--- title: "Cîteaux Abbey: Guided Visit to the Cistercian Mother House" description: "Founded in 1098 and still home to monks. Booked guided tours of 1 h 15, in French only. Easy to pair with the Clos de Vougeot by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/abbaye-de-citeaux lang: en updated: 2026-10-01 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/abbaye-de-citeaux.png --- # Cîteaux Abbey (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Cîteaux) > Cîteaux Abbey: the mother house of the Cistercian order, founded in 1098 and still home to monks. Cîteaux Abbey is in Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux (Côte-d'Or), 31 min by road (29 km) from Beaune. Guided tours only: 22 April to 1 November, tour times vary with the season · Guided tour: Adults €10.50, reduced €7 · Allow 1.25 to 2 hours · Private driver from Beaune: €110 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Cîteaux is where the Cistercian order began in 1098. It lies on the Saône plain, about 12 kilometres from Vougeot and its famous clos, which the monks created. A community of monks still lives and prays here. Visitors see the surviving historic buildings on a guided tour, and can buy the abbey's own cheese in the shop. ## Key facts - Type: Abbeys & churches - Where: Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux · Côte-d'Or - Location: 20 km north-east of Beaune · Côte-d'Or - Coordinates: 47.1274, 5.0932 - 31 min from Beaune - Open 22 April to 1 November - Allow 1.25 to 2 hours - Nearby: [Vougeot](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/vougeot) - Official website: [citeaux-abbaye.org](https://citeaux-abbaye.org/) - From Beaune: ≈ 31 min · 29 km - €110 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [half-day wine tour, €290](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 31 min by road (29 km), €110 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 On 21 March 1098, Robert of Molesme and about twenty monks settled here, seeking a stricter life under the Rule of Saint Benedict. The early years were hard. Things changed when the young Bernard, later Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, arrived around 1112 with some thirty companions. Between 1113 and 1115 Cîteaux founded its four great daughter abbeys: La Ferté, Pontigny, Clairvaux and Morimond. The order grew into one of the great networks of medieval Europe. Its founding text, the Charter of Charity, was approved by Pope Callixtus II in 1119, and abbots met each year at Cîteaux for the General Chapter. The monks were also skilled farmers and landowners. Before 1110 they had begun to assemble the vineyard that became the Clos de Vougeot, about 12 kilometres to the west. At the Revolution the abbey was seized, sold and largely demolished. A few buildings survived, including the 15th-century library and the 17th-century definitory. Trappist monks returned in 1898, and a community still lives here today. The historic buildings have been protected as a historic monument since 1978. Visitors share the site with a living monastery, so the atmosphere stays calm and simple. ## What you will see The guided tour takes you through the oldest surviving parts of the abbey. You see the restored copyists' cloister and the 15th-century library, then the 17th-century novitiate and definitory, left unrestored. Exhibitions cover 12th-century illuminated manuscripts, bookbinding, the monks' day and the way the order was governed. A film presents monastic life at Cîteaux today. The shop sells Cîteaux cheese, made at the abbey. ## Opening hours and tickets - Guided tours only: - 22 April to 5 July: Wednesday to Saturday, tours start between 9:45 and 12:30 and between 14:00 and 18:00; Sunday, tours start between 12:00 and 18:00 - 7 July to 30 August: Tuesday to Saturday, tours start between 9:45 and 18:30; Sunday, tours start between 12:00 and 18:30 - 2 to 27 September: Wednesday to Saturday, tours start between 9:45 and 12:30 and between 14:00 and 18:00; Sunday, tours start between 12:00 and 18:00 - 29 September to 1 November: Tuesday to Saturday, tours start between 14:00 and 18:00; Sunday, tours start between 12:00 and 18:00 - Closed: 4 October and 11 October - Guided tour: Adults €10.50, reduced €7 - Booking: Required Every visit is a guided tour in French of about 1 hour 15 minutes, for 25 people at most. Checked on 1 October 2026 on [the official site](https://citeaux-abbaye.org/venez-nous-vous-accueillons/visiter-l-abbaye). ## Planning your visit Tours run from late April to early November, and the abbey is closed to visitors in winter. Guided visits last about 1 hour 15 minutes and must be booked, as places are limited. Tours are given in French only, and foreign groups are asked to bring their own interpreter. The abbey is a place of prayer, so dress simply and keep voices low. It pairs well with the Clos de Vougeot on the same day. ## Did you know? The monks of Cîteaux began assembling the Clos de Vougeot before 1110, barely a dozen years after they founded their abbey in 1098. ## Around Cîteaux Abbey What to combine with Cîteaux Abbey on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Flagey-Échezeaux](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/flagey-echezeaux) (10 km away): A village of vines and fields on the plain, with two grands crus climbing the slope above. - [Nuits-Saint-Georges](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/nuits-saint-georges) (11 km away): The wine town that names the Côte de Nuits, with 41 premiers crus and a lively old centre. - [Vosne-Romanée](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/vosne-romanee) (11 km away): Six grands crus, including Romanée-Conti and La Tâche, in the village called the pearl of the Côte. ### Châteaux - [Château de la Berchère](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-la-berchere) (9 km away): A moated château between Nuits-Saint-Georges and the Saône plain, now a hotel. - [Château de Longecourt](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-longecourt) (9 km away): A moated brick castle in the plain, dressed in 18th-century stucco and still lived in. - [Maison forte d’Agencourt](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/maison-forte-d-agencourt) (9 km away): A moated fortified house east of Nuits, rebuilt around 1650 and now a rural school. ### Things to do - [L’Imaginarium](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/l-imaginarium) (10 km away): A playful wine centre in Nuits-Saint-Georges, with a sound-and-light show and guided tastings. - [Le Cassissium](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/cassissium) (10 km away): A museum and working liqueur house devoted to Burgundy's blackcurrant, with a tasting to finish. - [Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-armelle-et-bernard-rion-vosne-romanee) (11 km away): A Vosne-Romanée family domaine since 1896, where tastings pair the wines with Burgundy truffles. ### Restaurants - [La Table d’Hôte, La Rôtisserie du Chambertin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-table-d-hote-rotisserie-du-chambertin-gevrey) (14 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred tasting table in an eighteenth-century house in the heart of Gevrey-Chambertin ### Events - **Friday 9 – Sunday 11 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Championnat du monde de l’œuf en meurette](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/championnat-monde-oeuf-en-meurette): Chefs from around the world compete to poach Burgundy's favourite egg dish at the Clos de Vougeot. (Food & markets · Vougeot) - **Usually a week at the end of June.** · [Musique & Vin au Clos Vougeot](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/musique-et-vin-au-clos-vougeot): Chamber music and great Burgundy wines at the Clos de Vougeot at the end of June. (Music · Vougeot) - **Usually the last weekend of September.** · [Livres en Vignes](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/livres-en-vignes-clos-de-vougeot): A free book festival with about a hundred writers at the Château du Clos de Vougeot. (Culture · Vougeot) ### Guides about Cîteaux Abbey - [The Climats of Burgundy](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/climats-of-burgundy-unesco) ## Questions about Cîteaux Abbey ### How far is Cîteaux Abbey from Beaune? Cîteaux Abbey is about 31 min from Beaune by road (29 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €110 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Cîteaux Abbey take? For the visit, allow 1.25 to 2 hours. ### When is Cîteaux Abbey open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (citeaux-abbaye.org) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Cîteaux Abbey? 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=driver&place=sight:citeaux): €110 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - --- Canonical page: