--- title: "Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus: 17th-Century Hospital and Apothecary" description: "Three wards of enclosed oak beds and an apothecary of about 1685 with over 300 pots. Open daily April to September. Private driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/hotel-dieu-de-tournus lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/hotel-dieu-de-tournus.png --- # Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus > Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus: a 17th-century hospital with its wards, oak box beds and one of the oldest apothecaries in France. Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus is in Tournus (Saône-et-Loire), 56 min by road (67 km) from Beaune. Allow 1 hour · Private driver from Beaune: €195 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Built in the 17th century and enlarged until the end of the 18th, the Hôtel-Dieu of Tournus has kept its three wards for the sick with their original furniture. Rows of enclosed oak beds still line the walls around a central stove. Its apothecary, decorated around 1685, holds more than 300 earthenware pots. ## Key facts - Type: Museums - Where: Tournus · Saône-et-Loire - Location: 50 km south of Beaune · Mâconnais - Coordinates: 46.5620, 4.9109 - 56 min from Beaune - Allow 1 hour - Tournus - Official website: [tournus-tourisme.com](https://www.tournus-tourisme.com/visites-incontournables/hotel-dieu-de-tournus/) - From Beaune: ≈ 56 min · 67 km - €195 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): 56 min by road (67 km), €195 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 hospital was built in the 17th century and extended over the following century, with three large wards and two chapels. Its apothecary, dating from about 1685, is among the oldest preserved in France. Carved woodwork with twisted gilded columns was made to hold the earthenware jars of remedies prepared by the nursing sisters, beneath a painted ceiling of angels holding flowers and plants. The building was listed as a historic monument in 1964. From 2000 to 2019 the building also housed the Musée Greuze, named after the painter Jean-Baptiste Greuze, born in Tournus in 1725. In 2011 a second apothecary was added: the woodwork from the Maison de Charité of Tournus, founded in 1675, was dismantled, brought here and carefully reassembled, with its display cases deliberately left empty. ## What you will see Walk through the restored wards, where the enclosed oak beds stand in line with their period utensils, and picture the hospital in use. The main apothecary is the highlight, with its gilded woodwork and hundreds of faience jars. A garden of medicinal plants completes the visit. Audio guides are available in English, German and Dutch, and the tourist office organises guided tours. ## Planning your visit The Hôtel-Dieu opens from Monday to Saturday from April to September; on Sundays and public holidays, and outside the season, it can be seen on a guided tour only; check the official website for opening times. In season a joint ticket with the abbey is available. It is a short walk from Saint-Philibert. Anyone who has visited the Hospices de Beaune will enjoy comparing the two. ## Did you know? The second apothecary's cases stand empty for a reason: all its pots were smashed by Austrian occupying troops on the evening of 19 February 1814. ## Around Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus What to combine with Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus 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. - [Montagny](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/montagny) (24 km away): A white-only appellation of hillside vineyards around Buxy, with a wealth of premiers crus. - [Givry](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/givry) (28 km away): A small wine town of 18th-century monuments, whose red wine is linked by legend to Henri IV. ### Châteaux - [Château d’Ozenay](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-d-ozenay) (5 km away): A stone-roofed manor beside a Romanesque church, held by one family for some four hundred years. - [Château de Messey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-messey) (7 km away): A fortified house near Tournus, reborn as an organic wine estate with rooms and winegrowers' cottages. - [Château de Balleure](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-balleure) (9 km away): Birthplace of the Renaissance historian Pierre de Saint-Julien de Balleure, now a luxury guest house. ### Things to do - [Saint-Philibert Abbey, Tournus (Abbaye Saint-Philibert de Tournus)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/abbaye-saint-philibert-tournus), 1 km away: One of the great Romanesque churches of France, with unusual crosswise vaults and a complete monastic setting. - [Musée du Vélo Michel Grézaud](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-du-velo-michel-grezaud-tournus) (1 km away): Nearly 200 bicycles, from an 1818 draisine to a carbon racing machine, in a former starch factory south of Tournus. - [Les Vignerons de Mancey](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/vignerons-de-mancey-tournus) (1 km away): A growers' cooperative near Tournus, with a free trail on Burgundy wine and tastings of Mâcon-Mancey. ### Restaurants - [Aux Terrasses](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/aux-terrasses-tournus) (1 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred family house in Tournus, now in its second generation. - [L’Écrin de Yohann Chapuis](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/l-ecrin-de-yohann-chapuis-tournus) (1 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): An intimate starred dining room in Tournus, from the chef who helped Lameloise win back its third star. - [La Marande](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-marande-montbellet) (11 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A family-run country house in the northern Mâconnais, starred since 2014. ## Questions about Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus ### How far is Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus from Beaune? Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus is about 56 min from Beaune by road (67 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €195 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus take? For the visit, allow 1 hour. ### When is Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (tournus-tourisme.com) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus? 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:hoteldieutournus): €195 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - --- Canonical page: