--- title: "Rue des Forges: How to Visit and What to See" description: "Rue des Forges runs behind the Palace of the Dukes, from Place des Ducs past Place Notre-Dame to Place François-Rude." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/rue-des-forges-hotel-chambellan-dijon lang: en updated: 2026-10-08 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/rue-des-forges-hotel-chambellan-dijon.png --- # Rue des Forges > Rue des Forges: a medieval street of merchants' mansions behind the Palace of the Dukes, with a Gothic courtyard hidden at No. 34. Rue des Forges is in Dijon (Côte-d'Or), 44 min by road (48 km) from Beaune. Allow 30 to 45 minutes · UNESCO World Heritage · Private driver from Beaune: €120 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Rue des Forges runs behind the Palace of the Dukes, from Place des Ducs past Place Notre-Dame to Place François-Rude. It keeps a rare row of rich merchants' houses from the 13th to the 16th century. Behind the door of No. 34 lies the courtyard of the Hôtel Chambellan, a jewel of Flamboyant Gothic. ## Key facts - Type: Heritage - Location: 35 km north-east of Beaune · Côte-d'Or - Coordinates: 47.3222, 5.0403 - 44 min from Beaune - Allow 30 to 45 minutes - UNESCO World Heritage - Where: [Dijon · Côte-d'Or](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/dijon) - Official website: [destinationdijon.com](https://www.destinationdijon.com/patrimoine-culturel/hotel-chambellan/) - 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 The Hôtel Chambellan was built in the second half of the 15th century for a family of wealthy cloth merchants. Henri Chambellan, a draper, was mayor of Dijon from 1490 to 1493 and later sat on the Chamber of Accounts. The house was classified as a historic monument in 1913, and its chapel in 1917. The city owned it from 1913 until 2008, when it was sold to a private owner, and it was restored in 2018. The neighbouring houses tell more of the street's story. No. 38, the Maison Maillard, also called Maison Milsand, was built in 1561 for Jean Maillard, then mayor, and its carved upper facade is attributed to the cabinetmaker and architect Hugues Sambin. No. 40, the Hôtel Aubriot, keeps a 13th-century facade with paired round arches, restored in 1908. Further on, the Hôtel Morel-Sauvegrain at Nos. 52 to 56 dates from around 1475. ## What you will see Walk the street slowly and look up. The arcaded windows of the Hôtel Aubriot, the lion masks, garlands and vases of the Maison Milsand and the old shop arches of the Hôtel Morel-Sauvegrain stand side by side. At No. 34, a long vaulted passage leads into the Chambellan courtyard, with a two-storey wooden gallery and a stair tower. At the top of its spiral staircase, a carved figure known as the gardener carries a basket on his shoulder, and the ribs of the vault seem to spring out of it. ## Planning your visit The street is pedestrian and can be walked at any time. Allow 30 to 45 minutes. The Hôtel Chambellan is private: the tourist office asks visitors to respect the owners' privacy and not to push the doors, so the courtyard can only be seen when it is open. The Dijon tourist office is at No. 11, which makes the street a natural start for the Owl's Trail. Place de la Libération and the owl of Notre-Dame are a few minutes away. ## Did you know? Hugues Aubriot, born around 1320 in the house at No. 40, became provost of Paris under Charles V and laid the first stone of the Bastille on 22 April 1370. ## Around Rue des Forges What to combine with Rue des Forges 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 - [The Owl’s Trail (Parcours de la Chouette)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/parcours-de-la-chouette), 1 km away: Follow bronze owl arrows set in the pavement on a self-guided walk through old Dijon. - [Church of Notre-Dame, Dijon (Église Notre-Dame de Dijon)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/notre-dame-dijon), 1 km away: A 13th-century Gothic church with a famous clock, false gargoyles and Dijon's lucky owl. - [Tower of Philip the Good (Tour Philippe le Bon)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/tour-philippe-le-bon), 1 km away: Climb 316 steps up the dukes' 46-metre tower for a sweeping view over Dijon's rooftops. ### Restaurants - [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 - [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 - [William Frachot](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/william-frachot-dijon) (1 km away · 2 MICHELIN stars): Dijon's two-star table, reinventing Burgundy's classics inside the Hostellerie du Chapeau Rouge ### 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 Rue des Forges ### How far is Rue des Forges from Beaune? Rue des Forges 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 Rue des Forges take? For the visit, allow 30 to 45 minutes. ### When is Rue des Forges open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (destinationdijon.com) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Is Rue des Forges a UNESCO World Heritage site? Yes. Rue des Forges is part of a site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. ### Can a private driver take us to Rue des Forges? 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:ruedesforges): €120 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - --- Canonical page: