--- title: "Vix Treasure Museum, Châtillon-sur-Seine: What to See" description: "The 208 kg Vix krater, a Greek bronze from a Celtic princess's grave of about 500 BC. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours, 1 h 45 from Beaune with a private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-du-pays-chatillonnais-tresor-de-vix lang: en updated: 2026-09-30 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/musee-du-pays-chatillonnais-tresor-de-vix.png --- # Châtillonnais Museum and the Vix Treasure (Musée du Pays Châtillonnais, Trésor de Vix) > Châtillonnais Museum and the Vix Treasure: Home of the Vix krater, the largest known metal vessel from Western classical antiquity. Châtillonnais Museum and the Vix Treasure is in Châtillon-sur-Seine (Côte-d'Or), 1 h 27 by road (124 km) from Beaune. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours · Private driver from Beaune: €320 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. In a former abbey in Châtillon-sur-Seine, this museum keeps the treasure of the Lady of Vix, a Celtic princess buried around 500 BC. Its centrepiece is a colossal Greek bronze krater. The collections also cover the Gallo-Roman town of Vertillum, local sanctuaries and the history of the Châtillonnais up to the 20th century. ## Key facts - Type: Museums - Where: Châtillon-sur-Seine · Côte-d'Or - Location: 95 km north of Beaune · Côte-d'Or - Coordinates: 47.8634, 4.5753 - 1 h 27 from Beaune - Allow 1.5 to 2 hours - Châtillon-sur-Seine - Official website: [musee-vix.fr](https://www.musee-vix.fr/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 27 · 124 km - €320 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 27 by road (124 km), €320 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 In January 1953, the farmer Maurice Moisson and the archaeologist René Joffroy found a princely grave at the foot of Mont Lassois, near the village of Vix. A woman of about 30 to 35 lay on the body of a four-wheeled chariot, wearing rich jewellery. Beside her stood an enormous bronze krater, a vessel for mixing wine, made by Greek craftsmen in several separate pieces and then assembled. The local archaeological society bought the Renaissance Maison Philandrier in 1928, and the museum moved into it in 1950. The Vix discovery made it famous, and the treasure stayed in Châtillon instead of going to the national archaeology museum near Paris. In 2009 the museum moved to the larger buildings of the former abbey of Notre-Dame, rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries. On 24 July 2026 the princess's gold torc was stolen from the museum. ## What you will see The krater dominates its room: 1.64 metres of bronze, with a frieze of Greek foot soldiers and chariots around the neck and Gorgon heads on the handles. Around it are finds from the grave and from Mont Lassois. Other galleries show carved offerings from the spring of the Douix, finds from the Gallo-Roman town of Vertillum, including a Bacchus statue recovered in 2019, and rooms on Marshal Marmont, a native of the town. ## Planning your visit Allow about an hour and a half, or two hours with a temporary exhibition. Châtillon-sur-Seine is about 1 hour 45 minutes from Beaune, so combine the museum with the nearby Douix spring and the forests of the national park. Museum guides run free sessions on the Vix treasure at weekends. The museum is closed in January and February, and on Tuesdays outside July and August. Please check the official website for opening times. ## Did you know? The Vix krater weighs 208.6 kilograms and could hold about 1,100 litres of wine. It is the largest known metal vessel to survive from Western classical antiquity. ## Around Châtillonnais Museum and the Vix Treasure What to combine with Châtillonnais Museum and the Vix Treasure on the same day, nearest first. ### Things to do - [Douix Spring (Source de la Douix)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/source-de-la-douix), 1 km away: A powerful karst spring bursting from a limestone cliff in the heart of Châtillon-sur-Seine. - [Forests National Park (Parc national de forêts)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/parc-national-de-forets), 17 km away: France's newest national park, created to protect vast lowland forests of oak and beech. - [Fontenay Abbey (Abbaye de Fontenay)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/abbaye-de-fontenay), 28 km away: One of the best-preserved Cistercian abbeys in the world, alone in a quiet wooded valley of the Auxois. ### Restaurants - [Château de Courban](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/chateau-de-courban) (14 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred country-house orangery in the far north of Côte-d'Or, on the edge of the national forest park ### Events - **The last Saturday of October.** · [Fête de la Truffe impériale](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fete-de-la-truffe-imperiale-chatillon-sur-seine): Burgundy truffles, truffle dogs and cooking contests with an imperial twist at Châtillon-sur-Seine. (Food & markets · Châtillon-sur-Seine) - **The third Saturday of March.** · [Fête du Crémant et Tape-Chaudrons](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fete-du-cremant-et-tape-chaudrons): Châtillon-sur-Seine chases away winter with a carnival parade, clanging cauldrons and Crémant de Bourgogne. (Wine festival · Châtillon-sur-Seine) ## Questions about Châtillonnais Museum and the Vix Treasure ### How far is Châtillonnais Museum and the Vix Treasure from Beaune? Châtillonnais Museum and the Vix Treasure is about 1 h 27 from Beaune by road (124 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €320 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Châtillonnais Museum and the Vix Treasure take? For the visit, allow 1.5 to 2 hours. ### When is Châtillonnais Museum and the Vix Treasure open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (musee-vix.fr) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Châtillonnais Museum and the Vix Treasure? 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:vix): €320 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - --- Canonical page: