--- title: "Combe Lavaux Nature Reserve: Walks Above Gevrey-Chambertin" description: "Cliffs, dry grassland and ravine forest, a national nature reserve since 2004. Allow 2 to 3 hours, and your driver from Beaune collects you at the end." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/combe-lavaux-nature-reserve lang: en updated: 2026-09-30 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/combe-lavaux-nature-reserve.png --- # Combe Lavaux–Jean Roland Nature Reserve (Réserve naturelle de la Combe Lavaux - Jean Roland) > Combe Lavaux–Jean Roland Nature Reserve: Limestone cliffs, dry grassland and ravine forest just above the grand cru vineyards of Gevrey-Chambertin. Combe Lavaux–Jean Roland Nature Reserve is in Gevrey-Chambertin (Côte-d'Or), 32 min by road (31 km) from Beaune. Allow 2 to 3 hours · Private driver from Beaune: €115 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Behind Gevrey-Chambertin, the slope of the Côte opens into a deep, wooded valley called the Combe Lavaux. Since 2004 it has been a national nature reserve, shared with neighbouring Brochon. Cliffs, scree, dry grassland and ravine forest sit side by side, and marked paths lead from the edge of the vineyards into wild country. ## Key facts - Type: Nature & viewpoints - Where: Gevrey-Chambertin · Côte-d'Or - Location: 25 km north of Beaune · Côte de Nuits - Coordinates: 47.2223, 4.9489 - 32 min from Beaune - Allow 2 to 3 hours - Gevrey-Chambertin - Official website: [gevreynuitstourisme.com](https://www.gevreynuitstourisme.com/ddata/reserve-naturelle-de-la-combe-lavaux-jean-roland-2/?lang=en) - From Beaune: ≈ 32 min · 31 km - €115 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [half-day wine tour plus one hour, €360](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 32 min by road (31 km), €115 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 The reserve was created by decree on 10 December 2004 and covers about 500 hectares on the communes of Gevrey-Chambertin and Brochon. It was the first nature reserve in the Côte-d'Or. It is named after Jean Roland, a naturalist from Dijon who led the national federation of nature reserves and died in 2004. The local community of communes manages it with the national forestry office. The combe is a classic valley of the Côte, cut into limestone and running from east to west. Its slopes face north and south, which creates a mosaic of habitats with both mountain and Mediterranean influences. The tourist office counts more than 500 species of flowering plants, making it a major botanical site in Burgundy. The rocky cliffs shelter the peregrine falcon. ## What you will see An interpretation trail explores the combe, and a network of walking and mountain-bike paths crosses the reserve. You climb from the edge of the vineyards through the forest, then out onto open grassland and the rocky rims above the valley, which offer wide views over the vines. Keep dogs on a lead, stay on the marked paths and leave the plants where they grow. ## Planning your visit From Gevrey-Chambertin, take the D31 towards Chambœuf and park at the entrance to the forest, or start from Brochon. Wear walking shoes and carry water in summer. Prefectoral rules control climbing, mountain biking and motor vehicles in the reserve, so follow the signs. Your driver can drop you at one end and collect you at the other. Check the official website for access information. ## Did you know? Combe Lavaux became the first nature reserve in the Côte-d'Or in 2004. Its opposing slopes mix mountain and Mediterranean influences within a single valley. ## Around Combe Lavaux–Jean Roland Nature Reserve What to combine with Combe Lavaux–Jean Roland Nature Reserve on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Gevrey-Chambertin](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/gevrey-chambertin) (2 km away): Nine grands crus, more than any other Burgundy village, led by Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. - [Morey-Saint-Denis](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/morey-saint-denis) (3 km away): A village of walled clos, with five grands crus between Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny. - [Fixin](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/fixin) (3 km away): A quiet wine village with Napoleon in the woods, a Romanesque church in the vines and firm reds. ### Châteaux - [Château de Gevrey-Chambertin](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-gevrey-chambertin) (1 km away): A 13th-century fortress built by the abbots of Cluny above the old village of Gevrey. - [Château de Brochon](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-brochon) (3 km away): A Loire-style château built by the poet who gave the Côte d'Azur its name. - [Manoir de la Perrière](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/manoir-de-la-perriere) (3 km away): A Cistercian manor above Fixin, with one of the oldest wine presses in Burgundy. ### Things to do - [Domaine Gérard Quivy](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-gerard-quivy-gevrey-chambertin) (2 km away): A family domaine in an early 18th-century winegrower's mansion, next to the tourist office in Gevrey-Chambertin. - [Domaine Isabelle Lippe](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-isabelle-lippe-brochon) (3 km away): A small domaine in Brochon run by two women winegrowers, with tastings led by the grower herself. - [Noisot Park and Museum (Parc et Musée Noisot)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/parc-noisot-fixin), 3 km away: A pine-covered hillside above Fixin, created by a loyal grenadier as a shrine to Napoleon. ### Restaurants - [La Table d’Hôte, La Rôtisserie du Chambertin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-table-d-hote-rotisserie-du-chambertin-gevrey) (2 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred tasting table in an eighteenth-century house in the heart of Gevrey-Chambertin - [Origine](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/origine-dijon) (13 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A Lameloise-trained Japanese chef cooking Burgundy's seasons on place Wilson - [William Frachot](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/william-frachot-dijon) (13 km away · 2 MICHELIN stars): Dijon's two-star table, reinventing Burgundy's classics inside the Hostellerie du Chapeau Rouge ### Events - **Usually a Sunday in late March or early April.** · [Trail du Tacot](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/trail-du-tacot-gevrey-chambertin): A village trail race from the vines of Gevrey-Chambertin up to the cliffs above. (Sport · Gevrey-Chambertin) - **Long held over five days in late August and early September; in 2026 it moved to a May weekend and an early-October weekend.** · [Festival Musique au Chambertin](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-musique-au-chambertin): Classical concerts and tastings in the wine villages around Gevrey-Chambertin since 1988. (Music · Gevrey-Chambertin) - **Friday evenings through the summer, from late May.** · [Les Vin’dredis de la Halle](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/vindredis-halle-chambertin): Summer Friday tastings and gourmet evenings at the Halle Chambertin in Gevrey. (Wine festival · Gevrey-Chambertin) ## Questions about Combe Lavaux–Jean Roland Nature Reserve ### How far is Combe Lavaux–Jean Roland Nature Reserve from Beaune? Combe Lavaux–Jean Roland Nature Reserve is about 32 min from Beaune by road (31 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €115 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Combe Lavaux–Jean Roland Nature Reserve take? For the visit, allow 2 to 3 hours. ### When is Combe Lavaux–Jean Roland Nature Reserve open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (gevreynuitstourisme.com) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Combe Lavaux–Jean Roland Nature Reserve? 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 plus one hour, €360](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:combelavaux): €115 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - --- Canonical page: