--- title: "Château de Rully: Visit, Opening Times & History" description: "A late 12th-century keep, towers and wall-walk above its vines, still owned by heirs of its first lords. Tours in July and August, by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-rully lang: en updated: 2026-10-01 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-rully.png --- # Château de Rully > Château de Rully: a medieval fortress above its own vineyard, still lived in by descendants of its first lords. Château de Rully is in Rully (Saône-et-Loire), 27 min by road (24 km) from Beaune. Guided tours only: 1 July to 31 August: Tuesday to Sunday, tours start between 11:00 and 12:00 and between 14:00 and 18:00 · Guided tour: Adults €15 · 12th to 15th century · Private driver from Beaune: €100 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The château of Rully sits on a hillside above its vines, looking east over the Saône plain. Its square keep goes back to the late 12th century, and towers, battlements and a wall-walk still ring the inner courtyard. The owners, descendants of the medieval lords of Rully, show visitors around themselves. ## Key facts - Type: Medieval fortress - Location: 19 km south-west of Beaune · Côte Chalonnaise - Coordinates: 46.8691, 4.7353 - 27 min from Beaune - Open to visitors, 1 July to 31 August - 12th to 15th century - Commune: [Rully · Saône-et-Loire](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/rully) - Style: Medieval fortress - Heritage: Registered historic monument - Official website: [chateauderully.com](https://www.chateauderully.com) - From Beaune: ≈ 27 min · 24 km - €290 for a [half-day wine tour](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) from Beaune, up to 4 guests ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 27 min by road (24 km), €100 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 château is first recorded in 1194, when it belonged to Hugues de Rully. He built the square keep that still anchors the fortress. In the 14th century, with no male heir left, Rully passed to the Saint-Léger family through the marriage of Isabelle de Rully and Robert de Saint-Léger. In the 15th century the new owners added lodgings inside the walls and made the old stronghold more comfortable to live in. In 1619 the estate passed by inheritance to the Montessus family, whose portraits still hang in the rooms. During the Revolution the marquise de Montessus was briefly held in prison in Chalon, and a certificate from the village praised her constant help to the poor. The château now belongs to Count Raoul d'Aviau de Ternay, a descendant of the Montessus, the Saint-Léger and the Rully families. ## Architecture Rully is a fine example of a late medieval fortified house. A square keep, three round corner towers and a flanking tower are linked by curtain walls with a wall-walk, crenellations and arrow slits. Inside, the vaulted kitchen in the keep keeps a huge 15th-century fireplace and a collection of copper pans. Around the outer court, 18th-century farm buildings carry what is described as the largest set of stone roofs in Burgundy. ## Opening hours and tickets - Guided tours only: 1 July to 31 August: Tuesday to Sunday, tours start between 11:00 and 12:00 and between 14:00 and 18:00 - Guided tour: Adults €15 - Booking: Not needed Guided tours start on the hour from 11:00 to 18:00 except 13:00, and payment is by cash or cheque only. Checked on 1 October 2026 on [the official site](https://www.chateauderully.com/chateau-rully-visites.html). ## Visiting In July and August the owners lead guided tours of the interior, and the grounds can be explored freely. Groups can visit by appointment all year. Children can borrow costumes and try an orienteering course in the park. The family also hosts receptions in a hall overlooking the vineyard. ## Did you know? The castle dovecote still has its original revolving ladder and had room for about 2,400 pigeons. In 1991 Rully won a national award from the Vieilles Maisons Françaises heritage association. ## Around Château de Rully What to combine with Château de Rully on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Rully](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/rully) (1 km away): Crisp whites, supple reds and a cradle of Burgundy's sparkling wine, below a medieval château. - [Bouzeron](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/bouzeron) (2 km away): A tiny village with a unique claim: the only village appellation for Aligoté. - [Mercurey](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/mercurey) (4 km away): The largest vineyard of the Côte Chalonnaise, known above all for its reds. ### Châteaux - [Château de Chamilly](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chamilly) (4 km away): A classical château in a green valley, cradle of the Bouton de Chamilly family and a wine estate. - [Château de Chamirey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chamirey) (5 km away): An elegant 18th-century wine château in Mercurey, at the heart of a 37-hectare family estate. - [Château de Montaigu](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-montaigu) (5 km away): The ruined hilltop stronghold of the lords of Montaigu, above the vineyards of Mercurey. ### Things to do - [Maison André Delorme](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-andre-delorme-rully) (1 km away): A Rully house founded in 1942 that helped create Crémant de Bourgogne, with vaulted cellars cut into the rock. - [Maison Chanzy](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-chanzy-bouzeron) (2 km away): A Bouzeron estate founded in 1928, with the appellation's only monopole and a second cellar in Puligny-Montrachet. - [Domaine de la Folie](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-de-la-folie-chagny) (3 km away): A small Rully estate at Chagny, with the Clos Saint-Jacques monopole and a pioneer of cinema in its family tree. ### Restaurants - [Maison Lameloise](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/maison-lameloise-chagny) (5 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) (8 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred couple's table in the heart of Montrachet country, with 600 wines to match - [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. ### Guides about Château de Rully - [Wine tour itineraries from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/burgundy-wine-tour-itineraries) ## Questions about Château de Rully ### How far is Château de Rully from Beaune? Château de Rully is about 27 min from Beaune by road (24 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €100 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Rully? Yes, Château de Rully 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 Rully? 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 a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=wine-tour&option=half&place=chateau:rully): Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - --- Canonical page: