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Côte de Nuits vs Côte de Beaune: Which Burgundy Slope Suits You

Hours, prices and access verified by the Burgundy Tours team — last checked 2026-09-18.

The vine slope of the Côte falling away to a village and the plain beyond

The short answer. They are two halves of one slope, the Côte d'Or, running south from Dijon. The Côte de Nuits is the northern half and the red Grand Cru villages. The Côte de Beaune runs on past Beaune and adds the great whites of Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. Choose by the wine you like, and if you have two days, spend one on each.

The two côtes side by side

The real question behind this comparison is time. Most visitors have one day, and every tour spends most of its hours on one côte or the other. Choosing a Burgundy guided tours starts here.

Côte de NuitsCôte de Beaune
WhereFrom just south of Dijon to Nuits-Saint-GeorgesSouth of Nuits, past Beaune to Santenay and Maranges
Known forThe red Grand Cru villagesThe great whites
Villages on the toursGevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-RomanéeAloxe-Corton, Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet
Nearest startDijon, kilometre zero of the wine roadBeaune, inside the Côte
A shared day$333 for 14 wines from Beaune$257 with lunch, from Dijon
CancellationFree up to 24 hours aheadFree up to 24 hours ahead

The case for the Côte de Nuits

This is the half with the names you may already know. Gevrey-Chambertin is the first village on the road from Dijon. Further south, the Clos de Vougeot's wall closes almost 51 hectares, the Romanée-Conti vineyard lies in Vosne-Romanée, and Nuits-Saint-Georges gives the Côte its name. If you love red Burgundy, you will want to see these places.

The Grand Cru day from Beaune is built around this half: 14 wines, the Route des Grands Crus, and an hour in Chambolle-Musigny. If you ride, the e-bike day from Dijon cycles through it from Gevrey-Chambertin to Nuits-Saint-Georges, with lunch. Both stop outside the Clos de Vougeot; neither goes in.

Did you know? Both grapes grow along the whole Côte. The split between the two halves is in what each is famous for, not in what may be planted.

The case for the Côte de Beaune

If you prefer white wine, this is your side. Chardonnay covers 57% of Burgundy's vineyard, and the Côte de Beaune is where the BIVB places its great whites. Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet are the villages the white-wine days spend their hours in, and the Montrachet, a Grand Cru, lies in Puligny.

The Côte de Beaune is more than its whites. The 2CV half day drives you through Pommard and Volnay before a tasting in Meursault, and the hill of Corton stands at the northern end. Beaune itself is here, and so is the Hôtel-Dieu. The small-group day from Dijon spends two hours each in Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault, with lunch in the fare.

Getting to each côte

The Côte de Nuits begins just south of Dijon, and the Route des Grands Crus leaves the city at kilometre zero. So a Côte de Nuits day from Dijon reaches its first cellar quickly: the e-bike day and the three-winery day both pour their first wines in Gevrey-Chambertin. If you are staying in Dijon and love red wine, you barely need to travel.

For the Côte de Beaune, Beaune is the natural base, because the town sits inside the Côte. The 2CV half day leaves its tourist office for Pommard, Volnay and Meursault. From Dijon, the small-group day drives down the whole Côte de Nuits first, past the Clos de Vougeot, before it reaches its Côte de Beaune estates, so you see both halves from the window.

The sight on each côte

Each half has one building you can walk into without a tour. On the Côte de Nuits it is the Clos de Vougeot: the château opens every day, 9:30 am to 6 pm from April to October and 10 am to 5 pm in winter, with an English tour at 11:30 am and 3:30 pm for EUR 15. On the Côte de Beaune it is the Hôtel-Dieu, founded in 1443 under its roof of glazed coloured tiles, open every day. If you can add one sight to your wine day, pick the one on the côte you are tasting.

Do both in one day

Several days cross from one côte to the other. The three-winery day from Place Darcy tastes in Gevrey-Chambertin, then in Beaune and near Meursault. The Authentica full day from Dijon looks over the Corton hill, then walks you through the Côte de Nuits vines. On a private day, the private day on both côtes starts at the Clos de Vougeot with the entry in the fare, and the private route day from Beaune adds Aloxe-Corton and the Hautes Côtes de Nuits.

The trade-off is depth. A day on both côtes gives you the map; a day on one gives you time in the cellars. On a first visit with one day, the map is often what you want.

Two days: one côte each

  1. Day one, the Côte de Nuits. From Beaune on the Grand Cru day, or from Dijon by e-bike. Reds, the Route des Grands Crus and the Clos de Vougeot from outside.
  2. Day two, the Côte de Beaune. The small-group day from Dijon, or the 2CV half day from Beaune. Whites, Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet.
  3. An evening in Beaune. The Hôtel-Dieu stays open until 7:30 pm from April to mid November.

Where to sleep for that plan is set out on where to stay, and the villages are laid out north to south on the Burgundy map.

Useful tip. Do the Côte de Nuits first. The Grand Cru reds make more sense once you have seen the villages, and the whites on day two are a lighter end to the trip.

Which grape, which côte

The Burgundy vineyards page lists the grapes and the villages in full. In short: the Côte de Nuits is Pinot Noir country, the Côte de Beaune adds Chardonnay, and Aligoté grows where neither of the two does well. If you want to understand the labels you will taste on either side, read Grand Cru, Premier Cru and Village explained.

Verdict by visitor type

  • You love red wine: the Côte de Nuits, on the Grand Cru day or by e-bike.
  • You love white wine: the Côte de Beaune, on the small-group day from Dijon.
  • You have one day and want both: the three-winery day from Place Darcy.
  • You want the Clos de Vougeot inside: a private day with the entry in the fare.
  • You are staying in Paris: neither; the Paris days go to Chablis, so take the train to Dijon instead.

Every Dijon start is on Burgundy wine tours from Dijon, and the private days on Burgundy private tours.

Days on the Côte de Nuits, or on both côtes

Next: Plan your first day with the Burgundy visitor guide. Every fare sits side by side on Burgundy Tours.