--- title: "Site archéologique d’Escolives-Sainte-Camille: How to Visit and What to See" description: "Site archéologique d’Escolives-Sainte-Camille: history, what to see, how long to allow, and private driver prices from Beaune, Dijon, Lyon and Paris." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/site-archeologique-escolives-sainte-camille lang: en updated: 2026-10-08 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/site-archeologique-escolives-sainte-camille.png --- # Site archéologique d’Escolives-Sainte-Camille > Site archéologique d’Escolives-Sainte-Camille: the baths of a Gallo-Roman villa on the Via Agrippa, built on reused carved stones, with a Merovingian cemetery among the ruins. Site archéologique d’Escolives-Sainte-Camille is in Escolives-Sainte-Camille (Yonne), 1 h 45 by road (157 km) from Beaune. Guided tours only: 1 April to 31 October: Tuesday to Sunday, tours start between 10:00 and 12:00 and between 14:00 and 18:00 · Guided tour: Adults €8, reduced €4 · Allow 1 to 1.5 hours · Private driver from Beaune: €395 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Near the river Yonne, 10 km south of Auxerre, the village of Escolives-Sainte-Camille hides the remains of a large Gallo-Roman villa beside the old Via Agrippa. Guided visits show its baths, rebuilt around 300 AD on foundations of reused carved blocks, and a cemetery of the Merovingian period. A small exhibition presents the finds. ## Key facts - Type: Heritage - Where: Escolives-Sainte-Camille · Yonne - Location: 120 km north-west of Beaune · Chablis & Auxerrois - Coordinates: 47.7219, 3.6049 - 1 h 45 from Beaune - Open 1 April to 31 October - Allow 1 to 1.5 hours - Nearby: [Saint-Bris](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-bris) - Official website: [lavillascoliva.org](https://lavillascoliva.org/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 45 · 157 km - €395 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 45 by road (157 km), €395 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 People lived here from the Neolithic onwards, but the site is best known for its Gallo-Roman villa, occupied from the end of the 1st century BC to the 5th century. Its farm and living quarters covered more than four hectares beside the Via Agrippa, the road from Lyon to the Channel begun in 19 BC. Its large baths, rebuilt at the end of the 3rd or start of the 4th century, probably served travellers on the road as well as the owners. In the 5th century the villa was abandoned, and from the late 6th to the 8th century a Merovingian cemetery grew in its ruins, where 354 graves have been recorded. The site came to light in March 1955, when villagers pulling up a walnut tree saw graves caught in its roots. They called Raymond Kapps, a teacher and amateur archaeologist in Auxerre trained by André Leroi-Gourhan, who led excavations with volunteers and students until 1983. Daniel Prost and then Pascale Laurent continued the work, and field digs ended in 1998. The remains have been a listed historic monument since 1992, and the Société Archéologique d'Escolives, founded by Kapps in 1957, still runs the visits and workshops. ## What you will see The guided tour walks you through the baths, with their cold pool and the hypocaust that heated the floors, and the spring catchment that fed the villa. In the exhibition, look at the carved blocks from a monument with arches, reused in the bath foundations: friezes and cornices with foliage, mythological figures, gods such as Hercules, and a hare. The waterlogged spring basin preserved rare finds, including a 4th-century leather sandal and a wooden votive offering. The tour also tells the story of the Merovingian cemetery that later filled the ruins. ## Opening hours and tickets - Guided tours only: 1 April to 31 October: Tuesday to Sunday, tours start between 10:00 and 12:00 and between 14:00 and 18:00 - Last tour: 17:00 - Guided tour: Adults €8, reduced €4 - Booking: Not needed Checked on 8 October 2026 on [the official site](https://lavillascoliva.org/infos-pratiques/). ## Planning your visit Allow an hour to an hour and a half. The site is at 9 rue Raymond Kapps in Escolives-Sainte-Camille, about 1 hour 35 minutes from Beaune, and pairs well with the wineries of Coulanges-la-Vineuse, Irancy and Saint-Bris. It is open from April to October, closed on Mondays, with guided visits at set times through the day, and closed from November to March. Groups and school classes book ahead. ## Did you know? Two grape-harvest scenes on the reused blocks show vine leaves thought to be of the César grape, a sign that vines were already grown around Auxerre in Roman times. ## Around Site archéologique d’Escolives-Sainte-Camille What to combine with Site archéologique d’Escolives-Sainte-Camille on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Saint-Bris](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-bris) (4 km away): Burgundy's Sauvignon village, built over a maze of medieval cellars. - [Irancy](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/irancy) (5 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 Long-Depaquit](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-long-depaquit) (18 km away): An 18th-century château in the heart of Chablis, home of the grand cru La Moutonne. - [Château de Maligny](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-maligny) (20 km away): A castle above the Serein north of Chablis, whose name lives on in the Durup family's wines. - [Château de Béru](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-beru) (23 km away): A family château above the Chablis vineyards, with a rare sundial and moon dial, and biodynamic wines. ### Things to do - [Domaine Borgnat](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-borgnat-escolives) (1 km away): A family estate and guest house in Escolives, with tastings in stacked 17th-century cellars and wines of Coulanges-la-Vineuse. - [Caves Bailly Lapierre](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/caves-bailly-lapierre) (2 km away): Crémant de Bourgogne aged in vast medieval stone quarries above the river Yonne. - [Domaine du Clos du Roi](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-du-clos-du-roi-coulanges-la-vineuse) (3 km away): A family estate in Coulanges-la-Vineuse with free tastings, a wine bar of local produce and old oak casks under the church. ### 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 Site archéologique d’Escolives-Sainte-Camille ### How far is Site archéologique d’Escolives-Sainte-Camille from Beaune? Site archéologique d’Escolives-Sainte-Camille is about 1 h 45 from Beaune by road (157 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €395 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Site archéologique d’Escolives-Sainte-Camille take? For the visit, allow 1 to 1.5 hours. ### When is Site archéologique d’Escolives-Sainte-Camille open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (lavillascoliva.org) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Site archéologique d’Escolives-Sainte-Camille? 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:escolives): €395 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - - --- Canonical page: