rest of the day with you. The driver speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. → [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=chateau:auxonne): €175 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - --- Canonical page: