Hospices de Beaune

Nicolas Rolin, chancellor to the duke of Burgundy, founded the Hotel-Dieu in 1443 as a hospital for the poor, and its inner courtyard is one of the most photographed roofs in France: steep pitches of glazed tile in green, black, yellow and red laid in geometric patterns, with dormers and a well. The great hall of the poor holds rows of curtained beds under a painted barrel ceiling, and the altarpiece of the Last Judgement by Rogier van der Weyden is displayed in a separate room. Donors gave vineyards, and the charity still owns about sixty hectares of good Burgundy; the annual November auction of its wine sets prices for the vintage.

What you actually see

• The tiled courtyard - patterned glazed roofs around a well and gallery.
• The hall of the poor - curtained beds under a painted timber ceiling.
• The van der Weyden altarpiece - a fifteenth-century Last Judgement panel.
• The pharmacy - jars and pestles from the working hospital.

When to go

April to October; the third Sunday of November brings the wine auction and fills Beaune completely. The building opens year-round. Mornings are quieter.

Honest expectations

The route is one-way and busy in summer, with queues in the narrow rooms. The hospital moved out in 1971, so this is a museum. Wine tasting is not part of the ticket.

Nearby

The Cote de Beaune vineyards begin outside the walls; Dijon lies north.