I had visited Beaune a number of years ago. But it was a day trip from Paris, so while my experience was very positive – it’s a lovely town – I wanted more. On my recent trip to the region, I knew I needed a longer stay in Beaune. I found a two day Beaune itinerary the perfect way to experience this charming town and the surrounding Burgundy countryside.
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My two day Beaune itinerary
I had planned my Beaune visit after a stay in Lyon and then headed to Paris afterwards. I was traveling solo, and was reliant on public transport. It is a very easy destination by public transport. This is my two day Beaune itinerary:
Day 1
Travel from Lyon arriving in Beaune in the late morning.
Orientation walk and lunch.
Afternoon Burgundy wine tour with Rue de Vignerons
Day 2
Beaune walk, including the local vineyards
Hotel Dieu
Cellar visit and wine tasting at Patriache & Fils
Day 3
Depart Beaune for Paris
The Beaune train station is located just at the ring road that surrounds the old part of the town. It is about 15mins flat walk from the Beaune train station to the centre of the town.
Taxis and ride share services are very limited in Beaune, so book any car in advance to meet your train if you don’t fancy the walk to your accommodation
France Travel Planning travel tip
After checking into my accommodation I headed out for a walk and some lunch. The main tourist part of Beaune is centred around the Hotel Dieu Hospice de Beaune and a number of surrounding squares. Heading into the shopping area, I noted many of the shops were closing for lunch.
Like many smaller towns in France, most shops in Beaune close at noon for up to two and a half hours for lunch, so if you want to shop, plan your time accordingly.
France Travel Planning travel tip
What I did enjoy wandering around was the large pedestrian area in the centre of the town, which makes central Beaune perfect for wandering.
I tend to avoid rows of restaurants on town squares as they are often quite touristy with overpriced and underwhelming food. But I immediately noticed Le Grand Café de Lyon and their €15.90 fixed price lunch of duck breast and a tart. Then I noticed the locals pouring in and ordering the fixed price lunch en masse. So lunch on the square it was. And it proved to be an excellent choice. Well cooked duck, excellent chips and a tart that was probably more like a flan than a true tart. With a glass of the local Côte de Nuits red and a coffee I was very pleased with my tasty under €25 lunch.
Unfortunately I didn’t have time to linger long over lunch because my afternoon activity was calling – a tour of the Burgundy vineyards with Rue des Vignerons. It was an excellent introduction to the local wines and as well as being a fun afternoon, it was handy to do early, as I knew what wine I was ordering for the rest of my stay. You can read about my Burgundy wine tasting experience here >>
I was a bit tired by the end of my Burgundy wine tour, so I grabbed a quick dinner at Bistrot des Halles/Baltard Café with a terrace full of other visitors. My boeuf bourguignon turned out to be surprisingly good, and the service was great, so if you normally discount places filled with tourists on the main tourist drag, this place may help you change your mind. Tables on the terrace were close together, and everyone was chatting away to their neighbours creating a great convivial atmosphere.
There was a huge storm overnight, but fortunately the worst had cleared by the morning – still overcast but the rain was holding off.
And just as well, because I was on a mission. I wanted to find the vineyards that were literally just outside the town. I also wanted to visit the Hotel Dieu and its Hospice de Beaune, but with a myriad of tour groups (most seemed to be from river cruises), I decided to head to the vineyards first.
I followed the directions set out by Rick Steves in his France guidebook (you can check it out and purchase it below). As always, Rick’s instructions were on the money, but what he didn’t emphasis was just how charming the Parc de la Bouzaise that I needed to walk through was. Although it was small, it was so pretty, with its pond and birdlife. Even though there were puddles around I found a dry seat to sit on to enjoy the experience. This is an excellent park for kids too – in addition to the pond and the birds, there is a small playground and plenty of grassy areas for kids to run or play with a ball.
Walking through gates, just as Rick suggested, there I was – surrounded by the Côte de Beaune vineyards. And I was the only one there. The road was very quiet, so I felt quite safe wandering along. There was a small amount of seating along the road that was heading up towards the village on the hill, including a table and chairs under cover, just calling out for a picnic among the vineyards.
Some of the vineyards are fenced, but it is easy to wander among the rows if you want to. Remember to be respectful and not touch or damage any of the vines or their fruit – this is people’s livelihoods and you don’t want to be that person.
France Travel Planning travel tip
There is also a handy map of the different wine growing regions in the Beaune area so you can work out exactly what wines are being made where.
By the time I had visited the vineyards and enjoyed the views and the quiet, it was time to wander back into town and see what was happening at the Hospice de Beaune. With no queue to enter, late morning was certainly a good time to arrive.
The Hospice de Beaune dates back to the mid 15th century when it was set up as a hospital to care for the local population. Remarkably it survived as a hospital until the 1980s. Now restored to its original glory it is stunning and genuinely very interesting. An audioguide helps you understand the workings of the hospice and the history behind it.
After the Hospice de Beaune I enjoyed a visit to the historic Cathedral. Its cloisters and walled garden were a pretty little walk. Seeing the hospice and the Cathedral one after the other really emphasised the role of faith in the Beaune community.
By now it was well after lunch, so I decided it was definitely wine o’clock. After all it was at least 24hours since I’d done any wine tasting. I had booked my self guided cellar tour of the Patriache Père et Fils cellars on line.
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The cellars of Patriache Père et Fils are extensive, and cross multiple city streets. Coming down the spiral staircase I found myself completely alone in the darkened cellars. The tour was well sign posted and there were bottles of wine literally piled up everywhere. It was incredible to imagine how they knew what was what and where the different wines were located. It was so silent, atmospheric and the lighting and modern sculpture certainly added to my experience. It was a completely different experience to the cellars I had visited as part of my tour the day before. So much so, that I had to stop a number of times to experience the complete silence.
The Patriache Père et Fils tour included six tastings. The tastings were arranged in two separate areas – one for whites and then a second area for the reds. After a brief explanation of the different wines in the tasting we were invited to try. After the three reds, our host got rather enthusiastic and decided that the Dutch couple who were also tasting and I were worthy of more – two more in fact. It was unexpected and greatly appreciated as they were not cheap options we were invited to taste.
Returning to the salesroom at the end of the cellar tour, I was surprised and delighted that there was even more tasting to be done – this time a Crème de Cassis, a Prunelle (a digestif made with plums and their stones) and a Marc de Bourgogne – a strong local spirit. I know Creme de Cassis well – it is the blackcurrant liqueur used in kir and kir royales, but Prunelle was a new one for me. The sales girl explained that it was the plum stones that made a difference to the flavour, and it certainly did. It was distinctly almondy in flavour and rather delicious. I was travelling with carry on luggage only, but still managed to buy two 50ml bottles to take home in the plastic bag for my liquids (bigger bottles are available for those with the luggage space).
For my last night in Beaune I decided to treat myself to a slightly fancier meal, and decided on L’Ardoise, one of the best restaurants in Beaune. I was not disappointed with its modern, light take on regional Burgundian cuisine. Sitting outside in the courtyard, enjoying delicious local food and wine, it was a perfect way to end my visit to Beaune. If you want to sit outside in the courtyard I do recommend a booking.
Plan your visit to Beaune
This itinerary can easily be rearranged to accommodate a wine tour on the second day. If you want to do a full day wine tour from Beaune I would skip Patriache Père et Fils and do my day two morning tour of the Beaune vineyards, Hospice de Beaune and the Cathedral on your arrival afternoon, and then book your full day Burgundy wine tour for the second day.
For a day trip to Beaune from Paris, I would visit the Hospice de Beaune, the vineyards and Patriache Père et Fils. Enjoy lunch at L’Ardoise.
If you are in Beaune on a Saturday morning do take the time to visit the Beaune market, adjacent to the Hotel Dieu. It is an excellent, authentic local market.
France Travel Planning travel tip
Where to stay in Beaune: hotels in Beaune
I stayed at the Abbaye de Maizières, a boutique accommodation in a 12th century Cistercian Abbey. It was charming and atmospheric, with excellent service. The breakfast was a little on the expensive side, but was superb, and the setting was incredible. There is no lift in this accommodation and the spiral staircase is a little steep, but if that doesn’t concern you, it is a fabulously appointed boutique hotel that I thoroughly recommend.
Find out more about the Abbaye de Maizières here >>
If that is not your style or budget, the Ibis is in a brilliant location on the ring road, right opposite the tourist information office. It is a newer Ibis and it looked great. There is onsite parking making it a good choice for those with a car.
You can book the Ibis Hotel Beaune here >>
Apartments in Beaune
If you would prefer self catering accommodation, VRBO offers a range of well priced options in central Beaune.
Search for self catering accommodation in Beaune here >>
Wine tours from Beaune
Rue des Vignerons offer a range of wine tours to the local area from Beaune.
You can book my Rue des Vignerons afternoon tour here >>
Other wine tours from Beaune are available here (including self guided and cycling tours) >>
How to travel to Beaune
Beaune makes a perfect stay in Burgundy for those without a car. It is convenient to both Lyon and Paris. I use and recommend Trainline to book my train tickets.
Book your train ticket to Beaune here >>
If you are wanting to tour Burgundy in more detail, particularly if you want to visit some of the smaller villages, a car is essential. Main roads are excellent, and the smaller roads around the vineyards, while narrow, seemed to be of good quality and relatively easy to drive on. Auto Europe takes the guess work out of booking a car, as you can easily compare different companies and vehicles:
Keen to drive in France, but a bit anxious about it? Tripiamo takes the anxiety out of driving in France. A series of videos that explains everything you need to know to drive confidently anywhere in France. You can check out Tripiamo here >>
My recommended guidebook for Beaune
The Rick Steves France guidebook has a detailed section on Beaune, which includes a number of activities I didn’t get to on this visit. I found his suggestions pretty spot on.
Author’s note: I visited Beaune in mid June. I was a guest of Rue de Vignerons for my afternoon Burgundy wine tour, but paid for the remainder of my visit myself.
Last update on 2026-10-15 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
