--- title: "Flavigny-sur-Ozerain: What to See in the Hilltop Village" description: "A walled hilltop village of the Plus Beaux Villages de France, where aniseed sweets are made in an old abbey. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours, driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/flavigny-sur-ozerain lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/flavigny-sur-ozerain.png --- # Flavigny-sur-Ozerain > Flavigny-sur-Ozerain: a walled hilltop village of stone lanes, medieval gates and aniseed sweets, facing the Alésia battlefield. Flavigny-sur-Ozerain is in Flavigny-sur-Ozerain (Côte-d'Or), 1 h 02 by road (77 km) from Beaune. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours · Private driver from Beaune: €215 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Flavigny-sur-Ozerain stands on a rocky spur above three small rivers in the Auxois. It is one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France. Its fortified gates, old houses and quiet lanes grew up around a Benedictine abbey founded in the 8th century, where the famous Anis de Flavigny sweets are still made. ## Key facts - Type: Heritage - Where: Flavigny-sur-Ozerain · Côte-d'Or - Location: 60 km north-west of Beaune · Côte-d'Or - Coordinates: 47.5128, 4.5319 - 1 h 02 from Beaune - Allow 1.5 to 2 hours - Flavigny-sur-Ozerain - Official website: [flavigny-sur-ozerain.fr](https://flavigny-sur-ozerain.fr/fr/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 02 · 77 km - €215 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 02 by road (77 km), €215 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 A lord named Wideradus founded a Benedictine abbey here in 719. In the 860s the monks brought the relics of Saint Reine from nearby Alise to protect them from Viking raids, and Pope John VIII consecrated the abbey church in 878. Pilgrims came in large numbers, and a town grew up around the abbey. In the 12th and 13th centuries it was ringed with walls, and large sections still stand. Flavigny changed hands during the Hundred Years' War, when English troops took and held it. Ursuline nuns founded a convent here in 1632. By the Revolution the abbey had only a handful of monks, and its church was probably already in ruins, but the parish church and the town walls survived. In 2000 parts of the film Chocolat, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, were shot in the village streets. ## What you will see Enter through the Porte du Val, a 13th-century inner gate paired with a 16th-century outer one, or the 15th-century Porte du Bourg with its statue of the Virgin. Inside, lanes of pale stone houses lead to the church of Saint-Genest, built in the 13th century, with carved 16th-century choir stalls and a Gothic gallery. The scent of aniseed drifts from the old abbey. From the edge of the spur, views open over the surrounding valleys. ## Planning your visit Allow one and a half to two hours to stroll, plus time for the Anis factory. Flavigny is about 1 hour 15 minutes from Beaune and 10 minutes from the MuséoParc Alésia, so the two combine well. Streets are steep and cobbled in places, so wear good shoes. Restoration work inside the church of Saint-Genest began in 2026, so parts of it may be closed. Please check the official website for opening times of individual sites. ## Did you know? In 1590, during the Wars of Religion, Henri IV set up a rival Parliament of Burgundy in Flavigny, for the magistrates who recognised him as king while Dijon did not. ## Around Flavigny-sur-Ozerain What to combine with Flavigny-sur-Ozerain on the same day, nearest first. ### Châteaux - [Château de Bussy-Rabutin](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-bussy-rabutin) (5 km away): The home of a disgraced courtier in exile, painted wall to wall with portraits and mottoes. - [Château de Frôlois](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-frolois) (8 km away): A stern medieval castle on a rocky spur, with warm period rooms that open in summer. - [Château de Marigny-le-Cahouët](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-marigny-le-cahouet) (8 km away): A moated castle of the plain, with towers, a drawbridge and a Gothic Revival gate. ### Things to do - [Église Saint-Genest de Flavigny-sur-Ozerain](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-saint-genest-flavigny) (1 km away): A village church with galleries on two levels, a carved Gothic tribune and a hundred statues, now under restoration inside. - [Les Anis de Flavigny](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/anis-de-flavigny) (1 km away): Aniseed sweets made in a Benedictine abbey, with a Carolingian crypt beneath the workshops. - [MuséoParc Alésia](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/museoparc-alesia) (5 km away): The battlefield where Caesar defeated Vercingetorix, with a modern museum, Roman siege works and a Gallo-Roman town. ### Events - **Sunday, 18 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Marché de la Saint-Simon](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/marche-de-la-saint-simon-flavigny): Flavigny's great autumn fair, with crafts, farm produce and aniseed sweets in the lanes of a hilltop village. (Food & markets · Flavigny-sur-Ozerain) - **Saturday, 28 November 2026 – Sunday, 10 January 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Exposition de crèches et féerie de Noël](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/exposition-de-creches-flavigny-sur-ozerain): About ninety nativity scenes light up the windows of a medieval hilltop village through the Christmas season. (Christmas · Flavigny-sur-Ozerain) ### Guides about Flavigny-sur-Ozerain - [Burgundy with children](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/burgundy-with-children) ## Questions about Flavigny-sur-Ozerain ### How far is Flavigny-sur-Ozerain from Beaune? Flavigny-sur-Ozerain is about 1 h 02 from Beaune by road (77 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €215 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Flavigny-sur-Ozerain take? For the visit, allow 1.5 to 2 hours. ### When is Flavigny-sur-Ozerain open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (flavigny-sur-ozerain.fr) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Flavigny-sur-Ozerain? 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=sight:flavigny): €215 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - --- Canonical page: