Beaune or Dijon: Trains, Wine Sites and Costs Compared

This guide to Beaune or Dijon sets the two towns side by side for a Burgundy wine trip. Dijon is 95 minutes from Paris by direct TGV, and Beaune is 45 km from Dijon by the A6, 18 minutes away by the fastest TER.

Both towns are part of the UNESCO listing of the Climats du vignoble de Bourgogne, on the World Heritage list since July 4, 2015. The listing has two parts: the vineyard parcels with their villages and the town of Beaune, which stand for the commercial side of the system, and the historic center of Dijon, which stands for the political and regulatory drive that created it.

The Route des Grands Crus links them. It is 60 km long, runs from Dijon to Santenay via Nuits-Saint-Georges and Beaune through 37 wine villages, and was created in 1937. Below are the sights of each town, the trains, opening months, the estates and their fees. For the full town pages, see Beaune and Dijon.

What each town has

Beaune

The Hôtel-Dieu of the Hospices de Beaune, at 2 rue de l'Hôtel-Dieu, was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy, and Guigone de Salins. Visitors see the Salle des Pôvres, Rogier van der Weyden's Last Judgement polyptych and the polychrome glazed-tile roof.

The Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne, at 21 avenue Charles de Gaulle, is a 25-minute walk from Beaune station, or about 5 minutes by electric shuttle. Its visitor trail lasts 1 hour 30 minutes and ends with a tasting of wines or fruit juices, and its panoramic terrace 20 meters up is free.

The Maison des Climats, in the Porte Marie de Bourgogne tourist office at 6 boulevard Perpreuil, is a free exhibition on the Climats. Its model of the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune vineyards is more than 9 meters long.

The cellars of Caves Patriarche, the Marché aux Vins, Maison Bouchard Aîné & Fils and Maison Joseph Drouhin are in Beaune itself.

Beaune hosts the Hospices de Beaune wine sale weekend, November 13–15, 2026. The 166th sale takes place on Sunday, November 15, under the Halles de Beaune, and the auction itself is reserved for professionals.

Dijon

Dijon's historic center is a 97-hectare protected area whose boundary follows the former medieval ramparts. The Palace of the Dukes dates from the era of the great dukes of Burgundy, between 1363 and 1477.

The palace houses the Fine Arts Museum, with the tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy. The museum is free and closed on Tuesdays. The Philippe le Bon Tower is 46 meters high, with 316 steps, and its guided climb lasts 45 minutes for up to 18 people.

The Owl Trail (Parcours de la Chouette) is a self-guided walk through the historic center with 22 stops, about one hour long. It starts at Place Darcy and follows bronze arrows and owl plates set in the pavement.

The Cité internationale de la gastronomie et du vin, at 12 Parvis de l'UNESCO, stands at kilometer zero of the Route des Grands Crus. It is a 10-minute walk from Dijon station, or take tram T2 (direction Chenôve) to the Monge Cité de la gastronomie stop.

The Cité's three permanent exhibitions are free, among them the Chapel of the Climats and terroirs, a space on Burgundy's wine and food heritage. The École des Vins de Bourgogne (Burgundy Wine School) runs tasting workshops in its grand hall, and the Dijon tourist office has its reception there.

The Dijon metropolitan area has more than 50 hectares of vines in AOC Bourgogne zones, in Daix, Talant, Plombières-lès-Dijon, Corcelles-les-Monts and Dijon. The Chenôve and Marsannay vineyards are counted separately.

Getting there

The direct TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon reaches Dijon in 95 minutes. Beaune has no non-stop train from Paris: the fastest trip takes 2 hours 15 minutes, with a TGV to Dijon and a TER on to Beaune.

To Dijon

15 trains a day run from Paris to Dijon, and fares start at €16 ($17). The direct trains are TGV INOUI and TGV Lyria. Dijon-Ville station is about 15 minutes on foot from the historic center.

To Beaune

About 19 trains a day run from Paris to Beaune, with fares from €26 ($28). Read more on Paris to Beaune by train.

By car, Beaune is 312 km from Paris by the A6, about 3 hours 30 minutes. Take exit 24.0 for Savigny-lès-Beaune and Beaune-Saint-Nicolas, or exit 24.1 for Beaune-Centre and Beaune-Hospices.

Between the two

SNCF Connect lists 23 trains a day from Dijon to Beaune. TER trains leave Dijon from about 5:41 a.m. to 10:12 p.m., and leave Beaune for Dijon from about 6:15 a.m. to 9:59 p.m.

The same TER line stops at Gevrey-Chambertin and Nuits-Saint-Georges. Gevrey-Chambertin is 15 km from Dijon, under 10 minutes by TER. Vougeot-Gilly-lès-Cîteaux station, for the Château du Clos de Vougeot, is 12 minutes from Dijon at fastest. Near Beaune, the line also serves Meursault (about 2 km from the village), Chagny and Santenay.

Mobigo bus 113 leaves from the Gare de Dijon-Ville tram stop and reaches Beaune Gare in 70 to 85 minutes. It stops in Côte de Nuits villages including Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-Saint-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-Saint-Georges and Aloxe-Corton. See Dijon to Beaune for the timetable and the drive.

The Voie des Vignes bike route runs 45 km from Beaune to Dijon, parallel to the Route des Grands Crus. All TER Bourgogne-Franche-Comté trains carry bikes free of charge within the spaces available. For more car-free options, see Burgundy without a car.

When to go

Estates around both towns receive visitors all year.

In Beaune, the Marché aux Vins opens every day: from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from April to November, and from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. from December to March. It closes on December 24 and 25 and January 1. Caves Patriarche runs visits every day until December 30, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., and closes on December 24 and 25.

On the edge of Dijon, the Château de Marsannay opens daily from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. from May to September. From October to April it opens from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and from December to the end of March it closes on Sundays.

The Hôtel-Dieu in Beaune opens from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. from April 1 to November 15, 2026, then from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. until December 31.

In Dijon, the Cité's exhibitions open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. from May 1 to September 30. The Cité closes on May 1, December 25 and January 1, and the Burgundy Wine School opens Tuesday to Sunday.

Visiting the estates

The Beaune tourist office advises booking activities in advance, and some estates or wineries accept visits without booking.

In Beaune

• Caves Patriarche Père & Fils, 5 rue du Collège: a self-guided cellar visit, then six wines tasted with the sommeliers, about 1 hour. No reservation is needed, subject to availability, with 10 people per departure, and the house suggests calling 03 80 24 53 78 first.
• Marché aux Vins, 2 rue Nicolas Rolin: tastings of 3 to 7 wines during the visit, with departures every day from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Maison Bouchard Aîné & Fils: the Parcours des 5 Sens, a guided cellar tour and tasting of 5 wines, by telephone reservation on 03 80 24 06 66. It is not offered on the wine sale weekend of November 13–15, 2026.
• Maison Joseph Drouhin: tastings, visits and vineyard tours upon reservation.

South of Beaune, Château de Pommard runs all its experiences by reservation only, in English or French, and its cellars can't be visited during the restoration. Château de Meursault runs its Grands Terroirs tour of the château and cellars for 12 people at most, with 7 wines over 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. See Meursault.

Near Dijon

• Château de Marsannay, in Marsannay-la-Côte on the edge of Dijon: visits among the vines on the history of Burgundy wines and its climats, booked online in French or English. The Climats de Bourgogne visit pours 6 wines over 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Domaine René Leclerc, Gevrey-Chambertin: visit and tasting of four wines by appointment, at 11 a.m. or 3 p.m. See Gevrey-Chambertin.
• Jean-Claude Boisset – Les Ursulines, Nuits-Saint-Georges: a daily guided tour and tasting in French and English by appointment only, 1 hour 30 minutes, 12 people at most. See Nuits-Saint-Georges.

In Dijon itself, the Burgundy Wine School's Initiation à la dégustation runs until December 27, 2026. It lasts about 40 minutes, pours three Burgundy wines (a crémant, a white and a red) and is also offered in English. The room is for people over 18 only, and late arrivals are not admitted.

The Château du Clos de Vougeot, between the two towns, has a self-guided visit with no reservation. For appointments, fees and days, see booking Burgundy domaine visits.

What it costs

Entry-level visits with a tasting cost €15–59 ($16–64) in and around the two towns.

In Beaune, the Marché aux Vins Découverte, a cellar tour with 5 wines, costs €25 ($27) online or €29 ($31) on site. Caves Patriarche's tasting visit costs €25 ($27) per adult. South of Beaune, Château de Pommard's Discover Burgundy Tasting costs €30 ($32), and Château de Meursault's Grands Terroirs costs €59 ($64), with walk-in packages from €35 ($38).

Near Dijon, Château de Marsannay's Climats de Bourgogne visit costs €39 ($42) online or €45 ($49) on site. In Dijon, the Burgundy Wine School's introduction to tasting costs €25 ($27).

On the Côte de Nuits, René Leclerc charges €20 ($22) per person and Jean-Claude Boisset €15 ($16) for a tasting, or €35 ($38) or €50 ($54) for the tour and tasting.

The Hôtel-Dieu costs €12.50 ($14) for adults, and the Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne visitor trail €14.50 ($16). In Dijon, the Fine Arts Museum and the Cité's permanent exhibitions are free, the temporary exhibition costs €11 ($12), and the Philippe le Bon Tower climb €6 ($6). The Clos de Vougeot self-guided visit costs €12 ($13) for adults at 2025 rates.

A full-fare TER ticket from Dijon to Beaune costs €13 ($14), and travelers under 26 pay €6 ($6). A TER ticket to Beaune less than 48 hours old gets the reduced Hôtel-Dieu ticket at €9.50 ($10), and a valid TER ticket brings the Dijon Cité's temporary exhibition down to €7.50 ($8).

Before you go

• Trains from Paris to Beaune involve a connection, usually at Dijon.
• During the harvest, in September and October, some estates are less available, and from November to March fewer wineries are open.
• Mobigo bus 113 between Dijon and Beaune doesn't run on public holidays except for a few marked departures, and it doesn't run at all on May 1.

The Philippe le Bon Tower climb in Dijon must be booked.