Châtillonnais Museum and the Vix Treasure (Musée du Pays Châtillonnais, Trésor de Vix)
Home of the Vix krater, the largest known metal vessel from Western classical antiquity.
- Museum
- 1 h 27 from Beaune
- Allow 1.5 to 2 hours
- Châtillon-sur-Seine
€320one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Official website
- musee-vix.fr
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 1 h 27 by road (124 km), €320 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
In a former abbey in Châtillon-sur-Seine, this museum keeps the treasure of the Lady of Vix, a Celtic princess buried around 500 BC. Its centrepiece is a colossal Greek bronze krater. The collections also cover the Gallo-Roman town of Vertillum, local sanctuaries and the history of the Châtillonnais up to the 20th century.
What you will see
The krater dominates its room: 1.64 metres of bronze, with a frieze of Greek foot soldiers and chariots around the neck and Gorgon heads on the handles. Around it are finds from the grave and from Mont Lassois. Other galleries show carved offerings from the spring of the Douix, finds from the Gallo-Roman town of Vertillum, including a Bacchus statue recovered in 2019, and rooms on Marshal Marmont, a native of the town.
History
In January 1953, the farmer Maurice Moisson and the archaeologist René Joffroy found a princely grave at the foot of Mont Lassois, near the village of Vix. A woman of about 30 to 35 lay on the body of a four-wheeled chariot, wearing rich jewellery. Beside her stood an enormous bronze krater, a vessel for mixing wine, made by Greek craftsmen in several separate pieces and then assembled.
The local archaeological society bought the Renaissance Maison Philandrier in 1928, and the museum moved into it in 1950. The Vix discovery made it famous, and the treasure stayed in Châtillon instead of going to the national archaeology museum near Paris. In 2009 the museum moved to the larger buildings of the former abbey of Notre-Dame, rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries. On 24 July 2026 the princess's gold torc was stolen from the museum.
Planning your visit
Tips for your visit
Allow about an hour and a half, or two hours with a temporary exhibition. Châtillon-sur-Seine is about 1 hour 45 minutes from Beaune, so combine the museum with the nearby Douix spring and the forests of the national park. Museum guides run free sessions on the Vix treasure at weekends. The museum is closed in January and February, and on Tuesdays outside July and August. Please check the official website for opening times.
Around here
What to combine with Châtillonnais Museum and the Vix Treasure on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Châtillonnais Museum and the Vix Treasure is about 1 h 27 from Beaune by road (124 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €320 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? The Vix krater weighs 208.6 kilograms and could hold about 1,100 litres of wine. It is the largest known metal vessel to survive from Western classical antiquity.
Sources
Châtillonnais Museum and the Vix Treasure with a private driver
€320 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests