--- title: "Beaune Wine Tasting: Cellars and Hôtel-Dieu" description: "Burgundy's wine capital: 42 premier crus around town, merchants' cellars under the streets and the Hôtel-Dieu. Your private driver is based here in Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/beaune lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/villages/beaune.png --- # Beaune > Beaune: the wine capital of Burgundy, with the Hôtel-Dieu, old ramparts and cellars beneath its streets. Red and white wines · 42 premiers crus. Beaune is the heart of the Côte de Beaune and the natural starting point for a day in the vineyards. Inside its ramparts stand the famous Hôtel-Dieu with its glazed-tile roofs, a Romanesque collegiate church and the cellars of the wine merchants. Around the town lies one of the largest vineyards of the Côte. ## Key facts - Type: Wine village - Region: Côte de Beaune - Location: In Beaune - Coordinates: 47.0259, 4.8400 - Your base - Red and white wines - 42 premiers crus - Appellations: Beaune, Côte de Beaune - Grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay - In Beaune, where your driver is based. - €290 for a [half-day wine tour](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) from Beaune, up to 4 guests ## Getting there Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) ## History Beaune began as a small Roman fort and grew under the Dukes of Burgundy, whose red wine was prized from the early Middle Ages. In 1443 Nicolas Rolin, chancellor to the Duke of Burgundy, and his wife Guigone de Salins founded the Hôtel-Dieu, a hospital for the poor. Its great ward, the Grande Salle des Pôvres, opened in 1452 and keeps its original size: 50 metres long and 16 metres high. After the death of Charles the Bold in 1477, King Louis XI built a castle here, and massive bastions were added in the 16th and 17th centuries. Today the bastions and the vaulted cellars under the town hold millions of bottles belonging to the négociant houses. The Hospices estate, built up from gifts and legacies, covers about 60 hectares. Its wines have been sold at a charity auction since 1859, now held every third Sunday of November. ## The wines The Beaune appellation covers the slope north and south of the town, with 42 premier cru climats between 220 and 300 metres. Thin brown soils on hard limestone lie at the top, deeper marls at mid-slope, and limestone mixed with clay at the foot. Most wine is red Pinot Noir, bright with black and red fruit, turning to truffle and leather. Reds from north of the town tend to be more powerful. Chardonnay whites are rarer, with almond and white flowers. **Well-known premiers crus (42 premiers crus)**: Les Grèves, Le Clos des Mouches, Les Bressandes, Les Marconnets, Les Teurons, Clos des Ursules ## What to see ### Hôtel-Dieu Founded in 1443, the hospital cared for patients for more than five centuries and is now a museum. Look for the glazed-tile roofs, the great ward and Rogier van der Weyden's Last Judgment. ### Collégiale Notre-Dame A Romanesque church inspired by Cluny, built mostly in the 12th and 13th centuries. Inside are a 12th-century Black Virgin and tapestries of the Life of the Virgin, usually shown from April to October. ### The ramparts walk A 2.5-kilometre route follows the top of the old walls and bastions around the town centre, with 17 stops explaining its history. Some passages have steps, and several bastions now shelter wine cellars. ### Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne Opened in June 2023 at the entrance to the town, this visitor centre explains the Climats, listed by UNESCO in 2015. Its tower of bright tendrils rises 21 metres, like a vine on its wire. ## Good to know Give Beaune at least half a day, with time for the Hôtel-Dieu and a cellar visit, which is best booked ahead. Pommard and Savigny-lès-Beaune are minutes away. The November auction weekend fills the town, so plan early. ## Did you know? The Hôtel-Dieu treated patients for more than 500 years. Its services moved gradually to a modern hospital from 1971, and the historic building became entirely a museum only in 1988. ## Around Beaune What to combine with Beaune on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Chorey-lès-Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/chorey-les-beaune) (3 km away): A village on the gentle land just north of Beaune, known for supple and fruity reds. - [Pommard](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/pommard) (4 km away): A red-wine village between Beaune and Volnay, known for deep, firm Pinot Noir. - [Savigny-lès-Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/savigny-les-beaune) (4 km away): A true wine village in the Rhoin valley, known for the sayings carved on its houses. ### Châteaux - [Château de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-beaune) (1 km away): Louis XI's fortress in the Beaune ramparts, now home to the Bouchard Père & Fils wine house. - [Château de Challanges](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-challanges) (3 km away): A 19th-century country house in a wooded park south-east of Beaune, now a hotel. - [Château de Chorey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chorey) (3 km away): A moated manor with lone round towers and a dovecote, at the edge of Chorey. - [Château de Pommard](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-pommard) (4 km away): A Régence château of 1726 and a 20-hectare walled vineyard at the entrance to Pommard. - [Château de la Commaraine](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-la-commaraine) (4 km away): A towered château in the heart of Pommard, set in its own walled Premier Cru vineyard. ### Things to do - [Beaune Town Hall (Former Ursuline Convent), Hôtel de Ville de Beaune (ancien couvent des Ursulines)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/hotel-de-ville-beaune-couvent-des-ursulines), 1 km away: Beaune's town hall, housed in a 17th-century Ursuline convent with a carved front added in 1817. - [Maison Patriarche Père et Fils](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/caves-patriarche-beaune) (1 km away): Walk through about five kilometres of vaulted cellars beneath a former convent, then taste the wines. - [Maison Champy](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-champy-beaune) (1 km away): Founded in 1720, Champy calls itself Burgundy's oldest wine house, with old cellars and an 1890 vat house. - [Beffroi de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/beffroi-de-beaune) (1 km away): Beaune's medieval clock tower, bought by the town in 1395 and crowned by a lead-clad bell turret. - [Fresque de La Grande Vadrouille](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/fresque-la-grande-vadrouille-beaune) (1 km away): A painted wall in Beaune's old town that recalls the shooting of La Grande Vadrouille in 1966. - [Domaine Chanson](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-chanson-bastion-beaune) (1 km away): Visit the massive rampart tower where Domaine Chanson ages its wines, in the heart of Beaune. - [Maison Jaffelin](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-jaffelin-beaune) (1 km away): A small Beaune wine house founded in 1816, working in the medieval cellars of the Notre-Dame chapter. - [Sensation Vin](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/sensation-vin-beaune) (1 km away): Blind-tasting wine classes in the centre of Beaune, in French and English, since 2006. - [Bouchard Aîné & Fils](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/bouchard-aine-et-fils-beaune) (1 km away): A sensory introduction to Burgundy wine in the cellars of an 18th-century Beaune mansion. - [Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame, Beaune (Collégiale Notre-Dame de Beaune)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/collegiale-notre-dame-beaune), 1 km away: One of Burgundy's last great Romanesque churches, with five tapestries of the Life of the Virgin. - [Alain Hess Cheese Shop (Fromagerie Alain Hess)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/fromagerie-alain-hess-beaune), 1 km away: Beaune's master cheesemonger on the place Carnot, and the creator of the Délice de Pommard cheese. - [Shrine of the Child Jesus, Beaune (Sanctuaire de l’Enfant-Jésus de Beaune)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/sanctuaire-enfant-jesus-beaune), 1 km away: The former Carmel of Beaune, a place of prayer devoted to the Child Jesus since the 17th century. - [Beaune Ramparts (Remparts de Beaune)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/remparts-de-beaune), 1 km away: A 2.5 km walk around Beaune's towers, bastions and gardens, with wine cellars inside the old walls. - [Maison Joseph Drouhin](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-joseph-drouhin-beaune) (1 km away): A family wine house since 1880, with historic cellars beneath the oldest quarter of Beaune. - [Beaune Market (Marché de Beaune)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/marche-de-beaune), 1 km away: Beaune's Saturday market fills the covered halls and squares facing the Hôtel-Dieu with local produce. - [L’Atelier des Bonbons](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/atelier-des-bonbons-beaune) (1 km away): Watch artisan confectioners cook and shape hand-made sweets in a small Beaune workshop. - [Marché aux Vins](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/marche-aux-vins-beaune) (1 km away): Taste Burgundy wines in the cellars and chapels of a medieval Franciscan church facing the Hôtel-Dieu. - [Hospices de Beaune (Hôtel-Dieu), Hôtel-Dieu des Hospices Civils de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/hospices-de-beaune-hotel-dieu) (1 km away): Beaune's 15th-century hospital for the poor, crowned by its famous roofs of glazed, patterned tiles. - [Visiotrain](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/visiotrain-beaune) (1 km away): A small electric tourist train with commentary that loops through Beaune's old town and past its vineyards. - [Beaune Fine Arts Museum (Musée des Beaux-Arts de Beaune)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-des-beaux-arts-beaune), 1 km away: Beaune's fine arts museum, reopened in 2026, from Neolithic finds to the Venetian views of Félix Ziem. - [Saint-Nicolas Church, Beaune (Église Saint-Nicolas)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-saint-nicolas-beaune), 1 km away: A Romanesque parish church outside the old walls, with a porch carved with chimeras and a stone spire. - [Vins Coudurier Jung](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/vins-coudurier-jung-beaune) (1 km away): A micro-winery in a Beaune street, where the wines are made on site with native yeasts and no filtering. - [Edmond Fallot Mustard Mill (Moutarderie Edmond Fallot)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/moutarderie-fallot-beaune), 1 km away: An independent family mustard mill since 1840, still grinding seeds between millstones on the edge of Beaune. - [Domaine Baptiste Guyot](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-baptiste-guyot-beaune) (1 km away): A small family estate on the western edge of Beaune, where the town meets the vines. - [La Voie des Vignes](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/voie-des-vignes-beaune-santenay) (1 km away): A 22-kilometre cycle route from Beaune to Santenay through Pommard, Volnay, Meursault and the Montrachet villages. - [Beaune Premiers Crus Walk (Circuit No. 12), Circuit n°12, à travers quelques premiers crus de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/circuit-premiers-crus-de-beaune) (1 km away): An easy six-kilometre loop from the Parc de la Bouzaize through Beaune's premier cru vineyards. - [Bouzaize Park (Parc de la Bouzaize)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/parc-de-la-bouzaize-beaune), 1 km away: A romantic 19th-century English-style park around the spring of the Bouzaize, just outside the old town. - [Maison Louis Jadot](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-louis-jadot-beaune) (1 km away): A Beaune wine house founded in 1859, known for its Bacchus label, with a shop and visits at its winery. - [Franco-American Friendship Museum, Beaune (Historial de l’Amitié Franco-Américaine de Beaune)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/historial-amitie-franco-americaine-beaune), 2 km away: A volunteer-run museum on the American army hospital and university camp at Beaune in 1918 and 1919. - [Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/cite-des-climats-et-vins-de-bourgogne-beaune) (2 km away): Burgundy's wine centre, in a striking building shaped like a vine tendril at the entrance to Beaune. - [Sab’s by Alambic Bourguignon](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/distillerie-sabs-alambic-bourguignon-beaune) (2 km away): A craft distillery whose travelling still turns Burgundy grape marc and wine lees into brandies and gins. - [Nuiton-Beaunoy – Cave des Hautes-Côtes](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/nuiton-beaunoy-cave-des-hautes-cotes-beaune) (2 km away): The growers' co-operative of the Hautes-Côtes, with a free tasting room overlooking the vines on the edge of Beaune. - [Veuve Ambal](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/veuve-ambal-montagny-les-beaune) (3 km away): A family Crémant de Bourgogne house founded in 1898, toured from a walkway above its cellars and workshops. - [Domaine Guillaume Baduel](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-guillaume-baduel-pommard) (4 km away): A young Pommard domaine run by the sixth generation of a wine family, where some vines are still ploughed by horse. - [Domaine Michel Rebourgeon](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-michel-rebourgeon-pommard) (4 km away): A small family estate in Pommard, with premier cru vines ploughed by horse and a tasting cellar open every day. - [Domaine Michel Lahaye](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-michel-lahaye-pommard) (4 km away): A family estate on Pommard's church square, with a tasting room in its old stable and a log fire in winter. ### Restaurants - [Clos du Cèdre](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/clos-du-cedre-beaune) (1 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A winemaker's mansion by Beaune's ramparts, with a starred kitchen and a cellar of over 1,000 wines - [Le Carmin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/le-carmin-beaune) (1 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Christophe Quéant's poised, product-first cooking in a Renaissance house on place Carnot - [Table de Levernois](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/table-de-levernois) (5 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A Relais & Châteaux country house outside Beaune, with its own kitchen garden and 1,800 wines - [Auprès du Clocher](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/aupres-du-clocher-pommard) (4 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Pommard's newly starred table, where the butcher's son cooks beside the church - [Le Charlemagne](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/le-charlemagne-pernand-vergelesses) (6 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Burgundy with a Japanese accent, facing the hill of Corton-Charlemagne - [Ed.Em](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/ed-em-chassagne-montrachet) (13 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred couple's table in the heart of Montrachet country, with 600 wines to match ### Events - **Friday 13 – Sunday 15 November 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Vente des Vins des Hospices de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/vente-des-vins-hospices-de-beaune): Burgundy's great charity wine auction, first held in 1859 and now staged each November in Beaune's covered halls. (Wine auction · Beaune) - **Saturday 10 – Sunday 11 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Salon de dégustation Pains Vins Fromages](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/salon-pains-vins-fromages-beaune): Bread, cheese and wine under Beaune's covered halls, run by the town's tourism students. (Food & markets · Beaune) - **Friday 16 – Sunday 18 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Vignobles en Scène](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/vignobles-en-scene-beaune): An October weekend of one-off wine experiences along the Route des Grands Crus. (Wine festival · Beaune and the Côte de Beaune) - **Friday, 13 November 2026 – Tuesday, 5 January 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Lumières à Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/lumieres-a-beaune): Light projections on Beaune's landmarks, every evening in summer and from the Vente des Vins to early January. (Culture · Beaune) - **Friday 13 – Saturday 14 November 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Semi-Marathon de la Vente des Vins de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/semi-marathon-vente-des-vins-beaune): Burgundy's best-known half marathon, run through Pommard, Volnay and Meursault on the Vente des Vins weekend. (Sport · Beaune) - **Friday 13 – Saturday 14 November 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Fête des Grands Vins de Bourgogne](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/fete-des-grands-vins-de-bourgogne): Every Burgundy appellation in one hall, poured by the growers themselves, on the Vente des Vins weekend. (Wine festival · Beaune) - **Wednesday 2 – Sunday 6 December 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Beaune Blues Boogie Festival](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/beaune-blues-boogie-festival): Five nights of boogie-woogie, blues and swing in Beaune's theatres and wine cellars. (Music · Beaune) - **Saturday 12 – Sunday 13 December 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Le Festi’Noël](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festi-noel-marche-de-noel-beaune): Beaune's Christmas market by the Porte Marie de Bourgogne, with crafts, treats and mulled wine. (Christmas · Beaune) - **Thursday 1 – Sunday 4 April 2027 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Festival Beethoven à Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-beethoven-beaune): A spring chamber music festival devoted to Beethoven, led by the cellist Sung-Won Yang. (Music · Beaune) - **Each year over several weeks in late spring and early summer, usually ending in early July** · [Mois des Climats](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/mois-des-climats): A festival of visits, walks and tastings celebrating Burgundy's UNESCO-listed Climats. (Culture · Beaune and the Côte-d'Or vineyards) - **Usually Ascension Thursday, in May, with staggered departures from late morning** · [Beaune Saveurs de Vignes](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/beaune-saveurs-de-vignes): A gourmet walk through Beaune's vineyards, with growers pouring at every stop. (Wine festival · Beaune) - **Usually four consecutive weekends in July** · [Festival international d’opéra baroque de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-opera-baroque-beaune): Since 1983, a summer festival of baroque opera in the Hôtel-Dieu courtyard and Beaune's historic churches. (Music · Beaune) - **Late September, over four days from Thursday to Sunday (24 to 27 September in 2026)** · [Festival d’automne Jazz O’Verre](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/festival-jazz-o-verre-beaune): Four days of jazz in Beaune at the end of September, in the spirit of a good glass of wine. (Music · Beaune) - **Early October, on a Saturday, with starts from late morning (3 October in 2026)** · [L’Automnale](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/l-automnale-beaune-cyclos): An autumn cycling tour of the Côte and Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, from 44 to 90 km. (Sport · Beaune) ### Guides about Beaune - [Beaune in one day](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/beaune-in-one-day) - [Wine tour itineraries from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/burgundy-wine-tour-itineraries) - [Getting to Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/getting-to-beaune) - [Uber, taxi or private driver in Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/uber-taxi-or-private-driver-in-beaune) - [Burgundy day trip from Paris](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/burgundy-day-trip-from-paris) ## Questions about Beaune ### What wines is Beaune known for? Beaune makes mostly red wines under these appellations: Beaune, Côte de Beaune. It has 42 premiers crus. Its best-known premiers crus include Les Grèves, Le Clos des Mouches, Les Bressandes. ### Can you taste wine in Beaune? Yes. Many domaines in Beaune receive visitors, usually by appointment. On a wine tour your driver plans the route and helps you book the tastings, which you pay directly to the domaines. ### Can a private driver take us to Beaune? 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=wine-tour&option=half&place=village:beaune): Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - - - - - - - - - - --- Canonical page: