--- title: "Beffroi de Beaune: How to Visit and What to See" description: "The Beffroi, or clock tower, rises over the place Monge in the north of Beaune's old town." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/beffroi-de-beaune lang: en updated: 2026-10-08 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/beffroi-de-beaune.png --- # Beffroi de Beaune > Beffroi de Beaune: Beaune's medieval clock tower, bought by the town in 1395 and crowned by a lead-clad bell turret. Beffroi de Beaune is in Beaune. Allow 10 to 15 minutes · UNESCO World Heritage. The Beffroi, or clock tower, rises over the place Monge in the north of Beaune's old town. Built in the 13th and 14th centuries, it passed to the town at the end of the 14th century and has carried a public clock ever since. Its interior is closed for now, but the tower is worth a stop on a walk through the old streets. ## Key facts - Type: Heritage - Location: In Beaune - Coordinates: 47.0246, 4.8377 - In Beaune itself - Allow 10 to 15 minutes - UNESCO World Heritage - Where: [Beaune · Côte-d'Or](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/beaune) - In Beaune, where your driver is based. - €290 for a [half-day wine tour](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) starting here, up to 4 guests ## Getting there Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) ## History In 1395, after a dispute between the town and the Abbey of Maizières, Duke Philip the Bold ordered the monks to sell Beaune a tower and house on what was then the street of the coal market, for 200 gold francs. In November 1397 the duke granted part of the salt tax to fit a clock on the tower, and its oldest bell is dated 1407. The tower needed frequent repairs. A survey of 1681 found it in poor condition and proposed raising it by 12 feet so that the clock could be heard all over town. In 1750 the council voted to demolish it, but a public outcry saved it, and it was strengthened with iron tie-rods instead. A new clock came from Paris in 1860, and the timberwork, roof and lead decoration of the bell turret were restored in 1893. It has been a listed historic monument since 1885. ## What you will see From the square you see a tall, plain stone tower with rows of windows on the street side, under a slate roof and an openwork bell turret clad in lead. Its spire carries gargoyles and, two-thirds of the way up, a ducal crown. Inside, the tower has a vaulted cellar with a well, a ground floor that once held a shop, and five upper floors reached by a stone spiral stair and wooden steps. ## Planning your visit Allow 10 to 15 minutes. The tourist office lists the interior as closed until further notice, so the visit is from the outside, free and at any time. The belfry stands on the place Monge, a few minutes' walk from the place Carnot and the Collégiale Notre-Dame, and makes an easy stop between the old town and the ramparts. ## Did you know? In 1750 the town council decided to pull the tower down as unsafe; the protest was such that it was patched up with iron ties instead, and it still stands. ## Around Beffroi de Beaune What to combine with Beffroi de Beaune on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/beaune) (1 km away): The wine capital of Burgundy, with the Hôtel-Dieu, old ramparts and cellars beneath its streets. - [Chorey-lès-Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/chorey-les-beaune) (3 km away): A village on the gentle land just north of Beaune, known for supple and fruity reds. - [Pommard](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/pommard) (4 km away): A red-wine village between Beaune and Volnay, known for deep, firm Pinot Noir. ### Châteaux - [Château de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-beaune) (1 km away): Louis XI's fortress in the Beaune ramparts, now home to the Bouchard Père & Fils wine house. - [Château de Challanges](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-challanges) (3 km away): A 19th-century country house in a wooded park south-east of Beaune, now a hotel. - [Château de Chorey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chorey) (3 km away): A moated manor with lone round towers and a dovecote, at the edge of Chorey. ### Things to do - [Maison Jaffelin](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-jaffelin-beaune) (1 km away): A small Beaune wine house founded in 1816, working in the medieval cellars of the Notre-Dame chapter. - [Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame, Beaune (Collégiale Notre-Dame de Beaune)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/collegiale-notre-dame-beaune), 1 km away: One of Burgundy's last great Romanesque churches, with five tapestries of the Life of the Virgin. - [Sensation Vin](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/sensation-vin-beaune) (1 km away): Blind-tasting wine classes in the centre of Beaune, in French and English, since 2006. ### Restaurants - [Le Carmin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/le-carmin-beaune) (1 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Christophe Quéant's poised, product-first cooking in a Renaissance house on place Carnot - [Clos du Cèdre](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/clos-du-cedre-beaune) (1 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A winemaker's mansion by Beaune's ramparts, with a starred kitchen and a cellar of over 1,000 wines - [Table de Levernois](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/table-de-levernois) (5 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A Relais & Châteaux country house outside Beaune, with its own kitchen garden and 1,800 wines ### Events - **Friday 13 – Sunday 15 November 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Vente des Vins des Hospices de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/vente-des-vins-hospices-de-beaune): Burgundy's great charity wine auction, first held in 1859 and now staged each November in Beaune's covered halls. (Wine auction · Beaune) - **Saturday 10 – Sunday 11 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Salon de dégustation Pains Vins Fromages](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/salon-pains-vins-fromages-beaune): Bread, cheese and wine under Beaune's covered halls, run by the town's tourism students. (Food & markets · Beaune) - **Friday 16 – Sunday 18 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Vignobles en Scène](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/vignobles-en-scene-beaune): An October weekend of one-off wine experiences along the Route des Grands Crus. (Wine festival · Beaune and the Côte de Beaune) - **Friday, 13 November 2026 – Tuesday, 5 January 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Lumières à Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/lumieres-a-beaune): Light projections on Beaune's landmarks, every evening in summer and from the Vente des Vins to early January. (Culture · Beaune) - **Friday 13 – Saturday 14 November 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Semi-Marathon de la Vente des Vins de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/semi-marathon-vente-des-vins-beaune): Burgundy's best-known half marathon, run through Pommard, Volnay and Meursault on the Vente des Vins weekend. (Sport · Beaune) - **Friday 13 – Saturday 14 November 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Fête des Grands Vins de Bourgogne](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fete-des-grands-vins-de-bourgogne): Every Burgundy appellation in one hall, poured by the growers themselves, on the Vente des Vins weekend. (Wine festival · Beaune) - **Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 December 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Beaune Blues Boogie Festival](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/beaune-blues-boogie-festival): Five nights of boogie-woogie, blues and swing in Beaune's theatres and wine cellars. (Music · Beaune) - **Saturday 12 – Sunday 13 December 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Le Festi’Noël](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festi-noel-marche-de-noel-beaune): Beaune's Christmas market by the Porte Marie de Bourgogne, with crafts, treats and mulled wine. (Christmas · Beaune) - **Thursday 1 – Sunday 4 April 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Festival Beethoven à Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-beethoven-beaune): A spring chamber music festival devoted to Beethoven, led by the cellist Sung-Won Yang. (Music · Beaune) - **Each year over several weeks in late spring and early summer, usually ending in early July** · [Mois des Climats](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/mois-des-climats): A festival of visits, walks and tastings celebrating Burgundy's UNESCO-listed Climats. (Culture · Beaune and the Côte-d'Or vineyards) - **Usually Ascension Thursday, in May, with staggered departures from late morning** · [Beaune Saveurs de Vignes](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/beaune-saveurs-de-vignes): A gourmet walk through Beaune's vineyards, with growers pouring at every stop. (Wine festival · Beaune) - **Usually four consecutive weekends in July** · [Festival international d’opéra baroque de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-opera-baroque-beaune): Since 1983, a summer festival of baroque opera in the Hôtel-Dieu courtyard and Beaune's historic churches. (Music · Beaune) - **Late September, over four days from Thursday to Sunday (24 to 27 September in 2026)** · [Festival d’automne Jazz O’Verre](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-jazz-o-verre-beaune): Four days of jazz in Beaune at the end of September, in the spirit of a good glass of wine. (Music · Beaune) - **Early October, on a Saturday, with starts from late morning (3 October in 2026)** · [L’Automnale](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/l-automnale-beaune-cyclos): An autumn cycling tour of the Côte and Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, from 44 to 90 km. (Sport · Beaune) ## Questions about Beffroi de Beaune ### How long does a visit to Beffroi de Beaune take? For the visit, allow 10 to 15 minutes. ### Is Beffroi de Beaune a UNESCO World Heritage site? Yes. Beffroi de Beaune is part of a site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. ### Can a private driver take us to Beffroi de Beaune? 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](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=wine-tour&option=half&place=sight:beffroibeaune): Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests ## Sources - - --- Canonical page: