--- title: "Château de Sully: Visit, Opening Times & History" description: "Moated Renaissance château begun around 1570, birthplace of Marshal Mac-Mahon in 1808. Guided tours April to November, by private driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-sully lang: en updated: 2026-10-01 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-sully.png --- # Château de Sully > Château de Sully: a moated Renaissance château where Marshal Mac-Mahon was born, still home to his family. Château de Sully is in Sully (Saône-et-Loire), 36 min by road (36 km) from Beaune. Guided tours only: 4 April to 1 November: every day, tours start between 9:30 and 17:00 · Guided tour: Adults €10.20, reduced €9.20 · 16th to 19th centuries · Private driver from Beaune: €125 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The Château de Sully is one of the great Renaissance houses of Burgundy, in the valley of the Drée between Autun and Beaune. Four wings around a courtyard stand inside water-filled moats. It has belonged to the Mac-Mahon family since the 18th century, and the Duchess of Magenta still lives here. ## Key facts - Type: Renaissance château - Location: 30 km west of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 47.0108, 4.4738 - 36 min from Beaune - Open to visitors, 4 April to 1 November - 16th to 19th centuries - Commune: Sully · Saône-et-Loire - Style: Renaissance - Heritage: Listed historic monument - Official website: [chateaudesully.com](https://www.chateaudesully.com) - From Beaune: ≈ 36 min · 36 km - €560 for a [full-day wine tour](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day) from Beaune, up to 4 guests ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 36 min by road (36 km), €125 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 Gaspard de Saulx-Tavannes, a marshal of France, commissioned the château around 1570, to designs by the architect Nicolas Ribonnier. Building went on for half a century and was finished between 1616 and 1621. The new house was built in front of an older medieval residence, and parts of its walls still survive behind one of the courtyard façades, a reminder of the earlier castle. In 1714 Claude de Morey bought the estate and rebuilt the north façade and its terraces. The château then passed to the Mac-Mahon family, who still own it. Patrice de Mac-Mahon was born here in 1808. He became a Marshal of France, was made Duke of Magenta after his victory there in 1859, and served as President of the Republic from 1873 to 1879. In the 19th century the interiors were largely remodelled, and a landscape garden was laid out around 1890. The family also fitted out a small private theatre in the north outbuildings. Later used as a workshop, it was restored and reopened in 2024. In 1995 the whole estate was classified as a historic monument, from the moats, bridges and chapel to the theatre, stables, orangery, farm, kitchen garden and park. ## Architecture Four wings enclose a central courtyard, with square towers set at an angle at each corner, all surrounded by moats fed by the Drée. The courtyard façades are fully Renaissance, with rusticated arches below, Ionic pilasters, niches and carved heads above. A stone bridge leads to the west front, and the park holds a chapel, stables, an orangery and a dovecote. ## Opening hours and tickets - Guided tours only: 4 April to 1 November: every day, tours start between 9:30 and 17:00 - Guided tour: Adults €10.20, reduced €9.20 - Booking: Required The longer tour with the theatre or the bedrooms starts at 15:30 on weekdays. Checked on 1 October 2026 on [the official site](https://www.chateaudesully.com/infos-pratiques). ## Visiting Sully is open from early April to the start of November. Guided tours cover the furnished rooms, and the ticket includes the park and the kitchen garden. On weekday afternoons a longer tour adds another part of the house, such as the little theatre or the bedrooms, depending on the day. Allow about two hours. ## Did you know? The park holds a statue of Marshal Mac-Mahon that once stood in Algiers, and a wash-house built in the style of a Russian log cabin, recorded as a lavoir-isba. ## Around Château de Sully What to combine with Château de Sully on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Maranges](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/maranges) (18 km away): Three villages on the last slopes of the Côte de Beaune, sharing one appellation for bright, fruity reds. - [Saint-Romain](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-romain) (18 km away): A cliff-ringed village above the Côte de Beaune, known for crisp whites, fresh reds and wide views. - [Saint-Aubin](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-aubin) (19 km away): A valley village just over the hill from Montrachet, where most vineyards are classified premier cru. ### Châteaux - [Château d’Épinac](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-d-epinac) (3 km away): Nicolas Rolin's castle above the Drée valley, which gave its name to the town of Épinac. - [Château de Morlet](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-morlet) (7 km away): A fortified manor near Épinac with a striking Renaissance gatehouse of 1584. - [Château de Molinot](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-molinot) (8 km away): The last tower of a vanished medieval castle, turned into a dovecote beside a pond. ### Things to do - [Cirque du Bout du Monde](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/cirque-du-bout-du-monde) (13 km away): A limestone amphitheatre near Nolay, with sheer cliffs, a spring-fed waterfall and falcons overhead. - [Nolay and Its Medieval Market Hall (Nolay et ses halles médiévales)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/nolay-medieval-market-hall), 14 km away: A small medieval market town with a 14th-century hall roofed in heavy Burgundy stone slabs. - [Roman Theatre of Autun (Théâtre romain d’Autun)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/theatre-romain-autun), 14 km away: One of the largest theatres of Roman Gaul, still used for performances on summer nights. ## Questions about Château de Sully ### How far is Château de Sully from Beaune? Château de Sully is about 36 min from Beaune by road (36 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €125 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Sully? Yes, Château de Sully 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 Sully? 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=wine-tour&option=full&place=chateau:sully): Full-day wine tour from Beaune: €560 for the car, up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - - - --- Canonical page: