--- title: "Muséum d’histoire naturelle d’Auxerre: How to Visit and What to See" description: "The Muséum d'Auxerre occupies a 19th-century house set in a park on the boulevard Vauban, at the edge of the old town." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/museum-histoire-naturelle-auxerre lang: en updated: 2026-10-08 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/museum-histoire-naturelle-auxerre.png --- # Muséum d’histoire naturelle d’Auxerre > Muséum d’histoire naturelle d’Auxerre: Auxerre's free natural history museum, in a 19th-century house with a formal garden, with changing exhibitions on nature and science. Muséum d’histoire naturelle d’Auxerre is in Auxerre (Yonne), 1 h 51 by road (168 km) from Beaune. Allow 45 minutes to 1 hour · Private driver from Beaune: €415 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The Muséum d'Auxerre occupies a 19th-century house set in a park on the boulevard Vauban, at the edge of the old town. It looks after some 160,000 natural history specimens and stages changing exhibitions on biodiversity, the environment and science. Entry to the museum, its workshops and its garden is free. ## Key facts - Type: Museums - Where: Auxerre · Yonne - Location: 130 km north-west of Beaune · Yonne - Coordinates: 47.7971, 3.5638 - 1 h 51 from Beaune - Allow 45 minutes to 1 hour - Auxerre - Nearby: [Saint-Bris](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-bris) - Official website: [auxerre.fr](https://www.auxerre.fr/museum) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 51 · 168 km - €415 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [long-day wine tour, €880](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/long-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 1 h 51 by road (168 km), €415 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 oldest specimens came from property seized during the Revolution, handled at the time by François-Xavier Laire, known as Père Laire. In the 19th and early 20th centuries the local learned society, the Société des Sciences Historiques et Naturelles de l'Yonne, collected widely for the departmental museum, which then held fine arts, archaeology and natural history together. Scientists such as the physiologist Paul Bert and the palaeontologist Gustave Cotteau are linked to the collections. The natural history section became independent in 1979 and moved in 1980 into its present home, a 19th-century house once owned by the Guilliet family, local industrialists, with a park and a 19th-century greenhouse. It has held the Musée de France label since 2003. The collections include fossils, minerals, mounted animals, a large bird collection, insects, an 18th-century medicinal herbarium from the town's Hôtel-Dieu and plaster botanical models by Vilmorin-Andrieux. ## What you will see The museum shows its collections through temporary exhibitions, so the subject changes from one visit to the next; in 2026 an open-air display of large satellite views, The Ocean Seen from Space, runs until 31 December. Take time for the park, a French-style garden of clipped box laid out from the late 19th century. Look for the ginkgo, golden in autumn, the giant thujas and a magnolia that flowers in March and April, and watch for squirrels, hedgehogs and birds. Family workshops run in the school holidays. ## Planning your visit Allow 45 minutes to an hour. The museum is at 5 boulevard Vauban in Auxerre, about 1 hour 45 minutes from Beaune, about ten minutes' walk from the abbey of Saint-Germain. Entry is free. From September to May it opens every weekday afternoon, on Wednesday mornings too, and on Sunday afternoons; it is closed on Saturdays and public holidays. Check the city website for summer hours. ## Did you know? Among the 160,000 specimens are 93 scientific reference specimens, the pieces used to describe or illustrate species, mostly local fossils such as fish and crustaceans. ## Around Muséum d’histoire naturelle d’Auxerre What to combine with Muséum d’histoire naturelle d’Auxerre on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Saint-Bris](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-bris) (9 km away): Burgundy's Sauvignon village, built over a maze of medieval cellars. - [Irancy](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/irancy) (12 km away): The red wine village of the Yonne, set in a bowl of vines and cherry trees. - [Chablis](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/chablis) (18 km away): Burgundy's northern outpost, where Chardonnay grows on fossil-rich limestone above the river Serein. ### Châteaux - [Château de Maligny](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-maligny) (17 km away): A castle above the Serein north of Chablis, whose name lives on in the Durup family's wines. - [Château Long-Depaquit](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-long-depaquit) (17 km away): An 18th-century château in the heart of Chablis, home of the grand cru La Moutonne. - [Château de Béru](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-beru) (24 km away): A family château above the Chablis vineyards, with a rare sundial and moon dial, and biodynamic wines. ### Things to do - [Église Saint-Eusèbe d’Auxerre](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-saint-eusebe-auxerre) (1 km away): A church on the site of a 7th-century monastery, with a Romanesque bell tower and a bright Renaissance choir of stained glass. - [Auxerre Old Town and Clock Tower (Auxerre, tour de l’Horloge et vieille ville)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/auxerre-old-town), 1 km away: Half-timbered streets, a medieval clock that tracks the moon, and church spires above the river Yonne. - [Saint-Étienne Cathedral, Auxerre (Cathédrale Saint-Étienne d’Auxerre)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/cathedrale-saint-etienne-auxerre), 1 km away: A Gothic cathedral above the Yonne, with 13th-century glass and a rare painting of Christ on horseback. ### Events - **The weekend before Christmas.** · [Marché du Réveillon](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/marche-du-reveillon-saint-bris-le-vineux): A Christmas food market held in the medieval cellars beneath Saint-Bris-le-Vineux. (Christmas · Saint-Bris-le-Vineux) - **A weekend in January, close to the feast of Saint Vincent on 22 January.** · [Saint-Vincent de Chitry](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/saint-vincent-de-chitry): Chitry honours Saint Vincent with a parade, mulled wine for all and a Sunday of tastings. (Tradition · Chitry) - **Saturday 29 – Sunday 30 May 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Fleurs de Vigne](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fleurs-de-vigne-auxerre): The wine festival of the Yonne, held on the Auxerre quays as the vines come into flower. (Wine festival · Auxerre) - **A long weekend in late August.** · [Rues Barrées](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/rues-barrees-auxerre): Three days of free street theatre, circus and dance in the old streets of Auxerre. (Culture · Auxerre) ## Questions about Muséum d’histoire naturelle d’Auxerre ### How far is Muséum d’histoire naturelle d’Auxerre from Beaune? Muséum d’histoire naturelle d’Auxerre is about 1 h 51 from Beaune by road (168 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €415 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Muséum d’histoire naturelle d’Auxerre take? For the visit, allow 45 minutes to 1 hour. ### When is Muséum d’histoire naturelle d’Auxerre open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (auxerre.fr) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Muséum d’histoire naturelle d’Auxerre? 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. → [Long-day wine tour, €880](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/long-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:museumauxerre): €415 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - --- Canonical page: