Forests National Park (Parc national de forêts)
France's newest national park, created to protect vast lowland forests of oak and beech.
- Nature and viewpoint
- 1 h 23 from Beaune
- Allow half a day to a full day
- Leuglay
€300one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Official website
- forets-parcnational.fr
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 1 h 23 by road (115 km), €300 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
The Parc national de forêts spreads across the plateaus between Burgundy and Champagne, north of Châtillon-sur-Seine. Created in 2019, it is the first French national park devoted to lowland broadleaf forest. Its woods, springs, tufa marshes and small stone villages make it a peaceful place for walking and wildlife watching.
What you will see
This is a place for slow days outdoors. Marked trails run through tall beech and oak forest, along clear streams and past springs and tufa marshes. In the Côte-d'Or part, the Cirque de la Coquille at Étalante is a protected natural amphitheatre where the Douix spring rises. In autumn, the park runs guided outings to hear the red deer rut, and the rare black stork nests in the deep woods.
History
The project was announced at Leuglay, in the Côte-d'Or, on 27 July 2009, and a public body set up there to prepare it. After years of consultation, the park was created by decree on 6 November 2019, as the eleventh national park in France. Its core covers 56,614 hectares, 95 percent of it forest, spread over the great forests of Châtillon, Arc-en-Barrois and Auberive.
In December 2021 a further decree created an integral reserve of 3,087 hectares inside the park, where the forest is left to evolve naturally. The territory also counts around 700 kilometres of rivers and streams and about a hundred tufa marshes, fed by springs that deposit limestone. Walkers may roam freely in the core of the park, although some areas can be closed at times to protect sensitive wildlife.
Planning your visit
Tips for your visit
The Côte-d'Or side of the park lies between 1 hour 30 minutes and 2 hours from Beaune. Combine a forest walk with the Vix treasure in Châtillon-sur-Seine. Bring walking shoes, water and a map, as villages and services are few. Some guided outings must be booked. Please check the official website for opening times of visitor points and the events calendar.
Around here
What to combine with Forests National Park on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Forests National Park is about 1 h 23 from Beaune by road (115 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €300 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? The black stork is the emblem of the park. According to the park, about 20 percent of all the black storks in France nest in these forests.
Sources
Forests National Park with a private driver
€300 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests