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Beaujolais Tours › Beaujolais vs Burgundy: Which Wine Day Suits You from LyonUpdated 2026-09-25

Beaujolais vs Burgundy: Which Wine Day Suits You from Lyon

Hours, prices and access verified by the Beaujolais Tours team — last checked 2026-09-25.

Oak barrels on the earth floor of a cellar under a stone vault

The short answer. From Lyon, the Beaujolais is the easy choice: its vines start less than half an hour's drive north of the city, and every day we list starts from Lyon. Burgundy is a bigger region, about an hour from Lyon by its own wine board's reckoning, with its great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay villages further north. For one day from Lyon, choose the Beaujolais. For Burgundy's Côte d'Or, base yourself further north.

The two regions side by side

The Beaujolais and Burgundy are neighbours. Burgundy's wine board lists its areas from north to south and ends with the Mâconnais, and Inter Beaujolais describes its own vineyard running from the outskirts of Lyon to the south of Burgundy. The real tension for a visitor based in Lyon is time. Weighing up Beaujolais guided tours against a trip north? The table sets out what each side offers.

The BeaujolaisBurgundy
From LyonLess than a 30-minute driveAbout one hour
Length55 km230 km
Vineyard area13,500 hectares28,841 hectares
Appellations1284
Main grapesGamay, about 97%Chardonnay 57%, Pinot Noir 34%
UNESCOGlobal Geopark, since 2018The Climats, World Heritage since 2015
The famous slopesThe ten crus, in the northThe Côte d'Or, south of Dijon

The case for the Beaujolais

Distance is the first reason. A half day from Place Bellecour reaches the first vines quickly enough to taste at two family estates in four hours. That leaves the rest of the day for Lyon, which is hard to do with Burgundy's great villages.

The wine is the second. The Beaujolais is almost a one-grape region, so a day there is a lesson in how gamay changes from granite to blue stone to the golden limestone of the south. It is also often the owner who pours, at small family estates, and the fares include the tastings.

  • Short on time: a four-hour half day from $112.
  • Want villages: the golden-stone south, around Oingt.
  • Want named wines: the ten crus, such as Fleurie and Morgon, on a full day.

The case for Burgundy

Burgundy is the choice if your heart is set on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Its wine board counts 84 appellations, from the regional wines to the Grands Crus, and gives Chardonnay 57% of the vines and Pinot Noir 34%. Its most famous slopes, the Climats of the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune south of Dijon, were listed by UNESCO in 2015.

But those slopes are the far end of Burgundy from Lyon. If they are what you want, stay further north for a night or two rather than trying to fit them into a day from Lyon.

Did you know? The two regions share a grape and a family tree. Gamay is a natural cross between Pinot Noir and gouais blanc, according to Inter Beaujolais, and Burgundy's wine board says gamay is named after a hamlet in Saint-Aubin, near Puligny-Montrachet.

Where the two meet

You do not have to choose entirely. The winter day from Mâcon starts at Mâcon Ville station, tastes in Romanèche-Thorins and Fleurie, and ends at a family liqueur distillery, Maison Jacoulot. Lunch is in the fare.

And without leaving Lyon, the blind tasting in the Croix-Rousse pours a Beaujolais, a Burgundy and a Crémant de Bourgogne side by side, with cheese and charcuterie, in two hours.

How the wines differ in your glass

You will taste the difference before you read about it. Gamay, in Inter Beaujolais' description, makes supple, fruity reds that are low in alcohol, with raspberry, wild strawberry and black cherry, sometimes pepper or flowers. They can be drunk young, and some are made to age.

Burgundy's reds come from Pinot Noir, which its wine board credits with the region's great red wines, and its whites from Chardonnay, the grape behind the great whites of the Côte de Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise, the Mâconnais and Chablis. If you prefer white wine, that is the strongest argument for Burgundy. The Beaujolais does make whites, but they are a small share of a region where red is 95% of production.

Which is better for a first wine day?

For most visitors based in Lyon, the Beaujolais. You do not need a car or a train, the vines are under half an hour's drive away, and you choose between a half day and a full one. You also meet small family estates, where you often talk to the people who made the wine. And if you only have an afternoon, the afternoon crus tour leaves Place Bellecour at 2 pm and has you back by 6:30.

Burgundy rewards a longer stay. Its famous slopes are spread along the Côte south of Dijon, and a day there makes the most sense when you sleep nearby.

Do both on one trip

  1. Day one, from Lyon: a Beaujolais day, half or full. The crus full day or the Golden Stones half day both start on Place Bellecour.
  2. An evening in Lyon: the blind tasting, if you want to compare the two in the glass.
  3. Then north: move on towards Dijon or Beaune for Burgundy's Côte d'Or, and taste there.
Useful tip. Taste the Beaujolais first. Gamay's lighter, fruit-led reds are an easier start, and Burgundy's Pinot Noir makes more sense after them.

Verdict by visitor type

  • One free day in Lyon: the Beaujolais, every time.
  • A first wine day in France: the Beaujolais, for the short drive and the family estates.
  • Set on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay: Burgundy, staying further north.
  • A winter visit: the winter day, which starts at Mâcon Ville station.
  • No time to leave the city: the blind tasting in the Croix-Rousse.

Every shared start in Lyon is on beaujolais wine tour from lyon, and the private days, including the one from Mâcon, are on private beaujolais tours. How the Beaujolais divides into its two halves is on the Beaujolais wine route.

Where these facts come from

Days where the Beaujolais meets Burgundy

Next: Read the wines behind the comparison in Beaujolais wine facts. Every fare from Lyon sits side by side on Beaujolais Tours.