Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus
A 17th-century hospital with its wards, oak box beds and one of the oldest apothecaries in France.
- Museum
- 56 min from Beaune
- Allow 1 hour
- Tournus
€195one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Official website
- tournus-tourisme.com
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 56 min by road (67 km), €195 one way for the whole car.
Or add it to our full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
Built in the 17th century and enlarged until the end of the 18th, the Hôtel-Dieu of Tournus has kept its three wards for the sick with their original furniture. Rows of enclosed oak beds still line the walls around a central stove. Its apothecary, decorated around 1685, holds more than 300 earthenware pots.
What you will see
Walk through the restored wards, where the enclosed oak beds stand in line with their period utensils, and picture the hospital in use. The main apothecary is the highlight, with its gilded woodwork and hundreds of faience jars. A garden of medicinal plants completes the visit. Audio guides are available in English, German and Dutch, and the tourist office organises guided tours.
History
The hospital was built in the 17th century and extended over the following century, with three large wards and two chapels. Its apothecary, dating from about 1685, is among the oldest preserved in France. Carved woodwork with twisted gilded columns was made to hold the earthenware jars of remedies prepared by the nursing sisters, beneath a painted ceiling of angels holding flowers and plants. The building was listed as a historic monument in 1964.
From 2000 to 2019 the building also housed the Musée Greuze, named after the painter Jean-Baptiste Greuze, born in Tournus in 1725. In 2011 a second apothecary was added: the woodwork from the Maison de Charité of Tournus, founded in 1675, was dismantled, brought here and carefully reassembled, with its display cases deliberately left empty.
Planning your visit
Tips for your visit
The Hôtel-Dieu opens from Monday to Saturday from April to September; on Sundays and public holidays, and outside the season, it can be seen on a guided tour only; check the official website for opening times. In season a joint ticket with the abbey is available. It is a short walk from Saint-Philibert. Anyone who has visited the Hospices de Beaune will enjoy comparing the two.
Around here
What to combine with Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus is about 56 min from Beaune by road (67 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €195 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? The second apothecary's cases stand empty for a reason: all its pots were smashed by Austrian occupying troops on the evening of 19 February 1814.
Sources
Hôtel-Dieu de Tournus with a private driver
€195 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests