--- title: "Hôtel de Ville de Beaune: the Former Ursuline Convent" description: "Beaune's town hall occupies the Ursuline convent built from 1697, with a carved front of 1817. Still a working building, a 15 to 30 minute stop." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/hotel-de-ville-beaune-couvent-des-ursulines lang: en updated: 2026-09-30 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/hotel-de-ville-beaune-couvent-des-ursulines.png --- # Beaune Town Hall (Former Ursuline Convent), Hôtel de Ville de Beaune (ancien couvent des Ursulines) > Beaune Town Hall (Former Ursuline Convent): Beaune's town hall, housed in a 17th-century Ursuline convent with a carved front added in 1817. Beaune Town Hall (Former Ursuline Convent) is in Beaune. Allow 15 to 30 minutes · UNESCO World Heritage. Beaune's town hall occupies the former convent of the Ursuline nuns, a teaching order that settled here in 1626. The building took on its civic role after the Revolution. It is a working town hall rather than a museum, but its carved front and long convent wings make a pleasant stop on a walk. ## Key facts - Type: Heritage - Location: In Beaune - Coordinates: 47.0262, 4.8398 - In Beaune itself - Allow 15 to 30 minutes - UNESCO World Heritage - Where: [Beaune · Côte-d'Or](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/beaune) - Official website: [beaune.fr](https://www.beaune.fr) - 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 Ursuline nuns from Autun founded a convent in Beaune on 25 May 1626 to teach girls. Over the next decades they bought several houses with gardens along the street. In 1697 they were able to build a real convent, a U-shaped building around a vaulted cloister, with a church extending one wing. An inscription on a cloister pillar records the laying of the first stone on 6 July 1697. After the Revolution the old convent became the town hall. It was adapted in the early 19th century and rebuilt after a fire in 1815. In 1817 a new front judged fitting for a public monument was added, with carved decoration by the sculptor Bonnet. A matching wing for the library followed in 1850. The building has been listed as a historic monument since 1946. ## What you will see From the rue de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, take in the 1817 front with its carved decoration, then look at the long wings of the former convent behind it. Two dormer windows with carved scrolls survive from the convent's original roof, destroyed by the fire of 1815. For almost 150 years the town museum was housed here, before it moved to the Porte Marie de Bourgogne. The surrounding streets hold some of Beaune's finest old houses. ## Planning your visit Allow 15 to 30 minutes. This is a working public building, so be discreet and respect areas that are closed. It combines well with the Porte Saint-Nicolas, the northern ramparts and the Patriarche cellars nearby. Check the town's official website for opening times and access. ## Did you know? Beaune's fine arts museum first opened in 1853 inside this former convent, and stayed in the building for almost 150 years before moving to the Porte Marie de Bourgogne in 2002. ## Around Beaune Town Hall (Former Ursuline Convent) What to combine with Beaune Town Hall (Former Ursuline Convent) 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 Patriarche Père et Fils](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/caves-patriarche-beaune) (1 km away): Walk through about five kilometres of vaulted cellars beneath a former convent, then taste the wines. - [Maison Champy](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-champy-beaune) (1 km away): Founded in 1720, Champy calls itself Burgundy's oldest wine house, with old cellars and an 1890 vat house. - [Domaine Chanson](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-chanson-bastion-beaune) (1 km away): Visit the massive rampart tower where Domaine Chanson ages its wines, in the heart of Beaune. ### Restaurants - [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 - [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 - [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 Beaune Town Hall (Former Ursuline Convent) ### How long does a visit to Beaune Town Hall (Former Ursuline Convent) take? For the visit, allow 15 to 30 minutes. ### When is Beaune Town Hall (Former Ursuline Convent) open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (beaune.fr) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Is Beaune Town Hall (Former Ursuline Convent) a UNESCO World Heritage site? Yes. Beaune Town Hall (Former Ursuline Convent) is part of a site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. ### Can a private driver take us to Beaune Town Hall (Former Ursuline Convent)? 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:hoteldeville): Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - --- Canonical page: