A day in Burgundy
Food, wine, history and the lie of the land
Three very different days out
Some ideas from Christophe
The three tours below are suggested days out from the Châteaux, whether you feel like heading out as a group, in smaller numbers, or simply as a couple. Put together by Christophe, they draw together some of the things that make this part of Burgundy so rewarding: food, wine, history and the lie of the land.
They are intended as ideas, not fixed itineraries. Follow them closely, adapt them to your own interests, stop for lunch, take a slower road back, or add something that catches your eye along the way.
In this part of Burgundy, the journey between stops has its own interest too: small villages, working landscapes, church towers, stone houses and quiet roads that are as much a part of the day as the places you set out to see.
© BIVB / Aurélien Ibanez
Abbeys, arches and a great lunch
Romanesque architecture, modern cuisine
This tour brings together two of southern Burgundy’s great historic names. Tournus offers the remarkable Abbey of Saint-Philibert, a riverside setting and a lunch stop well worth making time for; Cluny adds the scale and legacy of what was once one of the most powerful abbeys in medieval Europe.
The result is a day with plenty of architectural interest, but not too much solemnity: old stone, open streets, good food and enough time to enjoy the rhythm of both places.
For the fuller story about the Tournus and Cluny abbeys, see our Heritage & history page.
Morning
Tournus
Tournus is best known for the Abbey of Saint-Philibert, one of Burgundy’s great Romanesque churches. Pale stone, rounded arches and an unusual sense of volume make it remarkable, even if churches are not usually your thing.
For lunch, Christophe recommends Aux Terrasses, a Michelin one-star restaurant and one of his favourite tables in the region. The weekday 'Menu du Marché' offers modern, seasonal cooking at a great price — and is a very good reason to build the day around Tournus.
Afternoon
Cluny
In the afternoon, Cluny gives the day its second great abbey setting, but on a very different scale. The surviving remains, the town layout and the fragments of monastic history still visible in the centre give a clear sense of how important Cluny once was.
After Tournus, it also makes a good change of rhythm: less about one complete building, more about walking through a town shaped by a vanished abbey, with old streets, stone houses and plenty of places to pause before heading back.
~ Tournus & Cluny ~
© BIVB / Aurélien Ibanez
Wine country and historic Beaune
Vineyards, wine villages and time in town
This tour takes you onto the Route des Vins in the Côte de Beaune, where names usually seen on wine lists start appearing on the road signs!
The morning can be shaped around a visit to Domaine Olivier Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet, or around a drive through the vineyards and wine villages of the Côte. Puligny-Montrachet is the natural stop for lunch, before Beaune brings the Hospices, the old centre and time in town. Either way, it is a day where wine, place and history sit very naturally together.
Morning
The wine landscape
The morning can be shaped in two ways. One option is to arrange a visit at Domaine Olivier Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet, with options that include a vineyard tour, cellar visit and wine tasting experience - see here.
Another possibility is to make the landscape itself the focus. The drive through this part of the Côte de Beaune is truly lovely. From Chagny, the road climbs through Chassagne-Montrachet and Saint-Aubin towards La Rochepot and the cliffs above the village of Saint-Romain, before descending through Auxey-Duresses, Meursault, Monthélie, Volnay and Pommard on the way to Beaune. It gives a wonderful sense of the Burgundy wine country: the plain, the rising slopes, the higher ground and the escarpment that sit behind the famous climats and cru classifications.
Lunch at Le Bistro d’Olivier in Puligny-Montrachet works well whichever version of the morning you choose. The restaurant belongs to Domaine Olivier Leflaive, with refined bistro cooking and the possibility of enjoying the domaine’s wines with the meal.
Afternoon
Beaune
The afternoon brings you to Beaune and the Hospices, one of Burgundy’s most famous historic landmarks. The Hôtel-Dieu is memorable for its patterned roof, historic hospital rooms and the story of a charitable institution closely linked to the region’s wine history.
Afterwards, Beaune is best left a little open. Walk through the old centre, stop for coffee, browse a few shops or continue the theme in one of the town’s wine bars before heading back to the Châteaux.
Our Heritage & history page has a feature section on the Hospices de Beaune.
~ Côte de Beaune ~
A taste of the Jura
Vin Jaune, Comté and limestone landscapes
This tour heads east into Burgundy's neighbouring Jura region, where the scenery changes quickly and the flavours change with it. Château-Chalon gives the day its Vin Jaune focus, with old stone streets, vineyard slopes and sweeping views over the Seille valley below.
After lunch in the village, the afternoon continues to Baume-les-Messieurs, one of the Jura’s most striking limestone settings, before ending at a small local fruitière — the Jura’s traditional dairy cooperative — for Comté, Morbier and other regional cheeses.
Morning
Château-Chalon
Château-Chalon is already covered in more detail on our Wine & vineyards page, but it naturally belongs in this Jura day out. The village sits high above the vineyards of the Seille valley and is closely associated with Vin Jaune, the Jura’s most distinctive wine.
The Maison de la Haute Seille is a useful first stop, with visitor information, wine interpretation and tastings. From there, keep things simple: wander through the village, look towards the old Tour Charlemagne, and make time for the views from the belvederes before lunch at Le Bouchon du Château.
Afternoon
Baume-les-Messieurs and a stop for cheese…
After lunch, a short drive to Baume-les-Messieurs brings a change of scale. Classified among the Plus Beaux Villages de France, the village sits in a spectacular limestone setting, where two steephead valleys — 'reculées' — meet beneath high cliffs. Its former Benedictine abbey adds the historic centrepiece.
The Cascades de Baume-les-Messieurs are an easy addition before the cheese stop, especially as Fromagerie H. Poulet opens at 15h00. Set above the escarpment in the tiny village of Hauteroche, this small but renowned Jura fruitière is a great place to taste and buy Comté, Morbier and other regional cheeses. Nearby, the belvedere gives unique views over Baume-les-Messieurs and its cliffs.
