--- title: "Château de Sercy: Visit, Opening Times & History" description: "Towers mirrored in a pond, one still wearing a medieval timber hoarding. Exteriors, kitchen and chapel open in spring and early autumn, by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-sercy lang: en updated: 2026-10-01 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-sercy.png --- # Château de Sercy > Château de Sercy: a storybook castle beside a pond, crowned by one of the oldest surviving timber hoardings in France. Château de Sercy is in Sercy (Saône-et-Loire), 53 min by road (62 km) from Beaune. Opening hours: 1 April to 31 July and 1 September to 31 October: every day, 9:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 18:00 · Admission: Adults €2 · 12th to 15th century · Private driver from Beaune: €185 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Beside the road through the Grosne valley, Sercy appears reflected in a pond framed by old trees. Towers of every shape surround a tiny courtyard, and one of them still wears a wooden gallery at its top. It is one of the best-preserved and most curious medieval castles of the region. ## Key facts - Type: Medieval fortress - Location: 50 km south of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 46.6055, 4.6820 - 53 min from Beaune - Open to visitors, 1 April to 31 October - 12th to 15th century - Commune: Sercy · Saône-et-Loire - Style: Medieval fortress - Heritage: Listed historic monument - From Beaune: ≈ 53 min · 62 km - €185 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [full-day wine tour, €560](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 53 min by road (62 km), €185 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 first lord of Sercy is mentioned in 1067, probably a younger son of the house of Brancion, and a powerful fortress rose here in the 12th century. Around 1450 Guillaume de Sercy, bailiff of Chalon and first squire of the stables of Duke Philip the Good, improved its defences and its comfort. The young Charles, count of Charolais and future Charles the Bold, served as his page. In the 16th century Claude de Sercy began a new Renaissance château on the hill nearby, but he died before it was finished, and in 1540 the male line ended with his son. The estate later passed to other families. In 1793 its owner, Claude Perroy de La Foretille, was guillotined in Paris. In 1806 his granddaughter married Baron du Bessey de Contenson, whose descendants still own Sercy. ## Architecture A tall gate tower in the middle of the east side once carried a covered machicolation that recalls the Papal Palace in Avignon, and a double stone stair was added in front in 1811. A square tower, the round Tower of the Hoarding, the Archives Tower and a much-altered round keep mark the corners. Timber-framed and stone buildings line the small courtyard, and the chapel is Romanesque. ## Opening hours and tickets - Opening hours: 1 April to 31 July and 1 September to 31 October: every day, 9:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 18:00 - Admission: Adults €2 The €2 entry is paid into the letterbox in the old kitchen. Checked on 1 October 2026 on [bourgogne-tourisme.com](https://www.bourgogne-tourisme.com/chateaux/chateau-de-sercy). ## Visiting The owners open the exteriors, the old kitchen and the chapel to visitors in spring, early summer and early autumn. The castle is closed in winter and in August. Even from the roadside, the view across the pond makes a memorable stop between Chalon and Cluny. ## Did you know? The round Tower of the Hoarding still carries its wooden gallery on stone corbels, a defensive arrangement counted among the oldest known examples in France. ## Around Château de Sercy What to combine with Château de Sercy on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Montagny](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/montagny) (11 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) (20 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) (21 km away): Two neighbouring villages of the Haut-Mâconnais, joined in one appellation for generous Chardonnay. ### Châteaux - [Château de Bresse-sur-Grosne](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-bresse-sur-grosne) (5 km away): A castle with Cistercian wine buildings and a model farm, held by the same family since 1799. - [Château d’Uxelles](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-d-uxelles) (6 km away): The cradle of the Uxelles marquisate on a spur above Chapaize, rebuilt as a country house in 1835. - [Château de Cormatin](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-cormatin) (7 km away): The most lavish Louis XIII apartments in France, inside a moated château with a box maze garden. ### Things to do - [Saint-Martin Church, Chapaize (Église Saint-Martin de Chapaize)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-saint-martin-chapaize), 7 km away: An early Romanesque priory church whose tall Lombard bell tower rises over the countryside west of Tournus. - [Taizé Community (Communauté de Taizé)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/communaute-de-taize), 10 km away: An ecumenical community of brothers in a Burgundian village, where visitors may join the daily prayer. - [Mont Saint-Romain](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/mont-saint-romain) (14 km away): A summit of almost 580 metres in the Mâconnais hills, with a rooftop viewing table facing the Alps. ## Questions about Château de Sercy ### How far is Château de Sercy from Beaune? Château de Sercy is about 53 min from Beaune by road (62 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €185 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Sercy? Yes, Château de Sercy 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 Sercy? 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, €560](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=chateau:sercy): €185 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - --- Canonical page: