The Tour Philippe le Bon is the 46-metre tower that rises above the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy in the centre of Dijon. Duke Philip the Good had it built around 1450–1460, when Dijon was the capital of one of the richest states in Europe. You can still climb its 316 steps to the terrace at the top, on a guided visit, for a view over the old town's rooftops.
The Tour Philippe le Bon at a glance
- Where: inside the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, between Place de la Libération and Place des Ducs, in the old town of Dijon.
- Built: between about 1450 and 1460.
- By: built for Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy.
- What it is today: a lookout tower that can be climbed only on guided visits booked through the Dijon tourist office; the rest of the palace holds the city hall and the Museum of Fine Arts.
- Time needed: about 45 minutes for the guided climb, plus time for the museum and squares around it.
A duke's lookout over his capital
Philip the Good ruled Burgundy from 1419 to 1467. Through inheritance and conquest his lands stretched from Burgundy to the Low Countries, and he founded the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1430. In Dijon he enlarged the palace his family had rebuilt since the 1360s and added this tower, on the site of a 12th-century watchtower that itself stood on an old Gallo-Roman tower. Officially it was a watchtower; in practice it was a statement of ducal power, visible from far outside the city.
After the last Valois duke, Charles the Bold, was killed in 1477, the duchy passed to the French crown. The palace became the seat of the royal governors and the Estates of Burgundy, and from the 1680s it was given the classical façade and semicircular square designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the architect of Versailles. The medieval tower survived the rebuilding; in the 18th century it was even used as an astronomical observatory. Today the palace houses Dijon's city hall and the Museum of Fine Arts.
What to look for
- The tower from Place de la Libération: the plain medieval tower rising behind the 17th-century façade is the clearest sign that the classical palace is wrapped around a much older one.
- The spiral staircase: 316 steps, with no lift, up to the terrace. The rooms inside the tower are not part of the visit.
- The view from the top: a full 360° panorama over the old town, the glazed-tile roofs of Burgundy and the countryside around Dijon.
- The Tour de Bar: the older, squatter tower of the palace, begun under Philip the Bold from 1365. It is named after René of Anjou, Duke of Bar, whom Philip the Good held prisoner here in 1431–1432. You can only see it from outside.
- The ducal kitchens inside the Museum of Fine Arts, with their huge fireplaces: a rare survival of the everyday side of the ducal court.
A prisoner in the Tour de Bar
The Tour de Bar has the palace's best story. René of Anjou, Duke of Bar and later King of Naples, was captured fighting Burgundy and held in the tower from July 1431 to May 1432. He was released for a while, leaving two of his sons as hostages, then ordered back in 1434, and was only freed in 1436 after paying a heavy ransom. René later became famous as a patron of the arts.
Tips for your visit
- Book in advance through the tourist office on Rue des Forges: visits are guided, in French and English, and groups are small, so places run out on busy days.
- Choose a clear day for the climb. The view is the reason to go up, and haze or low cloud takes most of it away.
- Travel light: the steps are steep and there is nowhere to leave luggage or pushchairs. The climb is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.
Nearby
- Place de la Libération: the semicircular square in front of the palace, with fountains set into the paving, best seen from the palace steps.
- Museum of Fine Arts: in the palace itself, with the richly carved tombs of the dukes Philip the Bold and John the Fearless.
- Notre-Dame de Dijon: the 13th-century Gothic church a few minutes' walk away, with its Jacquemart clock and the small stone owl on the outer wall that people touch for luck.
- Rue des Forges: a street of old merchant houses just behind the palace, and the place to book your climb.
See Dijon with World City Trail
Our Dijon scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 25 minutes of walking. It includes the Porte Guillaume, Saint-Bénigne Cathedral and Place François Rude. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Dutch.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Dijon.
Play the Dijon scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Dijon →
Play the outdoor escape game in Dijon →
Facts checked in October 2026.