--- title: "Talant, Dijon: Hilltop Village, Church and Lac Kir View" description: "A village begun as a ducal fortress in 1208, with a Gothic church glazed by Gérard Garouste above Lac Kir. Allow an hour, with a driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/talant lang: en updated: 2026-09-30 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/talant.png --- # Historic Village of Talant (Site historique de Talant) > Historic Village of Talant: a hilltop village founded by the dukes, with a Gothic church and views over Lac Kir. Historic Village of Talant is in Talant (Côte-d'Or), 44 min by road (48 km) from Beaune. Allow 1 hour · Private driver from Beaune: €120 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Old Talant stands on a rocky spur on Dijon's north-western edge, above Lac Kir and the city. Duke Eudes III began a fortress here in 1208. The castle has gone, but the village keeps old houses, a medieval cellar and the Gothic church of Notre-Dame, glazed with modern windows by Gérard Garouste. ## Key facts - Type: Heritage - Where: Talant · Côte-d'Or - Location: 35 km north of Beaune · Côte-d'Or - Coordinates: 47.3353, 5.0035 - 44 min from Beaune - Allow 1 hour - Talant - Nearby: [Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/dijon) - Official website: [talant.fr](https://www.talant.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 In 1208 Duke Eudes III of Burgundy began building a fortress on the hill, and a small fortified town grew up around it. The ducal castle was dismantled under Henri IV, and its demolition was contracted in 1598. Only an underground cellar and a 13th-century tower survive. The church of Notre-Dame was completed in the 14th century and consecrated in 1430. The church has been listed as a historic monument since 1908. In the early 1980s a project began to give it figurative stained glass by the painter Gérard Garouste, honouring women of the Bible. The organ, built in 1958 for the church of Taizé, was bought by the town in 1974, and in 1996 a Swiss organ builder gave it its present form and sound. ## What you will see Wander the quiet lanes of the old village and look out from the edge of the plateau over Lac Kir and the roofs of Dijon. Inside Notre-Dame, the Gothic nave is lit by Garouste's modern figurative windows, a bold contrast with the medieval stone. Statues from several centuries line the walls. Look too for the 13th-century Tour de la Confrérie, one of the last traces of the ducal fortress. ## Planning your visit The village is a short drive from central Dijon and pairs naturally with Lac Kir below. The town arranges guided visits of its heritage on request. There is a picnic area for a summer lunch. Check the official website for opening times of the church. ## Did you know? Notre-Dame de Talant is one of the few churches in France fitted entirely with figurative modern stained glass. Gérard Garouste's windows pay tribute to women of the Bible. ## Around Historic Village of Talant What to combine with Historic Village of Talant on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Dijon](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/dijon) (3 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 Fontaine-lès-Dijon (Maison natale de saint Bernard)](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-fontaine-les-dijon), 1 km away: The hilltop birthplace of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, overlooking Dijon. - [Château de Montmusard](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-montmusard) (4 km away): The surviving wing of a daring neoclassical pleasure house designed by Charles De Wailly. - [Château de Vantoux](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-vantoux) (7 km away): An early 18th-century château north of Dijon, built for a first president of the Parlement. ### Things to do - [Lake Kir (Lac Kir)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/lac-kir), 1 km away: Dijon's lake, opened in 1964 and named after the mayor who gave kir its name. - [Mulot & Petitjean Gingerbread Factory (La Fabrique de pain d’épices Mulot & Petitjean)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/mulot-petitjean), 2 km away: Dijon's historic gingerbread maker, with a museum space above the working bakery. - [Champmol Charterhouse and the Well of Moses (Chartreuse de Champmol et Puits de Moïse)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/chartreuse-de-champmol), 2 km away: Claus Sluter's Well of Moses, a masterpiece of medieval sculpture, in the dukes' vanished charterhouse. ### Restaurants - [William Frachot](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/william-frachot-dijon) (3 km away · 2 MICHELIN stars): Dijon's two-star table, reinventing Burgundy's classics inside the Hostellerie du Chapeau Rouge - [Loiseau des Ducs](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/loiseau-des-ducs-dijon) (3 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): The Loiseau signature in Dijon, served beneath the vaults of a sixteenth-century mansion - [L’Aspérule](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/l-asperule-dijon) (3 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Keigo Kimura's intimate Dijon dining room: French technique, Japanese restraint ### 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 Historic Village of Talant ### How far is Historic Village of Talant from Beaune? Historic Village of Talant 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 Historic Village of Talant take? For the visit, allow 1 hour. ### When is Historic Village of Talant open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (talant.fr) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Historic Village of Talant? 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:talant): €120 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - --- Canonical page: