Abbaye de Cîteaux

Although the abbey founded by Robert de Molesme in 1098, the cradle of the Cistercian Order, has undergone many transformations over the centuries, it has nevertheless remained the mother house of the Order, still inhabited by Cistercian monks. Inside the enclosure, you can visit some fine 15th-century remains: the restored copyists' cloister and library, and the unrestored 17th-century novitiate-definitory. Exhibitions on twelfth-century illuminations, the art of bookbinding, the monk's day and the originality of Cistercian government punctuate the visit. A film and an exhibition present monastic life at Cîteaux today. Cîteaux Abbey is also famous for its cheese: Cîteaux. This fruity, pressed cow's milk cheese with a pastoral flavour can be bought directly from the abbey shop, where the Cistercian monks perpetuate the region's cheese-making tradition by selling a cheese with a unique flavour at very attractive prices.

3 options: guided tour (1 hour 15 minutes), film (every half-hour), guided tour and film (2 hours).
- High season (July-August), guided tours at 10.30am, 11.30am, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm. Sundays 12.30pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 3.30pm, 4pm, 4.30pm and 5pm.
- Low season (May-June-September): 10.30 am, 11.30 am, 2.30 pm, 3.30 pm, 4.30 pm, Sundays 12.30 pm, 1.30 pm, 2.30 pm, 3.30 pm, 4.30 pm. October and All Saints' Day: weekdays 2.30pm, 3.30pm, 4.30pm. Sundays and All Saints' Day: 12.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm, 4.30pm.