Beaune is the wine capital of Burgundy — a compact, beautiful town encircled by medieval ramparts and surrounded on all sides by some of the most celebrated vineyards in the world. The Côte de Beaune to the south produces the great white Burgundies (Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne); the Côte de Nuits to the north produces the reds (Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-Saint-Georges).
The town's centrepiece is the Hospices de Beaune (Hôtel-Dieu), a 15th-century charitable hospital with a spectacular polychrome tiled roof. The courtyard is one of the most photographed buildings in France. Inside, the Rogier van der Weyden altarpiece of the Last Judgement is worth the visit alone. Each November the Hospices holds its famous wine auction, a three-day festival that sets benchmark prices for Burgundy wines.
Within the ramparts, Beaune is a town of wine cellars, stone houses, and excellent restaurants. The Marché aux Vins offers tastings in a former church. The surrounding countryside is best explored by bike — flat lanes run between the villages, each name more famous than the last, with producers offering cave visits along the way.