--- title: "Château de Montbard et Parc Buffon: Visit, Opening Times" description: "Buffon turned the dukes' castle into 14 terraced gardens and wrote his Histoire naturelle on its ramparts. Park and museum, private driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-montbard-parc-buffon lang: en updated: 2026-10-01 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-montbard-parc-buffon.png --- # Château de Montbard et Parc Buffon > Château de Montbard et Parc Buffon: the towers of a ducal castle, reshaped by the naturalist Buffon into terraced gardens above his home town. Château de Montbard et Parc Buffon is in Montbard (Côte-d'Or), 1 h 14 by road (100 km) from Beaune. Guided tours only: 1 June to 31 August: Wednesday to Sunday, tours start between 11:00 and 16:00 · Guided tour: Adults €5, reduced €4 · 11th to 18th centuries · Private driver from Beaune: €265 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Above the town of Montbard, about 75 minutes from Beaune, the old castle of the dukes of Burgundy became the private domain of the naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon. Two medieval towers still stand among his terraced gardens. The town owns the site, with the Parc Buffon, Buffon's study and the Musée Buffon. ## Key facts - Type: Medieval fortress - Location: 75 km north-west of Beaune · Côte-d'Or - Coordinates: 47.6259, 4.3356 - 1 h 14 from Beaune - Open to visitors, 1 June to 31 August - 11th to 18th centuries - Commune: Montbard · Côte-d'Or - Style: Medieval ducal castle remains, 18th-century terraced park - Heritage: Listed historic monument - Official website: [musee-parc-buffon.fr](https://www.musee-parc-buffon.fr/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 14 · 100 km - €265 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): 1 h 14 by road (100 km), €265 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 castle is first mentioned in the late 11th century. Its first known lord, Bernard de Montbard, was the grandfather of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux through his daughter. In 1189 Duke Hugues III of Burgundy acquired Montbard in exchange for Époisses. The dukes turned it into a strong fortress in the 13th and 14th centuries, and the Valois dukes often stayed here in the 15th century. Buffon's father bought the local lordship in 1718. Between 1733 and 1742 Buffon took over the castle, cleared the ruined buildings and filled the ramparts with earth to create terraces. He kept the Tour de l'Aubespin, the old keep, and the church, and lowered the Tour Saint-Louis by one storey. In a small study on the ramparts he wrote much of his Histoire naturelle. The town bought the abandoned estate in 1870 and made it a public park. ## Architecture The Tour de l'Aubespin is a tall polygonal keep with four vaulted floors and machicolations, a rare survivor of the ducal castle. The Tour Saint-Louis, cut down by Buffon, held his library. Around them, fourteen terraces in the French and Italian manner step down the hill, with trees, flowers and an orangery. Buffon's cabinet de travail, his simple study, still stands on the western rampart. ## Opening hours and tickets - Guided tours only: 1 June to 31 August: Wednesday to Sunday, tours start between 11:00 and 16:00 - Guided tour: Adults €5, reduced €4 Guided tours of the towers and Buffon's study start at 11:00, 14:30 and 16:00, and the park is free all year. Checked on 1 October 2026 on [the official site](https://www.musee-parc-buffon.fr/horaires-et-tarifs/). ## Visiting The terraced park is a public garden, open free of charge all year, with views over the town and the towers. The Musée Buffon, in the former stables, presents Buffon's life and 18th-century natural science, and entry is free. From June to August, guided tours take visitors into the Tour de l'Aubespin, Buffon's study and the underground rooms. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours. Combine with the Abbey of Fontenay nearby. ## Did you know? Buffon wrote his Histoire naturelle from 1749 to 1788, much of it in his small study at Montbard. Jean-Jacques Rousseau is said to have knelt at its door in admiration. ## Around Château de Montbard et Parc Buffon What to combine with Château de Montbard et Parc Buffon on the same day, nearest first. ### Châteaux - [Château de Montfort](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-montfort) (4 km away): A ruined 13th-century fortress on a rocky plateau, linked to the story of the Shroud of Turin. - [Château de Lantilly](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-lantilly) (10 km away): The 'château of a hundred windows', with 18th-century interiors and a celebrated flowering kitchen garden. - [Château de Rochefort](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-rochefort) (11 km away): The ruined residence of Louis XI's physician, being rebuilt stone by stone by a volunteer association. ### Things to do - [Fontenay Abbey (Abbaye de Fontenay)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/abbaye-de-fontenay), 4 km away: One of the best-preserved Cistercian abbeys in the world, alone in a quiet wooded valley of the Auxois. - [Buffon’s Great Forge (Grande Forge de Buffon)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/grande-forge-de-buffon), 6 km away: An 18th-century ironworks built by the naturalist Buffon on the banks of the Armançon. - [MuséoParc Alésia](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/museoparc-alesia) (14 km away): The battlefield where Caesar defeated Vercingetorix, with a modern museum, Roman siege works and a Gallo-Roman town. ## Questions about Château de Montbard et Parc Buffon ### How far is Château de Montbard et Parc Buffon from Beaune? Château de Montbard et Parc Buffon is about 1 h 14 from Beaune by road (100 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €265 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Montbard et Parc Buffon? Yes, Château de Montbard et Parc Buffon 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 Montbard et Parc Buffon? 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:montbard): €265 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - --- Canonical page: