Ramparts of Beaune

19th Century wash-house viewed from the ramparts. toddzva (Atlas Obscura User)

Visitors to this region will have the opportunity to stroll along the 900-year-old battlements of the ancient walled city of Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy. Most of the ramparts remain intact and nearly encircle the entire old town center.

Visitors can take in picturesque views from the ramparts that showcase tiled rooftops, private gardens, and landscaped moats. Some of the 16th-century towers, built to defend the city against iron cannonballs, are 23 feet (seven meters) thick.

A walk on the ramparts also allows time to rest with a cafe-au-lait and madeleine, or a glass of Hautes-Côtes de Beaune between sections of your stroll.

Know Before You Go

It is also possible to bicycle along the ramparts. Some sections are open to motor vehicles as well.

There are many points of entry, but one place to start is on the Remparts des Dames with an entry opposite 42 Avenue de la République. Two-hundred-year-old plane trees line the walk past the Cistercian abbey of Les Dames du Lieu-Dieu.