Bouzaize Park (Parc de la Bouzaize)
A romantic 19th-century English-style park around the spring of the Bouzaize, just outside the old town.
- Nature and viewpoint
- In Beaune itself
- Allow 45 minutes to 1.5 hours
€290for a half-day wine tour starting here, up to 4 guests
At a glance
- Official website
- beaune.fr
Getting there
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
The Parc de la Bouzaize is Beaune's main park, a five-hectare English-style garden laid out around the spring of the little Bouzaize river. It has a lake with islands, fine old trees, play areas and a small animal park. It lies a few minutes' walk west of the centre, at the foot of the vineyards.
What you will see
Stroll around the lake and its islands, where rowing boats can be hired in spring and summer, and look for remarkable trees such as the cedar of Lebanon near the main entrance and the bald cypresses at the tips of the islands. Near the spring stands Béléna, a bronze nude by the Belgian sculptor Irénée Duriez, named after the spring from which Beaune grew. Children will enjoy the playgrounds and animals.
History
The park was created in the 1880s because the town needed water. Mayor Paul Bouchard began buying the land around the lake and the Fontaine de la Bourgeoise in 1886. Other plots followed gradually, some of them when phylloxera forced growers to pull up their vines, and the last were bought around 1910. The park has been a protected site since 18 July 1949.
Designed as a romantic garden in the English style, the park tells a story of travel and botanical discovery. A statue of a water nymph by the sculptor Auguste Préault was placed near the spring in the 1920s. Between 2007 and 2010 the park was renovated, with a new water garden, a teaching farm, a modernised aviary and play areas grouped on one bank.
Planning your visit
Tips for your visit
Allow 45 minutes for a stroll, longer with children. The park is open all year. It is the starting point of a signed walk through Beaune's premiers crus and lies close to the Voie des Vignes cycle route, so it makes a good first stop before a vineyard outing. Check the town's official website for opening times.
Around here
What to combine with Bouzaize Park on the same day, nearest first.
Beaune
1 km awayPommard
3 km awayChorey-lès-Beaune
4 km away
- Nature and viewpoint
Beaune Premiers Crus Walk (Circuit No. 12) Circuit n°12, à travers quelques premiers crus de Beaune
1 km away
- Culture
Mois des Climats
Each year over several weeks in late spring and early summer, usually ending in early JulyBeaune - Wine festival
Beaune Saveurs de Vignes
Usually Ascension Thursday, in May, with staggered departures from late morningBeaune - Music
Festival international d’opéra baroque de Beaune
Usually four consecutive weekends in JulyBeaune
Guides about Bouzaize Park
Questions
For the visit, allow 45 minutes to 1.5 hours.
Did you know? During the Second World War, the town gardeners saved Préault's water nymph from looting by hiding it on the park's island. The statue is now kept at the Musée des Beaux-Arts.
Sources
From Bouzaize Park into the vineyards
Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests