--- title: "Château de Cormatin: Visit, Opening Times & Gardens" description: "Begun in 1606, with Louis XIII apartments decorated in 1627 and 1628, a 1624 staircase and a box maze. Open April to early November, by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-cormatin lang: en updated: 2026-10-01 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-cormatin.png --- # Château de Cormatin > Château de Cormatin: the most lavish Louis XIII apartments in France, inside a moated château with a box maze garden. Château de Cormatin is in Cormatin (Saône-et-Loire), 58 min by road (71 km) from Beaune. Opening hours: 4 April to 11 November, hours vary with the season · Admission: Adults €14.50, reduced €10 · 17th century · Private driver from Beaune: €205 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Cormatin rises from wide moats in the Grosne valley, on the road between Chalon and Cluny. Begun in 1606, it holds the most sumptuous surviving Louis XIII apartments in France and a vast early stone staircase. Its restored gardens, with a box maze and flower beds, recreate the spirit of the early 17th century. ## Key facts - Type: Renaissance château - Location: 55 km south of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 46.5432, 4.6848 - 58 min from Beaune - Open to visitors, 4 April to 11 November - 17th century - Commune: Cormatin · Saône-et-Loire - Style: Louis XIII - Heritage: Listed historic monument - Official website: [chateaudecormatin.com](https://www.chateaudecormatin.com) - From Beaune: ≈ 58 min · 71 km - €205 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 58 min by road (71 km), €205 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 In 1280 Henri du Blé built a fortified house here to control the road to Cluny along the Grosne. His descendant Antoine du Blé grew rich and powerful during the Wars of Religion, first for the Catholic League and then for Henri IV, who made him governor of Chalon. From 1606 he replaced the old fortress with a new château whose military façades echoed the citadel of Chalon. His son Jacques, a close friend of Queen Marie de Médicis, finished the north wing around 1626 and had it decorated lavishly in 1627 and 1628. Made a marquis in 1618, he was killed at the siege of Privas in May 1629, and his widow stopped all work. Later generations rarely lived here, although Marshal Nicolas du Blé was exiled to Cormatin by the Regent. In the 19th century Lamartine was a frequent guest, and in 1847 he gathered his political friends here to draft a republican programme. In 1898 Raoul Gunsbourg, director of the Monte-Carlo Opera, bought Cormatin and staged summer operas in front of the château with singers such as Caruso. After decades of neglect, three friends bought the partly ruined château in 1980 and have restored it ever since. ## Architecture Three wings once formed a horseshoe closed by a rampart with a drawbridge, and great pavilions guard the outer corners. The façades, with rusticated bases and corner turrets, keep a military look. The north wing, inspired by the Luxembourg Palace in Paris, holds the grand staircase of 1624, about 20 metres high and built around an open central well, with balusters copied from the Luxembourg. ## Opening hours and tickets - Opening hours: - 4 April to 11 July: every day, 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:30 - 12 July to 16 August: every day, 10:00 to 18:00 - 17 August to 30 September: every day, 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:30 - 1 to 16 October: Monday to Friday, 14:00 to 17:30; Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:30 - 17 October to 2 November: every day, 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:30 - 10 and 11 November: Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:30 - Admission: Adults €14.50, reduced €10 The times are for arriving at the desk for the guided tour, and the park stays open until 20:00. Checked on 1 October 2026 on [the official site](https://chateaudecormatin.com/la-visite). ## Visiting The 17th-century apartments and the great staircase are shown on a guided tour of about an hour, while the park and the 1900 rooms can be visited freely. The château is open from early April to early November, and the park invites a long stroll. Groups visit by appointment. ## Did you know? In the courtyard stands a statue of the Second Republic, raised in 1849 to remember Lamartine's political meeting of 1847. It survives today, but without its head. ## Around Château de Cormatin What to combine with Château de Cormatin on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Viré-Clessé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/vire-clesse) (16 km away): Two neighbouring villages of the Haut-Mâconnais, joined in one appellation for generous Chardonnay. - [Montagny](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/montagny) (18 km away): A white-only appellation of hillside vineyards around Buxy, with a wealth of premiers crus. - [Givry](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/givry) (27 km away): A small wine town of 18th-century monuments, whose red wine is linked by legend to Henri IV. ### Châteaux - [Château d’Uxelles](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-d-uxelles) (2 km away): The cradle of the Uxelles marquisate on a spur above Chapaize, rebuilt as a country house in 1835. - [Château de Besanceuil](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-besanceuil) (6 km away): A fortified manor of the 1380s near Cormatin, softened over the centuries with painted panelling. - [Château de Sercy](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-sercy) (7 km away): A storybook castle beside a pond, crowned by one of the oldest surviving timber hoardings in France. ### Things to do - [Taizé Community (Communauté de Taizé)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/communaute-de-taize), 3 km away: An ecumenical community of brothers in a Burgundian village, where visitors may join the daily prayer. - [Saint-Martin Church, Chapaize (Église Saint-Martin de Chapaize)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-saint-martin-chapaize), 4 km away: An early Romanesque priory church whose tall Lombard bell tower rises over the countryside west of Tournus. - [Mont Saint-Romain](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/mont-saint-romain) (8 km away): A summit of almost 580 metres in the Mâconnais hills, with a rooftop viewing table facing the Alps. ## Questions about Château de Cormatin ### How far is Château de Cormatin from Beaune? Château de Cormatin is about 58 min from Beaune by road (71 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €205 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Cormatin? Yes, Château de Cormatin welcomes visitors. Opening days and times change with the seasons, so check its official website before you go. ### Can a private driver take us to Château de Cormatin? 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. → [Full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=chateau:cormatin): €205 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - - --- Canonical page: