Around the Côte d'Or
Beaune and beyond: the Hospices, Dijon, and the rest of a Burgundy trip
The tour takes one day. Here's how the town of Beaune and the wider Côte d'Or fill out the rest of a Burgundy visit.
See Burgundy wine tour tickets on GetYourGuide ↗Fitting it into a trip
| Where | Why it works | |
|---|---|---|
| This tour | Beaune, north into the Côte de Nuits | A full day, back by early evening |
| Hospices de Beaune | In town | An hour or two, any day, in Beaune itself |
| Beaune's old town | In town | Walkable, worth an evening after the tour |
| Dijon | About 20 minutes by train | A half or full day, Burgundy's regional capital |
| Further vineyards | Chablis, Mâconnais | For a longer stay, further from Beaune |
The Hospices de Beaune, in the town the tour starts from
Founded in 1442 as a hospital for the poor, the Hôtel-Dieu — better known as the Hospices de Beaune — is one of Europe's best-preserved Renaissance buildings, famous for its multicoloured glazed-tile roof and for the charity wine auction still held there each year, one of the wine world's benchmark price events. It sits inside Beaune's old town, an easy walk from the tour's own meeting point, and is worth an hour or two on a day that isn't already spoken for by the vineyard trip.
Beaune itself is built around wine, not just the tour
Beaune is widely considered the wine capital of Burgundy, home to many of the region's major négociant wine houses alongside its more famous producers, and its compact old town, ringed by surviving ramparts, rewards an evening's walk after a day spent tasting outside it. A town this size built almost entirely around one industry is unusual, and it shows in the density of wine shops, cellars and négociant houses within a few streets of the main square.
Dijon is close enough for a half-day
Burgundy's regional capital sits about twenty minutes from Beaune by regional train, and is also the connection point for anyone arriving from Paris by TGV. Beyond its own old town and museums, Dijon is the practical hub for the wider region — a reasonable half-day add-on either side of the wine tour, or an easy stop if a train connection leaves time to spare.
The Route des Grands Crus runs further than one day covers
This tour's route follows the Route des Grands Crus north from Beaune towards Gevrey-Chambertin and Nuits-Saint-Georges, but the signposted route itself continues both further north towards Dijon and south from Beaune towards Nolay and Autun. A traveller with more than one day in the region can drive stretches of it independently on a second day, at whatever pace a rented car or bicycle allows.
Further afield: Chablis and the Mâconnais
For a longer Burgundy trip, the region extends well past the Côte d'Or — Chablis to the north, known for crisp, mineral Chardonnay quite different from the Côte de Beaune's whites, and the Mâconnais to the south, generally better value and less visited by tour groups. Neither is a realistic add-on to this particular day, but both are worth knowing about when planning how many days a Burgundy trip deserves.