Things to Do in Beaune

Beaune packs a lot into a compact, walled old town of about 22,000 people. Most sights sit inside or just outside the 15th-century ramparts, and nearly everything revolves around wine. Plan one full day for the Hotel-Dieu and the old town, a second for cellar tastings and the Route des Grands Crus, and a third for a day trip. Use the Beaune neighborhoods guide to orient yourself, and the where to stay in Beaune guide to pick a base.

Things to Do in Beaune: Wine and Cellars

Marche aux Vins

The Marche aux Vins (Wine Market) runs through the 15th-century cellars of the former Cordeliers church on rue Nicolas Rolin, right by the Hotel-Dieu. A self-guided tasting includes a tasting cup you carry through candlelit galleries, with 15 wines to sample across appellations, and you keep the cup. Allow an hour and expect around €20 for the classic tasting; opening hours run roughly 9:30 to 19:00 in summer and shorter in winter. This article is part of our Beaune weather guide. Month-by-month numbers are in our Beaune weather by month.

Patriarche Pere et Fils Cellars

Patriarche Pere et Fils at 5-7 rue du College owns one of the largest cellars in Burgundy, with about 5 km of underground galleries beneath the town center. A guided or self-guided tour follows numbered stations through barrel rooms and bottle racks, ending in a tasting of five to seven wines. It is a good rainy-day activity, and the cellars stay a constant 13°C (55°F) all year. To match your dates, see our best time to visit Beaune guide.

Maison Joseph Drouhin

Joseph Drouhin at 7 rue d’Enfer offers cellar tours through Roman and medieval galleries that once connected the Burgundy dukes’ cellars, then a seated tasting of their Cote de Beaune and Grand Cru wines. Book ahead; the tour plus tasting runs about 90 minutes. It is a more structured, educational option than the self-guided Marche aux Vins. Dates and venues are in our Beaune events and festivals guide.

Caves de l’Hotel-Dieu

The Caves de l’Hotel-Dieu are the historic cellars of the Hospices de Beaune, where the charity’s donated vineyard holdings have been aged for over five centuries. You can taste cuvees from the estate that the November auction sells each year, with proceeds going to hospital charity. It is the most direct way to taste the wines behind the world’s most famous charity auction. Getting there and tipping are covered in our Beaune travel tips guide.

Things to Do in Beaune: History and Landmarks

Hotel-Dieu des Hospices de Beaune

The Hotel-Dieu, founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, is the one sight you cannot skip. Its glazed, multicolored tile roof and the Great Hall of the Poor, with its rows of curtained beds, are the icons of Beaune. Adult entry is €12.50, open daily year-round; from April to mid-November hours run 9:00 to 19:30 continuously, and in winter 9:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 18:30. The ticket desk closes one hour before the site. Give it at least 90 minutes.

Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame

The Collegiale Notre-Dame is a 12th and 13th-century Romanesque church a short walk from the Hotel-Dieu, with a notable 15th-century tapestry cycle of the Life of the Virgin. Entry is free, and the quiet interior is a good place to escape midday heat in summer. Look for the carved porch and the small cloister.

Musee des Beaux-Arts de Beaune

The Fine Arts Museum, housed in part of the old ramparts, covers Flemish and Burgundian painting from the 15th to the 19th century, plus a section on Beaune’s history. It is small enough to see in under an hour and sits beside the ramparts walk, which is free and gives views over the rooftops.

The Ramparts and Old Town Walk

Beaune’s 15th-century ramparts still ring much of the center, with a partly restored walkway along the north side. A loop from Place Carnot past the Hotel-Dieu, through the old streets of rue de Lorraine and rue des Faubourgs, takes about an hour on foot. Stop at Place Carnot’s Saturday market for local produce, cheese, and Dijon mustard.

Things to Do in Beaune: Food and Craft

Moutarderie Fallot

Fallot, founded in 1840, is the last independent family mustard mill in Burgundy, at 31 rue du Faubourg Bretonniere. The factory shop sells mustards you will not find elsewhere, including whole-grain, tarragon, and blackcurrant varieties, and runs short guided tours showing how the seeds are stone-ground. It is a practical stop to buy a souvenir you can actually use.

Dalineum

The Dalineum, inside the old town, is a small museum devoted to Salvador Dali’s prints and sculptures, an unexpected contrast to the medieval streets around it. It works well as a 45-minute indoor stop on a rainy afternoon, and it is far less crowded than the wine sights.

Things to Do in Beaune: Day Trips and the Wine Villages

Route des Grands Crus

The Route des Grands Crus runs south from Dijon through the Cote de Beaune, linking the wine villages in a short, mostly flat drive or cycle. From Beaune you reach Pommard (4 km), Volnay (5 km), Meursault (7 km), and Puligny-Montrachet (11 km) in under 20 minutes. Each village has at least one open tasting cellar; a half-day loop covering three villages is the standard introduction to the region.

Chateau de la Rochepot

Chateau de la Rochepot, about 13 km southwest of Beaune, is a 13th-century castle rebuilt in the 15th century with the same glazed Burgundian roof tiles as the Hotel-Dieu. It sits on a rocky spur over the village and runs guided interior visits in season. Check opening days before you go, as it closes in winter and part of the week.

Chateau de Pommard and Chateau de Meursault

Two working wine estates open their chateaux for tours and tastings. Chateau de Pommard in the village of Pommard offers cellar tours and a wine school, while Chateau de Meursault, a 12th-century estate with vast cellars, runs a tour that finishes in the medieval vaults. Both require booking for the full visit, and both make easy 10-minute drives from Beaune.