Discover Beaune in 2 days - Burgundy’s wine capital
Explore Burgundy’s beautiful wine capital and its famous Burgundy wineries and Burgundy wine! Experience a Maison Joseph Drouhin wine cellar tour!
Beaune’s stunning Hôtel Dieu - Hospices de Beaune and its famous glazed tiled roof - Source: Wine Keller
The historic and modern capital of Burgundy may be Dijon, but the beautiful town of Beaune sits right in the heart of the famous Côte d’Or vineyards and is recognised as Burgundy’s wine capital. It’s an absolute ‘must’ to explore for wine tourists and wine enthusiasts visiting France’s amazing Burgundy wine region.
A fairly small town of just over 20,000 inhabitants it packs a big punch in terms of culture, history, gastronomy and of course wine!
Read on to see how we spent 2 days in Beaune, enjoying the attractions, some fabulous French food and Burgundy traditional dishes - and of course - discovering Burgundy wines!
Beaune and Burgundy’s Côte d’Or
Burgundy's Côte d'Or and the Côte de Beaune vineyards - Source: Wine Keller
Beaune lies in the very centre of Burgundy’s famous ‘Côte d’Or - named after the golden leaves of the vines covering the hillsides and the ancestral home of Pinot noir and Chardonnay - making it a great base for exploring the Côte d’Or villages and vineyards and sampling its famous wines!
South of Beaune lies the Côte de Beaune vineyards, home of Burgundy’s most revered white wines with famous wine villages such as Santenay, Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny Montrachet, Meursault, Volnay, Pommard, Savigny-Lès-Beaune and Aloxe Corton.
North of Beaune lies the Côte de Nuits vineyards, home of Burgundy’s most famous red wines, with the villages of Nuits-St-Georges, Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-St-Denis, Gevry-Chambertin and Marsannay.
Beaune is the centre of Burgundy’s wine trade and is also famous around the world for its annual ‘Hospices de Beaune’ charitable wine auction, held at the spectacular Hôtel Dieu in the centre of the town. See below.
Burgundy's Côte d'Or and the Côte de Nuits vineyards - Source: Wine Keller
Beaune’s exceptional heritage and history
Beaune has a fascinating cultural heritage dating back to the Middle ages and there is plenty to see and do here, thanks to Beaune’s long history, with sights remaining from the pre-Roman and Roman eras, through the medieval and renaissance periods.
Beaune is a walled town and you can walk its historical ramparts as well as visit the incredible network of cellars which lie underneath the town (see later). So much of the town’s history actually lies underground today.
The remains of an old Roman wall below the town of Beaune in the cellars of Joseph Drouhin - Source: Wine Keller
Getting to Beaune
Beaune is well served by the autoroute network - the A6 and A31 (towards Dijon, then Lille or Nancy) and the A38 (towards Besançon, Bâle). For the A6, take exit 24 for Savigny-Lès-Beaune / Beaune-Saint-Nicolas or exit 24.1 for Beaune-Centre / Beaune-Hospices.
When to visit Beaune
May/June and September-November are great times to visit Beaune. July and August are fine, but very hot and very busy!
For music lovers, July is a good time to visit when the Beaune International Baroque Music Festival is held and music is played in the courtyard of the Hôtel Dieu and at the Notre Dame Basilica (see later) every weekend,
It would be amazing to visit Beaune at the time of the famous Hospices de Beaune wine auction around the 3rd Sunday in November but it will be busy as wine lovers from all over the world attend!
What to do in Beaune
We spent 2 days in Beaune, which gives you plenty of time to really get to know and experience this beautiful town. Here are our recommendations of what to do in Beaune in 2 days.
Visit the Hôtel Dieu Beaune - ‘les Hospices de Beaune’
First on the list of things to see and do in Beaune is to visit the Hôtel Dieu - also known as the ‘Hospices de Beaune’.
Attracting about half a million visitors each year, the Hôtel Dieu is a wonderful example of gothic architecture, perfectly preserved, famed for its glazed tiled roof, symbolising the colours of Burgundy and the amazing prosperous and golden age of the Dukes of Burgundy.
In 1443 the Chancellor to the Duke of Burgundy decided to found a hospital - a ‘palace of the poor’. Today it serves as a museum but its charitable purpose continues through the famous annual auction of wines from the Hôtel Dieu estate of 60 hectares of donated vineyards, which raises money over 3 days, for different charities.
Visit the Hôtel Dieu in the centre of Beaune and wander around the interior cobbled courtyard, then visit the hospital ward, the kitchens and the ancient pharmacy, all refurbished as they would have appeared 500 years ago.
You need about 1.5 hours for the visit and it really is worth it, both for its historical significance and its current-day significance as one of the world’s largest and oldest charities.
Experience the famous Beaune market
We love a good market - especially in France!! It’s not just about seeing and buying local, fresh produce, but they give you a real experience of local life! We were therefore really keen to go to Beaune’s famous Saturday morning market - held every week from early to about 1pm in the centre of the town - in Place Carnot and the Place de La Halle, right beside the entrance to the Hôtel Dieu.
About 150 stalls sell a huge variety of fabulous local foods and delicacies, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, cheeses, breads, olives etc as well as antiques. We spent a good couple of hours browsing, buying delicious ingredients for dinner that evening, as well as some produce to take home with us, including truffle oil and cheeses.
Remember that Burgundy is famous for its fabulous Charolais beef, Bresse chicken, ham - including jambon persillé - a ham and parsley terrine - and cheeses, so going to the market gives you a great chance to try out some of these delicious ‘produits de terroir’ - the local, traditional foods. We were in gastronomic heaven!!!
There is a smaller market every Wednesday morning too.
After the market everyone heads for a glass of wine and lunch to relax and recover! We were recommended a bar in Place Carnot called Bar 66, where we enjoyed a fabulous bottle of white Burgundy from Bruno Colin and a ‘charcuterie and fromage plancha’ - or platter - delicious! The wine list here was really excellent, but then again it’s hard to find a restaurant in Beaune which doesn’t have a good wine list! The wine waiter actually recommended the Bruno Colin wine and we were so impressed with it, we brought some home with us!
Also in Place Carnot, is an amazing cheese and wine shop called Alain Hess which is well worth a visit - just for the sight of so many different cheeses! You can go downstairs to the cellar to browse the great wine collection and also to do some cheese and wine tasting!
The wine cellar at Alain Hess
The Alain Hess cheese shop in Place Carnot
Cheeses at Alain Hess in Beaune
Visit the Collégiale Notre Dame
The Notre-Dame Basilica, dating from the 12th century is one of the last Romanesque churches in Burgundy and has some impressive 15th century wallhangings (tapestries) relaying the story of the life of the Virgin Mary, and the clock tower is a classified historic monument.
The church is located in a beautiful square, Place General Leclerc, just 10 minutes stroll from the main Place Carnot, so it’s really worth a visit. There are some lovely shops and cafés close by as well as the Burgundy wine museum, ‘ Musée de Bourgogne’, which is also worth a visit, even if just to admire the 15th century building, which was once the meeting place for the Dukes of Burgundy.
It’s also right next to the Maison Joseph Drouhin - see later!
Stroll around the ramparts encircling the old town
Not only is a stroll around the old town ramparts relaxing, it also offers a great opportunity to discover a different side of Beaune and to uncover centuries of history.
You can access the 2.5 km long ramparts from any of the roads off the ring road which encircles Beaune - look for the sign ‘Remparts de Beaune’. You will discover some medieval half-timbered houses, the Château de Beaune, once a 15th-century castle, the belfry, with remains dating back to the 12th century, the gardens and statues of the Théâtre de Verdure and the Square des Lions and the Porte Saint Nicolas, one of the original gateways that controlled access into Beaune.
Spend time in the beautiful Parc de la Bouzaize
Just off the ring road on the north side of Beaune lies a beautiful public park - Parc de la Bouzaize, which features five hectares of green space and hundred year old trees, ideal for resting or enjoying a picnic. There is also a small lake where you can rent canoes, a carousel, a small animal farm and a café. We cycled through this park on our way to join the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits cycle routes - it really is a lovely place to spend an hour or so!
Visit the Fallot Mustard mill
The Fallot mustard mill is the last family-owned mustard company in Burgundy. Located close to the Hôtel Dieu, mustard is still made here, using recipes and techniques from hundreds of years ago. Take a tour round to see how the mustards are made, do some sampling and buy some to take home!
Beaune wine tasting and cellar tours
You can’t visit Beaune without tasting the wines from its famous Burgundy vineyards, but also without venturing underground and visiting the incredible network of underground cellars right under the town and dating back to the 4th century!
If only these cellars could talk! There is so much history underground, where for hundreds of years, the Dukes of Burgundy, the Kings of France and local winemakers have been storing and ageing their precious commodity. Today, the wine houses all welcome you into their cellars, a network of underground caves that sometimes stretch several kilometres long. There is quite a choice of Burgundy wineries to visit in Beaune - see here. However we would specifically recommend the following:
Visit to Maison Joseph Drouhin
We opted to visit Maison Joseph Drouhin, because it was personally recommended to us by a wine expert who lives in Beaune, Also, Joseph Drouhin is one of the largest Burgundy wine estates, owning some of the most famous vineyard plots in the region and because their historic wine cellars are said to be the most impressive and significant in Beaune.
Note also that Joseph Drouhin was voted no. 51 in the list of the ‘World’s Best Vineyards 2023’!
Some background about Maison Joseph Drouhin
The Joseph Drouhin domaine was founded in Beaune in 1880 and today is a 4th generation family wine estate. Comprising 80 hectares in total, parcels of land have been expertly curated and acquired over the years in Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise and Chablis, including over 90 different appellations, with more than two thirds of the vineyards classified as Premier and Grand Crus. Some of the vineyards are among the most famous in Burgundy, such as Clos des Mouches, Musigny, Clos de Vougeot and Corton-Charlemagne.
Maison Joseph Drouhin follows an organic and biodynamic approach to viticulture and winemaking and its wines are known throughout the world today, representing some of the best and top Burgundy wines. In addition to making and selling its own wines, Joseph Drouhin is one of Burgundy’s leading négociants, or wine shippers, taking grapes from other Burgundy wine houses to produce wines.
Maison Joseph Drouhin cellar tour
The Joseph Drouhin wine shop and cellars are located in the heart of Beaune in the Place du General Leclerc, in the beautiful and historic cellar of the Duke of Burgundy's Parliament building.
Our cellar tour began in the wine shop - or the oenothèque - where we learned about some of the history of the Drouhin family. We were then taken down into the incredible cellars which cover approximately 2.5 acres under the historical centre of Beaune, between the Hôtel Dieu and the Notre-Dame Basilica. Not only did we explore these amazing cellars, which once belonged to the Canons of Beaune, the Dukes of Burgundy and the Kings of France, we were able to see some remains of the old Roman town of Beaune, dating back nearly 2000 years. We were also shown the original wine press, which is still used occasionally today!
Joseph Drouhin wine tasting
We enjoyed a tasting, still in the cellars, of 6 different wines, showcasing Joseph Drouhin’s extensive range of Burgundy wines. Our excellent guide, Elisa guided us through the tasting of 3 white Burgundy wines, including a Chablis premier cru, a Meursault Premier Cru and a Côte de Beaune. The reds included a Côte de Beaune, a Vosne-Romanée and a Beaune premier Cru ‘Clos des Mouches’, which was very special!
The cost of the 1.5/2 hour cellar tour and wine tasting was 45 euros pp. A lot of money, yes, but considering the quality of the tour, the expertise of our guide and the brilliant introduction to Burgundy wines from such a top wine house, we felt it justified.
See here for details about Joseph Drouhin cellar tours and wine tasting.
Where to stay in Beaune
We stayed in an Airbnb just outside the town walls and 5 minutes walk from the main town gateway, Porte Saint Nicolas. It was a perfect location for visiting Beaune and we were able to safely store our cars and bikes and the boulangerie was just 2 minutes walk away! We also enjoyed the freedom to eat out but also to prepare our own food, enjoying the amazing market produce!
See here for other suggestions for accommodation in and around Beaune.
We liked the look of a lovely modern, boutique hotel in the centre of Beaune, called Le Central Boutique Hôtel, situated right by the Hôtel Dieu and the main square, la Place Carnot. We were impressed by the location, the decor and the facilities.
Best restaurants in Beaune
Eating out in Beaune is a wonderful gastronomic experience! See here for the amazing foods and dishes Burgundy is famous for and you can try all of these and more in Beaune!
Here is a list of restaurants in the Beaune and surrounding area and walking round the town you will find plenty of restaurants to choose from!
However, we can particularly recommend:
La Ciboulette: located just inside the town walls after the Porte Saint Nicolas gate - great value for money and really friendly service - a very good menu full of local specialties. We enjoyed pork and rabbit dishes here which were amazing, as well as the local dessert, pears poached in red wine (what else!) and a fabulous sparkling kir royale as an aperitif!
‘Caveau des Arches’ : a busy, popular restaurant located in a cellar underground - excellent set menus giving you the opportunity to try local dishes such as snails, boeuf bourguignon, gougères (cheese puffs!) and ‘oeufs en meurette’, eggs poached in red wine.
Also, recommended to us but we didn’t get to try: Loiseau des Vignes (great for the selection of wines by the glass!), Le Carmin, Bistro des Cocottes and Ma Cuisine (famous for its very extensive wine list!)
Additional tips and information for visiting Beaune
Booking wine tastings and restaurants
Always make reservations ahead for wine tastings and restaurants, especially in Summer. Beware many places are closed on Mondays.
Beaune walking app
Download the Beaune walking app to discover excellent walking itineraries in and around Beaune. For more information, see here.
Follow the ‘Route des Grands Crus’
Whilst in Beaune you will want to explore the local wine villages. You can do this by car, following the ‘Route des Grands Crus’, which takes you through the villages and vineyards of some very illustrious and prestigious names including, Meursault, Gevrey-Chambertin, Clos de Vougeot, Nuits St Georges, Pommard, Aloxe-Corton and Puligny-Montrachet.
The ‘Route des Grands Crus’ - the Côte d'Or
Cycling through the vineyards via the ‘Voie des Vignes’
Or cycle the ‘Voie des Vignes’
Or forget the car and enjoy a 100% vineyard experience by cycling the Côte de Beaune cycle routes - or the Voie des Vignes. Read about our experience doing just this here. We would recommend cycle hire at Bourgogne Randonnées.
Hiking in Beaunois country
There are more than 600kms of marked walking trails around Beaune, the Côte de Beaune and the higher slopes of Hautes-Côtes de Beaune. For some suggested walking itineraries, see here.
Beaune and the path of lights - Les chemins de Lumières
If you visit Beaune between June 21st and mid September, make sure you discover Beaune by night. Take a walk through Beaune and see the amazing light animations on the town’s main buildings, including the Hôtel Dieu, the Notre Dame Basilica and the Musée du vin.
For more information about what to do in Beaune, visit Beaune Tourism.
Conclusion
Beaune is absolutely one of my most favourite places! Not just because of the amazing wines, food, history and scenery, but it’s just a lovely town to spend time in! The people are really friendly and it’s simply charming, but if you love wine, especially Burgundy wine and if you love experiencing beautiful wine country, then you have to spend some time in Beaune!
We found it very special to experience the Maison Jospeh Drouhin cellar tour and wine tasting and would absolutely recommend this if you plan to visit Beaune.
