--- title: "Cluny Abbey: Tickets, Opening Times and What to See" description: "Founded in 910, Cluny had the largest church in Western Christendom until St Peter's was rebuilt. Joint museum ticket. Private driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/abbaye-de-cluny lang: en updated: 2026-10-01 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/abbaye-de-cluny.png --- # Cluny Abbey (Abbaye de Cluny) > Cluny Abbey: the remains of the largest church in medieval Christendom, heart of a monastic order that spread across Europe. Cluny Abbey is in Cluny (Saône-et-Loire), 1 h 07 by road (87 km) from Beaune. Opening hours: all year, hours vary with the season · Admission: Adults €11 · Allow 2 to 3 hours · Private driver from Beaune: €240 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Founded in 910, the Abbey of Cluny stood at the head of the largest monastic order of the medieval West. Its great church, the Maior Ecclesia, remained the largest in Western Christendom until the rebuilding of St Peter's in Rome. Most of it was demolished after the Revolution, but what survives still conveys its scale. ## Key facts - Type: Abbeys & churches - Where: Cluny · Saône-et-Loire - Location: 65 km south of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 46.4341, 4.6587 - 1 h 07 from Beaune - Open all year - Allow 2 to 3 hours - Official website: [cluny-abbaye.fr](https://www.cluny-abbaye.fr/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 07 · 87 km - €240 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 1 h 07 by road (87 km), €240 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 11 September 910, William the Pious, Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Mâcon, gave a Carolingian estate by the river Grosne to found a Benedictine abbey. He placed it directly under the protection of the Pope, independent of local lords and bishops, and chose Berno as first abbot. Under abbots such as Odo, Odilo and Hugh of Semur, Cluny reformed monasteries across Europe and built up a vast network of priories. In 1088 Abbot Hugh launched a third church, known as Cluny III or the Maior Ecclesia. Its vaults rose above 30 metres, and for nearly four centuries it was the largest church in the Christian West, until St Peter's in Rome overtook it in the 16th century. In 1095 Pope Urban II consecrated its high altar. The monastic buildings were entirely rebuilt in the 18th century, only a few decades before the monks left. At the Revolution the abbey was sold, and from 1798 the great church was demolished and used as a stone quarry; its facade was blown up in 1810. Less than a tenth of Cluny III survives. Since 1901 part of the site has housed a campus of the Arts et Métiers engineering school, and today the Centre des monuments nationaux looks after the abbey and its museum. ## What you will see The visit uses a 3D model, a film and augmented-reality terminals to rebuild the vanished church around you. Then stand in the south arm of the great transept, nearly 30 metres high, beneath the octagonal Holy Water bell tower, the only one left of four. Walk through the vast 18th-century cloister, and see the 13th-century Farinier, whose oak roof frame shelters eight capitals from the choir of Cluny III. ## Opening hours and tickets - Opening hours: - 1 April to 30 June: every day, 9:30 to 18:00 - 1 July to 31 August: every day, 9:30 to 19:00 - 1 to 30 September: every day, 9:30 to 18:00 - 1 October to 31 March: every day, 9:30 to 17:00 - Closed: 1 January, 1 May, 1 November, 11 November and 25 December - Admission: Adults €11 - Booking: Not needed Last admission is 45 minutes before closing, and entry is free on the first Sunday of January, February, March, November and December. Checked on 1 October 2026 on [the official site](https://www.cluny-abbaye.fr/visiter/informations-pratiques). ## Planning your visit Allow two to three hours for the abbey and the Musée d'Art et d'Archéologie in the Palais Jean de Bourbon, which a joint ticket covers. Audio guides are available in English. On Saturday mornings the town's market fills the streets beside the abbey. ## Did you know? Cluny gained the right to mint its own coins in the 10th century. A hoard of more than 2,200 silver coins, most of them struck here, was found in 2017 with 21 gold Almoravid dinars and is displayed in the abbey. ## Around Cluny Abbey What to combine with Cluny Abbey on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Viré-Clessé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/vire-clesse) (14 km away): Two neighbouring villages of the Haut-Mâconnais, joined in one appellation for generous Chardonnay. - [Pouilly-Fuissé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/pouilly-fuisse) (18 km away): Burgundy's great southern white, grown beneath the limestone cliffs of Solutré and Vergisson. - [Saint-Véran](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-veran) (21 km away): Fresh Chardonnay from villages that wrap around Pouilly-Fuissé, beneath the Roche de Solutré. ### Châteaux - [Château de Lourdon](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-lourdon) (3 km away): The ruined hilltop fortress of the abbots of Cluny, where the monks once hid their treasures. - [Château de Berzé-le-Châtel](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-berze-le-chatel) (6 km away): The largest medieval fortress of southern Burgundy, built to shield Cluny, with terraced gardens and its own wine. - [Château de Boutavent](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-boutavent) (6 km away): A spur-top castle that guarded the Grosne valley for the lords of Brancion, then for Cluny. ### Things to do - [Tour des Fromages](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/tour-des-fromages-cluny) (1 km away): A tower of the abbey wall of Cluny, with 120 steps up to the best view of the abbey town. - [Cluny Market (Marché de Cluny)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/marche-de-cluny), 1 km away: A Saturday morning market in the streets of Cluny's medieval town, right beside the abbey. - [Église Notre-Dame de Cluny](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-notre-dame-cluny) (1 km away): Cluny's Gothic parish church, watched over by fifty carved faces and the three-faced Pidou-Berlu. ### Events - **A Saturday night in late May or early June; the 89th gala was held on 30 May 2026.** · [Grand Gala des Arts et Métiers de Cluny](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/grand-gala-de-cluny): A black-tie night in the abbey of Cluny, run by engineering students for more than 5,000 guests. (Culture · Cluny) - **The week of Ascension in May; the 14th festival ran from 12 to 17 May 2026.** · [Festival Cluny Danse](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-cluny-danse): Contemporary dance in the streets and theatres of Cluny over the Ascension week. (Culture · Cluny) - **From mid or late July to about 10 August; the 2026 festival ran from 19 July to 10 August.** · [Les Grandes Heures de Cluny](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/grandes-heures-de-cluny): A summer festival of classical music in Cluny's churches, with a wine tasting after each concert. (Music · Cluny) - **About a week in the second half of August; the 2026 festival ran from 15 to 22 August.** · [Jazz Campus en Clunisois](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/jazz-campus-en-clunisois): One of France's oldest jazz festivals, pairing a week of concerts with a jazz summer school. (Music · Cluny) ## Questions about Cluny Abbey ### How far is Cluny Abbey from Beaune? Cluny Abbey is about 1 h 07 from Beaune by road (87 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €240 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Cluny Abbey take? For the visit, allow 2 to 3 hours. ### When is Cluny Abbey open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (cluny-abbaye.fr) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Cluny 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. → [Full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:cluny): €240 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - - - - - - --- Canonical page: