The Château du Clos de Vougeot stands in the middle of the Clos de Vougeot, a walled Grand Cru vineyard in the Côte de Nuits that the monks of Cîteaux Abbey founded around 1110. The château no longer makes wine. It is open to visitors all year.
Inside are the 12th-century vat house with its presses, the monks' cellars and a Renaissance wing. The château is the seat of the Climats of the Burgundy vineyards, listed by UNESCO, and the Chief of Order of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin.
This page covers the château's history, its visits and prices, opening hours, the train from Paris and Dijon, and domaines nearby in Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-Saint-Georges. For the wider region, see Burgundy.
The château and its history
From 1098, the monks of Cîteaux cultivated the Burgundy terroirs, and at Vougeot they built the Cuverie, or vat house, and the Cellier. The Cuverie still holds 4 large presses.
In 1551 Dom Jean Loisier, the 48th abbot of Cîteaux, had a Renaissance manor built. That building gave the site its name of château. The monks owned the Clos until the French Revolution in 1789.
After the Revolution, the banker Gabriel-Julien Ouvrard and the merchant Léonce Bocquet saved the château from abandonment. Étienne Camuzet later became its owner, and in 1944 it passed to the Société civile des amis du château. It was classified a Monument historique in 1949.
The Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin was founded on November 16, 1934, by the winegrowers Georges Faiveley and Camille Rodier. It held its first chapter at the château, the Chapitre de la Résurrection, on November 16, 1946. The Confrérie has more than 12,000 knights in 70 countries, and its motto is "Jamais en vain, toujours en vin!"
UNESCO inscribed the Climats of the Burgundy vineyards as World Heritage on July 4, 2015, and the château became their seat. Restorations in 2024 covered the northeast tower and the chapel. The château is privately owned and receives no subsidies.
The Clos de Vougeot vineyard
Clos de Vougeot became a Grand Cru appellation on July 31, 1937. It makes red wine only, from pinot noir. The Clos covers 50.59 ha, with 49.43 ha in production, inside walls built about five centuries ago.
The vineyard is divided among more than 80 winegrowers. The soil changes down the slope: about 40 cm of gravelly soil over limestone at the top, at about 255 m, and about 90 cm of brown soil over marl at the bottom, at about 240 m. Its upper end meets the Musigny and Grands-Échezeaux vineyards.
The village appellation of Vougeot, instituted on December 8, 1936, makes red wine from pinot noir and white wine from chardonnay. Its Premiers Crus include Clos de la Perrière, Les Cras and Les Petits Vougeots. The name comes from the small river Vouge.
Getting there
The fastest route from Paris is the direct TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon to Dijon in 1 hour 35 minutes, then a TER to Vougeot - Gilly-lès-Cîteaux station. The fastest TER from Dijon to Vougeot takes 12 minutes and stops at Gevrey-Chambertin on the way.
| Option | From | Time | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TGV then TER to Vougeot | Paris Gare de Lyon | 1h35 to Dijon + 12 min TER | 1 |
| Train to Beaune via Dijon | Paris | 2h15 | 1 |
| TER Dijon to Vougeot | Dijon | 12 min (fastest) | 0 |
| Mobigo bus line 113 | Dijon or Beaune | — | — |
A TER Mobigo train ticket gets reduced rates at the château, the Hôtel-Dieu – Hospices de Beaune and the Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne in Beaune.
The train from Paris to Beaune takes 2 hours 15 minutes with a change at Dijon. From Beaune, the TER line to Dijon stops at Nuits-Saint-Georges and Gevrey-Chambertin. See Paris to Beaune by train and Dijon to Beaune for those legs.
Mobigo bus line 113 runs from Dijon to Beaune through the villages of the Côte de Nuits, with a stop at Vougeot. It also stops at Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-Saint-Georges. The full Dijon to Beaune run takes 71 to 85 minutes.
By bike, the Voie des Vignes section from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Dijon runs 21.6 km through Vosne-Romanée, Vougeot, Gevrey-Chambertin, Fixin and Marsannay-la-Côte. Vougeot - Gilly-lès-Cîteaux is one of the TER stations along the route, and bikes travel free on TER trains.
The Gevrey-Chambertin tourist office rents SOLEX electric bikes at €15 ($16) an hour, €30 ($32) a half-day and €45 ($49) a day. For more options, see Burgundy without a car.
When to go
The château opens daily all year, on two seasonal schedules.
From April 1 to October 31 it opens from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the ticket office closes at 5:30 p.m. From November 1 to March 31 it opens from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the ticket office closes at 4:30 p.m. Some low-season weekends stay open until 6 p.m.
The château hosts events through the year, among them the World Egg in Meurette Championship, the Salon Livres en Vignes and Saint-Vincent Tournante banquets. Its exhibition "Brillat-Savarin ou la naissance de la gastronomie" runs through December 2026.
Some estates in the area are less available during the harvest, in September and October, because of harvest and cellar work. Fewer wineries open in winter, from November to March.
Visiting the estates
The château offers a self-guided visit without reservation and a guided tour by reservation. Both include the 12th-century vat house, the Petit Cellier, the Grand Cellier and a well in the Renaissance wing. The Renaissance kitchens and the monks' dormitory are temporarily closed.
On the self-guided visit, QR codes on blue placards open web pages at each stop, and Ask Mona, a conversational AI, answers questions about the château's history. A leaflet comes in French, English and German, plus touch screens.
The guided tour lasts 1 hour and adds the film Jamais en vain, toujours en vin. Tours in English start at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Tours in French start at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on weekdays and at 4:30 p.m. on weekends, with 20 people per tour.
The Cœur de Climats sensory experience lasts 1 hour. It combines a self-guided visit of the cellar, the Grand Cellier and the lay brothers' dormitory with the film, narrated by Pierre Arditi. A sommelier then leads a tasting of three Tastevinage-labeled Burgundy wines with gougères.
From April to October it runs Tuesday to Sunday at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with 3:30 p.m. in place of 4 p.m. on Saturdays. From November to March it runs Thursday to Sunday at 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Book ahead and arrive 15 minutes early.
La Table de Léonce is a four-course Burgundian lunch at the château, with wines presented by a sommelier and a château visit before or after. With the English option, you arrive at 11:15 a.m. for the guided visit, then lunch. Reservation is required.
Le Comptoir du Bénaton is a light-food counter among the presses of the vat house, with local seasonal products and tasting boards. You need a self-guided or guided visit ticket to use it.
Domaines and tasting rooms near the château:
- La Grande Cave de Vougeot, at 31 rue du Vieux Château, at the foot of the château, runs cellar visits and guided tastings all year. Tastings must be booked.
- La Maison Vougeot, at 1 rue du Vieux Château, offers an à la carte tasting with commentary in French or English and a walk through themed rooms, including the Library and the Cave aux Etoiles.
- Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion, at 8 route Nationale in Vosne-Romanée, receives visitors in French or English by prior arrangement only, Monday to Saturday.
- Domaine Henri Gouges, at 7 rue du Moulin in Nuits-Saint-Georges, takes visits preferably by appointment, Monday afternoon to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Jean-Claude Boisset – Les Ursulines, at 5 chemin des Plateaux in Nuits-Saint-Georges, runs a daily guided tour and tasting in French and English by appointment only, for 12 people at most.
- Œnothèque Dufouleur Frères, at 1 route de Dijon in Nuits-Saint-Georges, receives visitors by appointment, 15 minutes from the château by bike.
For how appointments work across the region, see Booking Burgundy domaine visits.
What it costs
The château's self-guided visit costs €12 ($13) for adults and €5 ($5) for ages 8 to 16 and students. Adults arriving by Mobigo train at Vougeot station and adults in groups of more than 10 people pay €9.50 ($10).
The guided tour costs €15 ($16) per adult and €8 ($9) for ages 8 to 16 and students. A private guide-interpreter for groups of up to 50 people costs a flat €66 ($71) on top of entry fees.
The standard entry includes no tasting. The Cœur de Climats sensory experience, with its three-wine tasting, costs €45 ($49) per person. La Table de Léonce costs €95 ($103) with four wines or €145 ($157) with six wines, two of them Grands Crus.
Tastings at the domaines nearby run from €15 to €100 ($16 to $108):
- Jean-Claude Boisset: tasting €15 ($16), tour and tasting €35 ($38) or €50 ($54), in visits of 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Bernard Rion: Discovery tour €18 ($19) for 40 minutes, VIP visit €32 ($35), Signature visit €50 ($54) and private Authentic visit €100 ($108). The Superior Vineyard Tour costs €70 ($76) for 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Henri Gouges: Découverte €20 ($22) with 3 wines, Terroir €45 ($49) with 5 wines and Authenticité €75 ($81) with 6 wines.
Before you go
- Guided tours, including the English tours, run only by reservation and subject to availability. Book them before you travel.
- Visits may be shortened or limited when the château hosts a reception, and you are told before paying. On reception Saturdays the château closes at 5 p.m.
- The ticket office closes 30 minutes before the château, and the château is closed on December 24, 25 and 31 and January 1.
Only small dogs carried in a bag are allowed inside the château. Spit or choose a designated driver if you plan tastings at the domaines and are driving.
The Gevrey-Chambertin Nuits-Saint-Georges tourist office has offices at 3 rue Sonoys in Nuits-Saint-Georges and 1 rue Gaston Roupnel in Gevrey-Chambertin. It opens Monday to Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and on Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to visit the Château du Clos de Vougeot?
The self-guided visit costs €12 ($13) for adults and €5 ($5) for ages 8 to 16 and students. The 1-hour guided tour costs €15 ($16) per adult and €8 ($9) for ages 8 to 16 and students. Arrive by Mobigo train and show your ticket to pay €9.50 ($10).
Are there guided tours in English at Clos de Vougeot?
Yes. Guided tours in English start at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. They last 1 hour, take 20 people and include the film Jamais en vain, toujours en vin. Book by email at visites@closdevougeot.info or through the château's online ticketing page.
Do I need to book the Château du Clos de Vougeot?
Not for the self-guided visit, which needs no reservation during opening hours. The guided tours, the Cœur de Climats tasting experience and La Table de Léonce lunch all require a reservation. Visits can be booked online, by email or by phone on +33 3 80 62 86 09.
Can I get to Clos de Vougeot without a car?
Yes. Vougeot - Gilly-lès-Cîteaux station is on the TER line from Dijon, with the fastest train taking 12 minutes. Mobigo bus line 113 between Dijon and Beaune also stops at Vougeot, and the Voie des Vignes bike route passes through the village.
Is there wine tasting at the Château du Clos de Vougeot?
Not in the standard entry. The Cœur de Climats experience, at €45 ($49), ends with a sommelier-led tasting of three Tastevinage-labeled Burgundy wines with gougères. It runs Tuesday to Sunday from April to October and Thursday to Sunday from November to March.
