--- title: "Château de Beaune: History of Louis XI’s Fortress" description: "Louis XI set this fortress into the Beaune ramparts after 1478; its towers now hold the Bouchard Père & Fils cellars, open for guided visits by reservation." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-beaune lang: en updated: 2026-10-08 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-beaune.png --- # Château de Beaune > Château de Beaune: Louis XI's fortress in the Beaune ramparts, now home to the Bouchard Père & Fils wine house. Château de Beaune is in Beaune. Tastings on site · 15th, 16th and 19th centuries. The Château de Beaune is the royal fortress built into the town walls after Louis XI took Burgundy. Its great towers still stand on the ring of ramparts. Since the early 19th century they have served as wine cellars for Bouchard Père & Fils, whose manor house stands inside the old walls. ## Key facts - Type: Medieval fortress - Location: In Beaune - Coordinates: 47.0239, 4.8426 - In Beaune itself - Tastings on site - 15th, 16th and 19th centuries - Commune: [Beaune · Côte-d'Or](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/beaune) - Style: Royal fortress with a 19th-century manor - Heritage: Registered historic monument - Official website: [bouchard-pereetfils.com](https://www.bouchard-pereetfils.com) - In Beaune, where your driver is based. - €290 for a [half-day wine tour](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) starting here, up to 4 guests ## Getting there Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) ## History In 1477 Duke Charles the Bold died at Nancy, and Louis XI moved to take Burgundy for the French crown. Beaune resisted, and the king besieged the town in 1478. To hold it, he had a fortress built into the town walls. The first towers faced inward, toward the town itself. Two great towers facing the countryside were added later, and the work was completed in 1527 under François I. The fortress was partly demolished between 1602 and 1606, and its town-side towers were cut down. The site was later removed from the royal domain and sold at auction in 1780. In the early 19th century the Bouchard family turned the two big eastern towers into cellars and the moats into gardens. Bernard Bouchard bought the château in 1820, and the firm has had its headquarters here since 1872. ## Architecture The fortress was laid out as a pentagon with five towers about 17 metres high, built in dressed stone with rusticated facing. The two big towers facing the countryside survive intact, while the town-side towers were cut down to one or two levels. All of them hold vaulted rooms that now serve as cellars. Inside the walls stands a 19th-century manor with a roof of glazed Burgundy tiles. ## Visiting Bouchard Père & Fils now receives visitors at the château for guided tours of its cellars, through the old underground galleries and bastions where the house's wines age, followed by a tasting. Visits are for small groups and by reservation only: book by phone well ahead, and ask for the current days, times and prices. The great towers can also be seen at any time from the public walk along the Beaune ramparts, an easy stroll to combine with the old town and the Hospices. ## Did you know? The cellars hold old vintages, the oldest from 1846. Two towers of the old fortress have been listed as historic monuments since 1937. ## Around Château de Beaune What to combine with Château de Beaune on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/beaune) (1 km away): The wine capital of Burgundy, with the Hôtel-Dieu, old ramparts and cellars beneath its streets. - [Chorey-lès-Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/chorey-les-beaune) (3 km away): A village on the gentle land just north of Beaune, known for supple and fruity reds. - [Pommard](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/pommard) (4 km away): A red-wine village between Beaune and Volnay, known for deep, firm Pinot Noir. ### Châteaux - [Château de Challanges](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-challanges) (3 km away): A 19th-century country house in a wooded park south-east of Beaune, now a hotel. - [Château de Chorey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chorey) (3 km away): A moated manor with lone round towers and a dovecote, at the edge of Chorey. - [Château de Pommard](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-pommard) (4 km away): A Régence château of 1726 and a 20-hectare walled vineyard at the entrance to Pommard. ### Things to do - [Fresque de La Grande Vadrouille](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/fresque-la-grande-vadrouille-beaune) (1 km away): A painted wall in Beaune's old town that recalls the shooting of La Grande Vadrouille in 1966. - [Maison Champy](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-champy-beaune) (1 km away): Founded in 1720, Champy calls itself Burgundy's oldest wine house, with old cellars and an 1890 vat house. - [L’Atelier des Bonbons](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/atelier-des-bonbons-beaune) (1 km away): Watch artisan confectioners cook and shape hand-made sweets in a small Beaune workshop. ### Restaurants - [Le Carmin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/le-carmin-beaune) (1 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Christophe Quéant's poised, product-first cooking in a Renaissance house on place Carnot - [Clos du Cèdre](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/clos-du-cedre-beaune) (1 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A winemaker's mansion by Beaune's ramparts, with a starred kitchen and a cellar of over 1,000 wines - [Table de Levernois](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/table-de-levernois) (4 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A Relais & Châteaux country house outside Beaune, with its own kitchen garden and 1,800 wines ### Events - **Friday 13 – Sunday 15 November 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Vente des Vins des Hospices de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/vente-des-vins-hospices-de-beaune): Burgundy's great charity wine auction, first held in 1859 and now staged each November in Beaune's covered halls. (Wine auction · Beaune) - **Saturday 10 – Sunday 11 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Salon de dégustation Pains Vins Fromages](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/salon-pains-vins-fromages-beaune): Bread, cheese and wine under Beaune's covered halls, run by the town's tourism students. (Food & markets · Beaune) - **Friday 16 – Sunday 18 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Vignobles en Scène](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/vignobles-en-scene-beaune): An October weekend of one-off wine experiences along the Route des Grands Crus. (Wine festival · Beaune and the Côte de Beaune) - **Friday, 13 November 2026 – Tuesday, 5 January 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Lumières à Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/lumieres-a-beaune): Light projections on Beaune's landmarks, every evening in summer and from the Vente des Vins to early January. (Culture · Beaune) - **Friday 13 – Saturday 14 November 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Semi-Marathon de la Vente des Vins de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/semi-marathon-vente-des-vins-beaune): Burgundy's best-known half marathon, run through Pommard, Volnay and Meursault on the Vente des Vins weekend. (Sport · Beaune) - **Friday 13 – Saturday 14 November 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Fête des Grands Vins de Bourgogne](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fete-des-grands-vins-de-bourgogne): Every Burgundy appellation in one hall, poured by the growers themselves, on the Vente des Vins weekend. (Wine festival · Beaune) - **Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 December 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Beaune Blues Boogie Festival](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/beaune-blues-boogie-festival): Five nights of boogie-woogie, blues and swing in Beaune's theatres and wine cellars. (Music · Beaune) - **Saturday 12 – Sunday 13 December 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Le Festi’Noël](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festi-noel-marche-de-noel-beaune): Beaune's Christmas market by the Porte Marie de Bourgogne, with crafts, treats and mulled wine. (Christmas · Beaune) - **Thursday 1 – Sunday 4 April 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Festival Beethoven à Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-beethoven-beaune): A spring chamber music festival devoted to Beethoven, led by the cellist Sung-Won Yang. (Music · Beaune) - **Each year over several weeks in late spring and early summer, usually ending in early July** · [Mois des Climats](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/mois-des-climats): A festival of visits, walks and tastings celebrating Burgundy's UNESCO-listed Climats. (Culture · Beaune and the Côte-d'Or vineyards) - **Usually Ascension Thursday, in May, with staggered departures from late morning** · [Beaune Saveurs de Vignes](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/beaune-saveurs-de-vignes): A gourmet walk through Beaune's vineyards, with growers pouring at every stop. (Wine festival · Beaune) - **Usually four consecutive weekends in July** · [Festival international d’opéra baroque de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-opera-baroque-beaune): Since 1983, a summer festival of baroque opera in the Hôtel-Dieu courtyard and Beaune's historic churches. (Music · Beaune) - **Late September, over four days from Thursday to Sunday (24 to 27 September in 2026)** · [Festival d’automne Jazz O’Verre](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-jazz-o-verre-beaune): Four days of jazz in Beaune at the end of September, in the spirit of a good glass of wine. (Music · Beaune) - **Early October, on a Saturday, with starts from late morning (3 October in 2026)** · [L’Automnale](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/l-automnale-beaune-cyclos): An autumn cycling tour of the Côte and Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, from 44 to 90 km. (Sport · Beaune) ### Guides about Château de Beaune - [Beaune in one day](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/beaune-in-one-day) - [Visiting Burgundy’s famous domaines](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/famous-burgundy-domaines-you-can-visit) ## Questions about Château de Beaune ### Can you visit Château de Beaune? Yes. Château de Beaune is a wine estate that receives visitors for tastings, usually by appointment. We can help you book it as part of a wine tour. ### Can a private driver take us to Château de Beaune? 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. → [Half-day wine tour, €290](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) ## Book - [Book](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=wine-tour&option=half&place=chateau:beaune): Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - --- Canonical page: