--- title: "Musée François Rude, Dijon: La Marseillaise Cast, Free Entry" description: "A full-size cast of Rude's Marseillaise from the Arc de Triomphe, in a former church. Free, closed Tuesdays, 30 minutes, with a private driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-rude lang: en updated: 2026-10-02 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/musee-rude.png --- # François Rude Museum (Musée François Rude) > François Rude Museum: a full-size cast of the Marseillaise from the Arc de Triomphe, inside a former Dijon church. François Rude Museum is in Dijon (Côte-d'Or), 44 min by road (48 km) from Beaune. Allow 30 minutes · UNESCO World Heritage · Private driver from Beaune: €120 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The Musée François Rude shows plaster casts of works by the Dijon-born sculptor François Rude, a master of French Romantic sculpture. It fills the transept of the former church of Saint-Étienne. The star is the huge cast of the Departure of the Volunteers of 1792, better known as La Marseillaise, from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. ## Key facts - Type: Museums - Location: 35 km north-east of Beaune · Côte-d'Or - Coordinates: 47.3210, 5.0442 - 44 min from Beaune - Allow 30 minutes - UNESCO World Heritage - Where: [Dijon · Côte-d'Or](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/dijon) - Official website: [musees.dijon.fr](https://musees.dijon.fr/) - From Beaune: ≈ 44 min · 48 km - €120 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [full-day wine tour, €560](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 44 min by road (48 km), €120 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 Saint-Étienne was an important city abbey until the Revolution. The church was closed in 1792 and turned into a grain market, then served many other uses. In 1896 the commodities exchange, later the Chamber of Commerce, moved into the nave, while the transept stored theatre sets. After the Second World War that transept was chosen to house a museum devoted to Rude. The old church has been listed as a historic monument since 1862. François Rude was born in Dijon in 1784 and died in Paris in 1855. Between 1887 and 1910 the Dijon museum commissioned about forty casts of his works held elsewhere. In 1947 the state sent the cast of the Departure of the Volunteers. The museum opened as an annex of the Fine Arts Museum, which holds original works by Rude, and today shows 19 casts. ## What you will see The single space is striking. The great relief of La Marseillaise rises against the old church walls, close enough to study the winged figure above the marching volunteers. Around it stand casts of Rude's other works, including Mercury fastening his sandal, the tomb effigy of Cavaignac, Joan of Arc listening to her voices and Marshal Ney. It is a quick, rewarding stop between other visits. ## Planning your visit Entry is free. The museum is closed on Tuesdays. It is on one level and accessible, but it is not heated and has no toilets. It is a short walk from the Fine Arts Museum, so the two combine well. Check the official website for opening times. ## Did you know? Rude's Departure of the Volunteers on the Arc de Triomphe is so closely linked to the national anthem that it is usually called La Marseillaise. Dijon's cast was sent by the state in 1947. ## Around François Rude Museum What to combine with François Rude Museum on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/dijon) (1 km away): Burgundy's historic capital, city of the Valois dukes and northern gateway to the Route des Grands Crus. - [Marsannay-la-Côte](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/marsannay-la-cote) (7 km away): Gateway to the Côte de Nuits and Burgundy's only village appellation making red, white and rosé. - [Fixin](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/fixin) (10 km away): A quiet wine village with Napoleon in the woods, a Romanesque church in the vines and firm reds. ### Châteaux - [Château de Montmusard](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-montmusard) (1 km away): The surviving wing of a daring neoclassical pleasure house designed by Charles De Wailly. - [Château de Fontaine-lès-Dijon (Maison natale de saint Bernard)](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-fontaine-les-dijon), 3 km away: The hilltop birthplace of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, overlooking Dijon. - [Château de Marsannay](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-marsannay) (7 km away): A modern wine château at the northern gateway to the Côte de Nuits. ### Things to do - [Saint-Michel Church, Dijon (Église Saint-Michel de Dijon)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-saint-michel-dijon), 1 km away: A late Gothic church behind a Renaissance façade with classical orders stacked one above another. - [Grand Théâtre de Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/grand-theatre-de-dijon) (1 km away): A neoclassical theatre of 1828 with a portico of eight Corinthian columns, on the site of the dukes' Sainte-Chapelle. - [Magnin Museum (Musée national Magnin)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-magnin), 1 km away: A brother and sister's art collection, shown as a private home in a 17th-century mansion. ### Restaurants - [CIBO](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/cibo-dijon) (1 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred table in old Dijon that sources everything within 200 kilometres - [La Maison des Cariatides](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-maison-des-cariatides-dijon) (1 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A chef couple from Le Bristol regains a star behind one of Dijon's most ornate Renaissance façades - [Loiseau des Ducs](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/loiseau-des-ducs-dijon) (1 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): The Loiseau signature in Dijon, served beneath the vaults of a sixteenth-century mansion ### Events - **Saturday, 10 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Show les papilles](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/show-les-papilles-dijon): Dijon's free festival of taste at the Cité internationale de la gastronomie et du vin. (Food & markets · Dijon) - **Sunday, 11 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Marathon des Grands Crus](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/marathon-des-grands-crus): A marathon on the closed Route des Grands Crus, from Dijon to the Clos de Vougeot and back. (Sport · Dijon) - **Friday 23 – Sunday 25 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Salon des Vignerons Indépendants de Bourgogne et du Jura](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/salon-vignerons-independants-dijon): Some sixty independent growers from Burgundy and the Jura pour and sell their wines in Dijon. (Wine festival · Dijon) - **Saturday 31 October – Wednesday 11 November 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Foire internationale et gastronomique de Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/foire-gastronomique-dijon): Burgundy's great food fair, held every autumn in Dijon since 1921. (Food & markets · Dijon) - **Usually from the last Saturday of November to the first Sunday of January.** · [Les Fééries de Noël de Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/feeries-de-noel-dijon): Chalets, vin chaud, an ice rink and a big wheel across the heart of Dijon. (Christmas · Dijon) - **Usually from late November to early December.** · [Les Nuits d’Orient et d’ailleurs](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/nuits-d-orient-et-d-ailleurs-dijon): Dijon's winter festival of music, dance and art from the Orient and beyond. (Culture · Dijon) - **Each year on the weekend after the Saint-Vincent Tournante, usually a Saturday in late January or early February.** · [Saint-Vincent de Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/saint-vincent-de-dijon): Dijon honours the patron saint of winegrowers with a parade and a tasting village. (Tradition · Dijon) - **Usually a weekend in early June.** · [Grand Prix de l’Âge d’Or](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/grand-prix-age-d-or-dijon-prenois): France's oldest historic motor racing meeting, on the hills just outside Dijon. (Sport · Prenois) - **Every Sunday from late June to late September.** · [Le Brunch des Halles](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/brunch-des-halles-dijon): Summer Sunday brunches cooked by local chefs under Dijon's iron market hall. (Food & markets · Dijon) - **Every two years, in even-numbered years; recent editions were held in early July. The next is expected in 2028.** · [Les Fêtes de la Vigne de Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fetes-de-la-vigne-dijon): Dijon's international folk festival, born in 1946 and held every two years. (Culture · Dijon) - **Friday 27 – Sunday 29 August 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Golden Coast Festival](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/golden-coast-festival-dijon): Three days of French and international rap in a park on the edge of Dijon. (Music · Dijon) - **Usually a Sunday in mid September.** · [Vélotour Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/velotour-dijon): A playful bike ride through Dijon that opens places normally closed to cyclists. (Sport · Dijon) - **Usually the third weekend of September, during the European Heritage Days.** · [Fête de la Pressée](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fete-de-la-pressee-chenove): The dukes' giant wine presses come back to life in Chenôve's old village. (Tradition · Chenôve) - **Usually the last days of September and the first days of October.** · [Tribu Festival](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/tribu-festival-dijon): Dijon's festival of world music, jazz and adventurous sounds, at the turn of October. (Music · Dijon) ## Questions about François Rude Museum ### How far is François Rude Museum from Beaune? François Rude Museum is about 44 min from Beaune by road (48 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €120 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to François Rude Museum take? For the visit, allow 30 minutes. ### When is François Rude Museum open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (musees.dijon.fr) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Is François Rude Museum a UNESCO World Heritage site? Yes. François Rude Museum is part of a site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. ### Can a private driver take us to François Rude Museum? 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, €560](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:museerude): €120 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - --- Canonical page: