--- title: "Château de Ruffey: History of a Rock-Moated Castle" description: "Built by the Brancion family in the 13th century, ringed by rock-cut ditches, with a round tower and mullioned windows. Private, seen by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-ruffey lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-ruffey.png --- # Château de Ruffey > Château de Ruffey: a castle with rock-cut ditches and round towers in a quiet hamlet of Sennecey-le-Grand. Château de Ruffey is in Sennecey-le-Grand (Saône-et-Loire), 50 min by road (57 km) from Beaune. Private, seen from outside · 13th century · Private driver from Beaune: €175 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. In the hamlet of Ruffey, at the bottom of a small valley near Sennecey-le-Grand, stands a castle ringed by wide ditches cut into the rock. Round towers, a square tower and a main lodging with mullioned windows survive. The powerful Brancion family probably built it in the 13th century. ## Key facts - Type: Medieval fortress - Location: 45 km south of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 46.6293, 4.8513 - 50 min from Beaune - Private, seen from outside - 13th century - Commune: Sennecey-le-Grand · Saône-et-Loire - Style: Medieval moated castle - Heritage: Registered historic monument - From Beaune: ≈ 50 min · 57 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): 50 min by road (57 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 Ruffey was probably built in the 13th century by the Brancion family, on the site of a former Roman post. When the Brancion possessions were broken up, the fief passed in the 14th century to the Nanton family. At the end of the 15th century Claude de Lugny improved the castle and built a seigneurial chapel on the south side of the church of Saint-Julien. In the 16th century Ruffey passed by inheritance to the Seyssel La Chambre family, who sold it to the Bauffremont lords of Sennecey. In 1714 it was separated from the barony for the Duke of Lauzun, who later ceded it to the Gontaut-Biron family. Sold during the Revolution and partly destroyed, it was abandoned around 1825 until J.-B. Virey began to restore it in 1875. ## Architecture The castle occupies a rectangular platform, protected on the north and west by broad ditches cut into the rock. Three round towers and a square tower marked the corners, and a gate with a drawbridge once led to a fortified farmyard. Today an isolated west tower survives, with the main lodging and a short wing on the east, lit by mullioned windows and warmed by large moulded fireplaces. ## Visiting Ruffey is private property and is not open to visitors, so please respect the owners' privacy. In the centre of Sennecey-le-Grand you can see the surviving pavilions and moats of the old Bauffremont château, and the abbey of La Ferté is only a short drive away. ## Did you know? At Ruffey a wall-walk runs inside the thickness of the walls, at the base of the roofs. The same defensive arrangement is repeated in the castle's outbuildings. ## Around Château de Ruffey What to combine with Château de Ruffey on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Montagny](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/montagny) (16 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) (19 km away): A small wine town of 18th-century monuments, whose red wine is linked by legend to Henri IV. - [Viré-Clessé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/vire-clesse) (20 km away): Two neighbouring villages of the Haut-Mâconnais, joined in one appellation for generous Chardonnay. ### Châteaux - [Château de Sennecey-le-Grand](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-sennecey-le-grand) (2 km away): The remains of the proud Bauffremont château, where Sennecey-le-Grand now has its town hall. - [Abbaye de La Ferté](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/abbaye-de-la-ferte) (5 km away): The palace of the first daughter-house of Cîteaux, with 18th-century rooms, scientific collections and a landscaped park. - [Château de La Chapelle-de-Bragny](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-la-chapelle-de-bragny) (6 km away): A fortified enclosure in the Glandon valley, with a Romanesque chapel and a wooden Virgin in Majesty. ### Things to do - [Les Vignerons de Mancey](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/vignerons-de-mancey-tournus) (8 km away): A growers' cooperative near Tournus, with a free trail on Burgundy wine and tastings of Mâcon-Mancey. - [Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus (Abbaye Saint-Philibert de Tournus)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/abbaye-saint-philibert-tournus), 8 km away: One of the great Romanesque churches of France, with unusual crosswise vaults and a complete monastic setting. - [Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/hotel-dieu-de-tournus) (9 km away): A 17th-century hospital with its wards, oak box beds and one of the oldest apothecaries in France. ### Restaurants - [L’Écrin de Yohann Chapuis](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/l-ecrin-de-yohann-chapuis-tournus) (8 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): An intimate starred dining room in Tournus, from the chef who helped Lameloise win back its third star. - [Aux Terrasses](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/aux-terrasses-tournus) (9 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred family house in Tournus, now in its second generation. - [Cédric Burtin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/cedric-burtin-saint-remy) (14 km away · 2 MICHELIN stars): Two stars in a converted mill on the southern edge of Chalon-sur-Saône. ## Questions about Château de Ruffey ### How far is Château de Ruffey from Beaune? Château de Ruffey is about 50 min from Beaune by road (57 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €175 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Ruffey? Château de Ruffey 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 de Ruffey? 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:ruffey): €175 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - --- Canonical page: