--- title: "Donjon de Semur-en-Auxois: Visiting the Tour de l’Orle d’Or" description: "The Tour de l'Orle d'Or, dated 1274, rises over 40 metres with walls 5 m thick and holds a small museum. Summer guided visits, private driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/donjon-de-semur-en-auxois lang: en updated: 2026-10-02 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/donjon-de-semur-en-auxois.png --- # Donjon de Semur-en-Auxois (Tour de l’Orle d’Or) > Donjon de Semur-en-Auxois (Tour de l’Orle d’Or): Four huge towers of the dukes of Burgundy's castle still guard the old town of Semur. Donjon de Semur-en-Auxois (Tour de l’Orle d’Or) is in Semur-en-Auxois (Côte-d'Or), 1 h 06 by road (84 km) from Beaune. Opening hours: 11 July to 21 August: Tuesday to Sunday, 14:00 to 18:30 · Admission: Adults €5 · 13th to 14th centuries · Private driver from Beaune: €230 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Semur-en-Auxois stands high above the river Armançon, about an hour from Beaune. At the heart of the old town, four massive towers are all that remain of the dukes of Burgundy's castle. The tallest, the Tour de l'Orle d'Or, now holds a small museum and opens for guided visits. ## Key facts - Type: Medieval fortress - Location: 65 km north-west of Beaune · Côte-d'Or - Coordinates: 47.4908, 4.3298 - 1 h 06 from Beaune - Open to visitors, 11 July to 21 August - 13th to 14th centuries - Commune: Semur-en-Auxois · Côte-d'Or - Style: Medieval fortress - Heritage: Listed historic monument - Official website: [ville-semur-en-auxois.fr](https://www.ville-semur-en-auxois.fr/la-tour-de-lorle-dor/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 06 · 84 km - €230 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 06 by road (84 km), €230 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 In the Middle Ages Semur was the chief town of the Auxois, one of the districts of the Duchy of Burgundy. The castle, or donjon, was rebuilt in the 13th century, and the town gives 1274 as the date of the Tour de l'Orle d'Or. In the 14th century, during the Hundred Years' War, Duke Philip the Bold strengthened its defences. With its four great towers, the donjon was a formidable seat of ducal power. After the Wars of Religion the fortress lost its purpose. In 1602 an ordinance of Henri IV decided that the fortifications should be dismantled, and most of the castle disappeared. The four towers survived, woven into the streets of the town. Since 1904 the Tour de l'Orle d'Or has housed the collections of the town's historical and natural sciences society. The castle remains have been listed since 1862. ## Architecture The four surviving towers are the Tour de l'Orle d'Or, the Tour de la Géhenne, the Tour du Pin, also called the Prison tower, and the Tour Margot. The Orle d'Or is the giant: more than 40 metres high, with walls about five metres thick at the base. Inside, four floors of collections lead to views over the roofs of Semur, and a restored gate in the basement shows how the town's entrance was defended. ## Opening hours and tickets - Opening hours: 11 July to 21 August: Tuesday to Sunday, 14:00 to 18:30 - Admission: Adults €5 Checked on 1 October 2026 on [terres-auxois.fr](https://www.terres-auxois.fr/sit/tour-de-lorle-dor). ## Visiting Guided visits of the Tour de l'Orle d'Or run mainly in summer and on special dates, booked through the Terres d'Auxois tourist office, with small groups. The rest of the towers are seen on a walk through the old town, the Porte Guillier and the collegiate church. Allow half a day for Semur. ## Did you know? The Tour de l'Orle d'Or was built with walls about five metres thick at the base and two metres at the top. After more than 700 years it still dominates the town. ## Around Donjon de Semur-en-Auxois (Tour de l’Orle d’Or) What to combine with Donjon de Semur-en-Auxois (Tour de l’Orle d’Or) on the same day, nearest first. ### Châteaux - [Château de Lantilly](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-lantilly) (7 km away): The 'château of a hundred windows', with 18th-century interiors and a celebrated flowering kitchen garden. - [Château de Bierre-lès-Semur](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-bierre-les-semur) (8 km away): Once called the 'little Versailles of Burgundy', an 18th-century estate now slowly coming back to life. - [Château de Bourbilly](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-bourbilly) (8 km away): The Serein valley home of Saint Jeanne de Chantal and the Marquise de Sévigné, still lived in today. ### Things to do - [Collégiale Notre-Dame de Semur-en-Auxois](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/collegiale-notre-dame-semur-en-auxois) (1 km away): A tall, narrow Gothic church whose windows show the drapers and butchers of Semur at work, and one remembers American soldiers. - [Semur-en-Auxois](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/semur-en-auxois) (1 km away): A fortified town on a pink granite spur, looped by the river Armançon and guarded by great towers. - [MuséoParc Alésia](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/museoparc-alesia) (12 km away): The battlefield where Caesar defeated Vercingetorix, with a modern museum, Roman siege works and a Gallo-Roman town. ## Questions about Donjon de Semur-en-Auxois (Tour de l’Orle d’Or) ### How far is Donjon de Semur-en-Auxois (Tour de l’Orle d’Or) from Beaune? Donjon de Semur-en-Auxois (Tour de l’Orle d’Or) is about 1 h 06 from Beaune by road (84 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €230 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Donjon de Semur-en-Auxois (Tour de l’Orle d’Or)? Yes, Donjon de Semur-en-Auxois (Tour de l’Orle d’Or) 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 Donjon de Semur-en-Auxois (Tour de l’Orle d’Or)? 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:semur): €230 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - --- Canonical page: