Burgundy Wine Tour from Lyon: Day Trip or Two Nights in Beaune

A Burgundy wine tour from Lyon is easy to plan and hard to fit into one day. Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy, is about 165 km (100 miles) north of Lyon, around 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours by car. A day trip with a private driver covers Beaune and one of the two great slopes, the Côte de Beaune or the Côte de Nuits. To taste both properly, sleep two nights in Beaune. And if you only have half a day, the Mâconnais and the Beaujolais are much closer.

Our offices are in Villefranche-sur-Saône, between Lyon and Burgundy, and this drive up the Saône valley is one we know by heart. Here is how we plan it.

Burgundy's wine areas, from Lyon northward

The Beaujolais, just north of Lyon, is technically its own wine region with its own grape, Gamay. We cover it in is Lyon worth visiting, and it pairs naturally with a Burgundy trip.

What makes Burgundy different: the climats

In Burgundy, a wine is named after the exact piece of ground it comes from. These plots, called climats, have been mapped and named for centuries. In 2015, the Climats of Burgundy, around 1,247 of them along the slopes from Dijon to the Maranges south of Beaune, together with the historic centers of Dijon and Beaune, were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The quality ladder is simple once you see it on the ground:

• Regional wines (Bourgogne) from the flat land toward the Saône;
• Village wines named after a village, such as Meursault or Gevrey-Chambertin;
• Premier crus, specific climats on better slopes, named on the label;
• Grand crus, the very best mid-slope climats, such as Montrachet, Corton, Clos de Vougeot or Chambertin, where a single name is the whole appellation.

Driving along the Route des Grands Crus, the wall-enclosed vineyards, stone crosses and village names you have read on wine lists for years appear one after another, a few minutes apart.

A day trip from Lyon: our usual plan

With a private driver, this is the day we build most often:

It is a long and rich day. Two tastings is the maximum we schedule: after that, the wines start to blur, however good they are. If you want a calmer day, keep it to the Côte de Beaune and spend the afternoon walking Beaune.

Why a driver rather than a rental car

France's legal blood alcohol limit is 0.5 g/L, lower than in most US states, and a Burgundy tasting involves a dozen wines. Even when you spit, a driver lets everyone enjoy the day and saves you looking for parking in villages built for carts. Our drivers also know which domaines welcome visitors and which do not.

Two nights in Beaune: the trip we recommend

Beaune is a walled town with cobbled streets, a ring of ramparts, good restaurants and wine shops everywhere. As a base, it puts both côtes within twenty to forty minutes.

• Day 1: leave Lyon in the morning, stopping in the Mâconnais at the Rock of Solutré and a Pouilly-Fuissé tasting. Afternoon at the Hospices de Beaune and the Cité des Climats et vins de Bourgogne, the wine interpretation center that also has sites in Chablis and Mâcon. Dinner in Beaune.
• Day 2: the Côte de Beaune whites in the morning (Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet), lunch in the vines, and an afternoon in the red villages of Pommard and Volnay, or a cooking class.
• Day 3: the Côte de Nuits: Clos de Vougeot, a tasting in Gevrey-Chambertin, then Dijon for its ducal palace and mustard before the train or the drive home.

Our Luxury France Honeymoon in 14 Days, from €9,999 (about $11,500) per person, includes a Burgundy chapter between Paris, the Alps and Provence, and our 10-day France itineraries can add Beaune between Paris and Lyon.

How tastings work in Burgundy

• Most domaines are small family estates. Visits are by appointment, often with the winemaker, and some do not receive visitors at all, including the most famous names of the Côte de Nuits. The legendary Romanée-Conti vineyard can be seen from the road, by its stone cross, but not visited.
• The large houses in Beaune (the négociants) have cellars under the town and run tastings with more regular hours. They are a good introduction before a family domaine.
• Fees are normal. Expect to pay for a tasting at most houses; some domaines waive it if you buy.
• Language: many younger winemakers speak English, but not all. Our guides translate and explain the vintage and the climat.
• Buying: domaines sell at the cellar door. For shipping cases to North America, check customs allowances and duties before you buy; we can arrange shipping through specialized carriers.
• Avoid the harvest weeks, usually mid-September to early October, when winemakers are in the vines and many domaines close to visitors.

When to go

• May, June and September are our favorite months: long days, green vines, and domaines with time to talk.
• The third weekend of November brings the Trois Glorieuses and the Hospices de Beaune charity wine auction, run by Sotheby's since 2021, on the third Sunday of November (November 15 in 2026). Beaune is full and festive; book a year ahead.
• Late January has the Saint-Vincent Tournante, a winegrowers' festival held in a different village each year.
• Winter is quiet and intimate, with fireside tastings, but some restaurants close for holidays.

The same weeks in the Beaujolais are just as rewarding: Beaujolais Nouveau is released on the third Thursday of November.

Burgundy for travelers with reduced mobility

Beaune's old town is flat and largely pedestrian, and the courtyard of the Hôtel-Dieu is on one level. Cellars are the challenge: many are reached by steep stone stairs. We choose houses with ground-floor tasting rooms and use vehicles with a ramp or lift for travelers who need one.

Beyond Burgundy

If wine is the thread of your trip, see how Burgundy fits with Lyon, Belgium and Italy in our food lover's guide to Europe, or look at our Cognac Getaway in 6 Days and the rest of our food and wine trips. Our trip cost calculator gives a first idea of the budget.

Tell us which wines you love and how many days you have, and our team, based between Lyon and Burgundy, will design a Burgundy wine tour from Lyon with the right domaines for you.