--- title: "Tour des Fromages: How to Visit and What to See" description: "The Tour des Fromages is one of the towers that guarded the enclosure of the abbey of Cluny." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/tour-des-fromages-cluny lang: en updated: 2026-10-08 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/tour-des-fromages-cluny.png --- # Tour des Fromages > Tour des Fromages: a tower of the abbey wall of Cluny, with 120 steps up to the best view of the abbey town. Tour des Fromages is in Cluny (Saône-et-Loire), 1 h 07 by road (87 km) from Beaune. Allow 30 to 45 minutes · Private driver from Beaune: €240 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The Tour des Fromages is one of the towers that guarded the enclosure of the abbey of Cluny. Visitors enter through the tourist office and climb 120 steps to a terrace above the roofs. From the top, the remains of the great abbey, its bell towers and the medieval town spread out below. ## Key facts - Type: Heritage - Where: Cluny · Saône-et-Loire - Location: 65 km south of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 46.4339, 4.6579 - 1 h 07 from Beaune - Allow 30 to 45 minutes - Cluny - Official website: [cluny-tourisme.com](https://www.cluny-tourisme.com/visites-incontournables/la-tour-des-fromages/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 07 · 87 km - €240 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 1 h 07 by road (87 km), €240 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 Founded in 910, the abbey of Cluny became the head of an order of hundreds of monasteries across Europe, and a wall with towers and gates enclosed its buildings. The Tour des Fromages belongs to this enclosure. The tall square tower was long known as the Tour des Fèves, the Bean Tower. The abbey was closed at the Revolution and its great church was largely pulled down in the early 19th century, but much of the enclosure survived, and the abbey's buildings, towers and walls were classified as historic monuments in 1862. According to local tradition, the tower's present name, the Cheese Tower, comes from a later use for drying cheeses. Today it is part of the visit of the town, with a photographic exhibition by the Amis de Cluny, the society that works to protect the town's heritage. ## What you will see The climb starts inside the tourist office on the rue Mercière. On the way up, photographs show the restoration work carried out by the Amis de Cluny. At the top, the view takes in the abbey buildings and the bell towers that survive from the great church, the octagonal Clocher de l'Eau-Bénite and the square Clocher de l'Horloge, the abbot's palace that now houses the town hall, and the tower of the church of Notre-Dame just below. Beyond the roofs, the green hills of the Clunisois close the horizon. ## Planning your visit The tower opens all year during the tourist office's hours; it closes on Sundays from November to March, on Mondays in January and on a few days around Christmas and the New Year. In 2026 a ticket cost €2.80 for adults and €1.50 for ages 6 to 25, free under 6, and the Odilon Pass combines it with the abbey and the art and archaeology museum. The 120 steps make it unsuitable for visitors with reduced mobility. Allow 30 to 45 minutes, before or after the abbey. ## Did you know? In some seasons the tower hosts events at the top, from storytelling with hot chocolate for children to evening aperitifs above the roofs of Cluny. ## Around Tour des Fromages What to combine with Tour des Fromages on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Viré-Clessé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/vire-clesse) (14 km away): Two neighbouring villages of the Haut-Mâconnais, joined in one appellation for generous Chardonnay. - [Pouilly-Fuissé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/pouilly-fuisse) (18 km away): Burgundy's great southern white, grown beneath the limestone cliffs of Solutré and Vergisson. - [Saint-Véran](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-veran) (21 km away): Fresh Chardonnay from villages that wrap around Pouilly-Fuissé, beneath the Roche de Solutré. ### Châteaux - [Château de Lourdon](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-lourdon) (3 km away): The ruined hilltop fortress of the abbots of Cluny, where the monks once hid their treasures. - [Château de Berzé-le-Châtel](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-berze-le-chatel) (6 km away): The largest medieval fortress of southern Burgundy, built to shield Cluny, with terraced gardens and its own wine. - [Château de Boutavent](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-boutavent) (6 km away): A spur-top castle that guarded the Grosne valley for the lords of Brancion, then for Cluny. ### Things to do - [Église Notre-Dame de Cluny](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-notre-dame-cluny) (1 km away): Cluny's Gothic parish church, watched over by fifty carved faces and the three-faced Pidou-Berlu. - [Cluny Abbey (Abbaye de Cluny)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/abbaye-de-cluny), 1 km away: The remains of the largest church in medieval Christendom, heart of a monastic order that spread across Europe. - [Cluny Market (Marché de Cluny)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/marche-de-cluny), 1 km away: A Saturday morning market in the streets of Cluny's medieval town, right beside the abbey. ## Questions about Tour des Fromages ### How far is Tour des Fromages from Beaune? Tour des Fromages is about 1 h 07 from Beaune by road (87 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €240 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Tour des Fromages take? For the visit, allow 30 to 45 minutes. ### When is Tour des Fromages open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (cluny-tourisme.com) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Tour des Fromages? 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 plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:tourdesfromages): €240 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - --- Canonical page: