--- title: "Route des Grands Crus: How Long It Takes and Where to Stop" description: "About 60 km of wine villages from Dijon to Santenay, created in 1937. Half a day to a full day from Beaune, with a private driver so everyone tastes." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/route-des-grands-crus lang: en updated: 2026-10-01 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/route-des-grands-crus.png --- # Route des Grands Crus > Route des Grands Crus: Burgundy's historic wine road, about 60 kilometres of vineyards and villages from Dijon to Santenay. Route des Grands Crus is in Dijon to Santenay (Côte-d'Or), 28 min by road (25 km) from Beaune. Allow a half day to a full day · Private driver from Beaune: €100 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The Route des Grands Crus follows the foot of the Côte for about 60 kilometres, from Dijon to Santenay. It links the wine villages of the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune, from Gevrey-Chambertin and Vougeot to Pommard and Meursault. Driving it, with stops for cellars and viewpoints, is the classic way to discover Burgundy wine. ## Key facts - Type: Activities - Where: Dijon to Santenay · Côte-d'Or - Location: 19 km north-east of Beaune · Côte de Nuits - Coordinates: 47.1766, 4.9631 - 28 min from Beaune - Allow a half day to a full day - Dijon to Santenay - Official website: [routedesgrandscrusdebourgogne.com](https://www.routedesgrandscrusdebourgogne.com/) - From Beaune: ≈ 28 min · 25 km - €100 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [half-day wine tour, €290](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 28 min by road (25 km), €100 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 route was created in 1937 by a vote of the Côte-d'Or general council, at a time when wine tourism was taking shape in Burgundy. The Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin had been founded in Nuits-Saint-Georges three years earlier. Today the road crosses more than thirty wine villages and some of the most celebrated vineyards in the world. ## What you will see Driving the route is the simplest way to understand the Côte. On one side the vines climb the slope towards the woods, on the other the land falls away to the Saône plain. Villages follow one another every few kilometres, each with its church, its cellars and its famous names. Classic stops include the Clos de Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée and the château villages of the Côte de Beaune. The official route site calls it France's first wine route, nicknamed the Champs-Élysées of Burgundy, and it passes 32 of Burgundy's 33 grands crus, the 33rd being in Chablis. Look out for details on the way: La Grande Rue in Vosne-Romanée, a grand cru of only 1.65 hectares, Marsannay, a rare village of the Côte de Nuits to make red, white and rosé, and Meursault, one of the settings of the film La Grande Vadrouille. ## Planning your visit A private driver lets everyone taste without thinking about the road. Allow a full day to follow the whole route with two or three cellar visits, or split it, with the Côte de Nuits in the morning and the Côte de Beaune after lunch. Driven without stops, Dijon to Santenay takes about 1 hour 15 minutes on the D974, against 50 minutes on the A31 motorway. The free Balades en Bourgogne app has an audio tour of the route in English that works offline. Walkers can follow a GR de Pays footpath of about 87 kilometres through the vineyards in 5 to 7 days; the best season runs from May to October, with September and the harvest the favourite, and since the vines are private land, stay on the marked paths. Ahead of the route's 90th anniversary, celebrated on 15 May 2027, the Département is putting up new signs at more than 320 crossroads and creating 20 rest areas along it. The road is open at all times, but most cellars need booking. Check the official websites of the cellars you plan to visit for opening times. ## Did you know? The Route des Grands Crus was born in 1937 from an idea of the Côte-d'Or Département, which makes it the first wine route in France. ## Around Route des Grands Crus What to combine with Route des Grands Crus on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Vougeot](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/vougeot) (1 km away): Home of the Clos de Vougeot, the Cistercian vineyard and château at the heart of Burgundy's wine story. - [Chambolle-Musigny](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/chambolle-musigny) (1 km away): A small village known for silky, perfumed reds, the grand cru Musigny and the prized Les Amoureuses. - [Flagey-Échezeaux](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/flagey-echezeaux) (2 km away): A village of vines and fields on the plain, with two grands crus climbing the slope above. ### Châteaux - [Château de la Tour](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-la-tour) (1 km away): The only estate that makes its wine inside the walls of the Clos de Vougeot. - [Château du Clos de Vougeot](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-du-clos-de-vougeot) (1 km away): The Cistercian wine estate that became the symbol of Burgundy wine. - [Château de Gilly](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-gilly) (1 km away): The former country residence of the abbots of Cîteaux, now a five-star hotel near Vougeot. ### Things to do - [La Grande Cave de Vougeot](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/la-grande-cave-de-vougeot) (1 km away): A wine shop over 17th-century vaulted cellars at the foot of the Clos de Vougeot, with tastings from all over Burgundy. - [Boursot Père & Fils](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/boursot-pere-et-fils-chambolle-musigny) (1 km away): A Chambolle-Musigny family of winegrowers since 1550, whose grandfather opened the village's first tasting cellar. - [Romanée-Conti Vineyard (Vigne de la Romanée-Conti)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/romanee-conti-vineyard), 2 km away: A vineyard of about 1.8 hectares, marked by a stone cross and famous all over the world. ### Restaurants - [La Table d’Hôte, La Rôtisserie du Chambertin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-table-d-hote-rotisserie-du-chambertin-gevrey) (5 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred tasting table in an eighteenth-century house in the heart of Gevrey-Chambertin - [Le Charlemagne](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/le-charlemagne-pernand-vergelesses) (14 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Burgundy with a Japanese accent, facing the hill of Corton-Charlemagne ### Events - **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) ### Guides about Route des Grands Crus - [Beaune in one day](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/beaune-in-one-day) - [Burgundy day trip from Paris](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/burgundy-day-trip-from-paris) - [The grand crus of Burgundy](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/burgundy-grand-crus) - [Harvest and truffle season in Burgundy](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/burgundy-harvest-and-truffle-season) - [A Burgundy wine day from Lyon](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/burgundy-wine-day-from-lyon) ## Questions about Route des Grands Crus ### How far is Route des Grands Crus from Beaune? Route des Grands Crus is about 28 min from Beaune by road (25 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €100 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Route des Grands Crus take? For the visit, allow a half day to a full day. ### When is Route des Grands Crus open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (routedesgrandscrusdebourgogne.com) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Route des Grands Crus? 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 a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:routegrandscrus): €100 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - - - - --- Canonical page: