--- title: "Château de Couches: Visit, Opening Times & History" description: "Medieval fortress with a Flamboyant chapel of 1460 and underground passages, where a-ha filmed Cry Wolf. Visits end with a tasting, by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-couches lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-couches.png --- # Château de Couches > Château de Couches: a medieval fortress above the Creuse valley, with a Flamboyant chapel and its own vineyard. Château de Couches is in Couches (Saône-et-Loire), 34 min by road (34 km) from Beaune. Open to visitors · 12th to 15th centuries and 19th century · Private driver from Beaune: €120 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The Château de Couches guarded the old road from Autun to Chalon, on a shelf above the valley of the Creuse. Its walls and towers date from the 12th to the 15th centuries, joined by a Gothic Revival wing in the 19th century. Today it is a wine estate that welcomes visitors most of the year. ## Key facts - Type: Medieval fortress - Location: 25 km south-west of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 46.8630, 4.5873 - 34 min from Beaune - Open to visitors - 12th to 15th centuries and 19th century - Commune: Couches · Saône-et-Loire - Style: Medieval fortress with a Gothic Revival wing - Heritage: Registered historic monument - Official website: [chateaudecouches.com](https://www.chateaudecouches.com) - From Beaune: ≈ 34 min · 34 km - €360 for a [half-day wine tour](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) plus one hour, from Beaune, up to 4 guests ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 34 min by road (34 km), €120 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 The lords of Couches built the fortress from the 12th century and kept enlarging it until the 15th, when it was one of the strongholds of the Duchy of Burgundy. In 1460 Claude de Montagu, lord of Couches, built its Flamboyant Gothic chapel. Like many Burgundian castles, it later lost its defences: it was dismantled in the 17th century, and its outer walls now stand only at waist height. In the 19th century a new main building went up in Gothic Revival style, roofed with glazed coloured tiles. The castle is often called after Marguerite de Bourgogne, queen of France and wife of Louis X, but her link with Couches belongs to local legend. The whole castle, including its underground passages, is listed as a historic monument, and its vineyard produces Bourgogne Côte du Couchois wines. ## Architecture The castle occupies a large quadrangle, still ringed on three sides by walls cut down to waist height. A tall tower at the south-east corner controlled the original entrance, and a stair turret was later added to it. Between two round towers stands the 1460 chapel, followed by the Gothic Revival living wing with its square towers. Underground passages run beneath the site. ## Visiting Couches is open most of the year. Guided, self-guided and audio-guided visits in French and English take in the chapel, towers, courtyards and underground passages, while the residential wing stays private. Visits can end with a tasting of the estate's wines. Allow about 90 minutes. Check the official website for opening times. ## Did you know? In 1986 the Norwegian band a-ha filmed the video for its song Cry Wolf at the castle, with the director Steve Barron. ## Around Château de Couches What to combine with Château de Couches on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Maranges](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/maranges) (7 km away): Three villages on the last slopes of the Côte de Beaune, sharing one appellation for bright, fruity reds. - [Santenay](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/santenay) (10 km away): Spa town and wine village near the southern end of the Côte de Beaune, known for its reds. - [Mercurey](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/mercurey) (11 km away): The largest vineyard of the Côte Chalonnaise, known above all for its reds. ### Châteaux - [Château de Dracy](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-dracy) (3 km away): A castle of 1547 on a hillside near Couches, with a long 18th-century wine cellar. - [Château de Mercey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-mercey) (5 km away): An early 17th-century manor with square towers and a dovecote, above the Maranges vineyards. - [Château de Chamilly](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chamilly) (8 km away): A classical château in a green valley, cradle of the Bouton de Chamilly family and a wine estate. ### Things to do - [Mont de Sène (Hill of the Three Crosses), Mont de Sène (Montagne des Trois Croix)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/mont-de-sene-trois-croix), 9 km away: A 521-metre summit crowned by three crosses, looking over the vineyards of Santenay and the Maranges. - [Nolay and Its Medieval Market Hall (Nolay et ses halles médiévales)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/nolay-medieval-market-hall), 10 km away: A small medieval market town with a 14th-century hall roofed in heavy Burgundy stone slabs. - [Antonin Rodet](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/antonin-rodet-mercurey) (11 km away): A Mercurey wine house founded in 1875, with a tasting cellar in the stables of a 17th-century mansion. ### Restaurants - [Maison Lameloise](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/maison-lameloise-chagny) (14 km away · 3 MICHELIN stars): Burgundy's only three-star table, in a former coaching inn twenty minutes south of Beaune. - [Ed.Em](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/ed-em-chassagne-montrachet) (14 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred couple's table in the heart of Montrachet country, with 600 wines to match ## Questions about Château de Couches ### How far is Château de Couches from Beaune? Château de Couches is about 34 min from Beaune by road (34 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €120 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Couches? Yes, Château de Couches 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 Couches? 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 plus one hour, €360](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=wine-tour&option=half&place=chateau:couches): Half-day wine tour plus one hour from Beaune: €360 for the car, up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - --- Canonical page: