Beaune : book your hotel

Capital of one of the most famous wine regions in the world, home to one of the most prestigious wine auctions and the springboard to the Route des Grands Crus, a tasting trail celebrating such great names in wine production as Meursault, Santenay, Puligny-Montrachet and Pommard – with a wine-making heritage that goes right back to Roman times, you’d be forgiven for thinking that a visit to Beaune is all about the wine.

But this exquisite little town, with its impossibly beautiful heart wrapped in defence walls constructed by the all-powerful, medieval Burgundian dukes, has much more to offer, including one of the finest architectural jewels in Central France, the breathtaking Hospices de Beaune, as well as hiking and cycling routes aplenty in its Bourgogne-Franche-Comté hinterlands. And that's before you take into consideration the full schedule of annual events and Beaune's exceptional local gastronomy. For all these reasons – plus plenty more – tourism in Beaune is year round, and when you're booking Accor's Beaune hotels, you can choose from lovely luxury city-centre hotels or hotels near Beaune, France, in charming neighbouring wine towns like Nuits-Saints-Georges.

The fortified old heart of Beaune is compact, so if you're staying in city-centre Beaune hotels, you can easily explore on foot. First port of call should be the Hospices de Beaune, a spectacularly Gothic courtyard complex of ornately arcaded buildings with wooden galleries all topped off by brightly patterned tiled roofs. Founded in the mid-15th century as a charitable institution and sanctuary, its former hospital wards are open to tour, and the church is home of a luminous polyptych of The Last Judgement by genius Flemish artist Rogier van der Weyden. Next on the list of Beaune's bucket-list attractions is the Basilique Notre-Dame de Beaune, a fusion of Romanesque, Gothic and neoclassical architecture known for its remarkable series of 15th-century tapestries depicting scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary. When it's time for a breather, take a leisurely circular stroll on the 2.5-kilometre ramparts to see the ornate towers and bastions that protected Beaune down the centuries – a good starting point is the Square des Lions, with its classical statuary and flower-filled nooks and crannies. Or pick up foie gras, pungent Époisses cheese and gâteau de ménage brioche cake sprinkled with chocolate from shops or the twice-weekly market on Place de la Halle, and settle down to a picnic in tree-lined Bouzaize Park, where you can also hire rowing boats to take a turn around the lake.

Nevertheless, there's no doubt that wine tourism in Beaune is very big business. Should you want to take some grand crus vintages back home with you, it's best to sample the local wares in vaulted subterranean wine bars before buying from the numerous, exclusive magasins de vins tucked into Beaune's cobbled streets. You can learn all about archaic wine-production methods at the Musée du Vin de Bourgogne, Beaune's wine museum located in the half-timbered former palace of the Dukes of Burgundy. Many of the major Burgundy wine houses in Beaune are open for tours and wine-tasting in vast, vaulted cellars – with their network of wine caves running under much of the old town. And of course, the Hospices de Beaune is a top-ranking wine estate in its own right, and home to November's annual Hospices de Beaune Wine Auction, which is preceded by a weekend of street festivals and parades, gala dinners and tastings of rare vintages. For a tasting treat in the rarified setting of a Burgundy wine estate, book ahead to visit Château de Pommard (a 10-minute drive from Beaune), where tours take in ancient wooden wine presses in the museum, hectares of vines and the chance to sample and buy some of the very best Bourgogne wines. If you're up for a fully immersive experience, there's a wine school too. In the hilly Burgundy countryside, where well-drained limestone soils suit the world-renowned Côte de Beaune appellations, you can follow the Route des Grands Crus, uniting the great vineyards around Beaune with those of Dijon and Nuits-Saint-Georges. In case you'd prefer to explore at a slower pace, there are way-marked walking and cycling trails throughout the region. Should you wish to extend your wine-tasting experience, we recommend that you head north to the Champagne region around Reims or south to the Beaujolais wine-growing area close to Lyon.

The best restaurants in Beaune include a clutch of Michelin-starred eateries, but it needn't cost a fortune to get a taste of the renowned local gastronomy. You'll find typically Burgundian dishes like hearty boeuf Bourguignon (beef braised in red wine), garlic snails, and creamy poached eggs in oeuf en meurette on the menus of Beaune brasseries*.* For your post-dinner digestive, crème de cassis blackcurrant liqueur is another regional speciality, and if you're after non-wine-related souvenirs of your visit, pick up a jar of mustard from La Moutarderie Fallot, a Beaune institution since 1840.

When choosing the best luxury hotels in Beaune, France, have a look at our stylish 4-star Beaune hotels with secure car parking, outdoor swimming pools and terrace bars for sampling Burgundy wines. If you're looking for well-priced accommodation in Beaune, we have several 3-star options – including the ibis Budget Beaune hotel with easy autoroute access and close to Burgundy vineyards. Accor's portfolio also includes 2 economy hotels in Nuits-Saint-Georges, well-placed for exploring the Route des Grands Crus.

Beaune is connected to a network of fast roads, including the A31 to Dijon and the A6 north to Paris or south to Lyon. High-speed TGV rail connections from Paris and Eurostar are via Dijon, arriving at Gare de Beaune station in a little over 2 hours, while trains from Lyon take 1 hour 40 minutes. If you're flying in, Dole Jura Airport is 40 minutes by car, with budget airlines serving regional airports across Europe. Roughly 2 hours by car, Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport is the closest major international airport.