Château de Couches

Seminars, workshops, conferences and team-building days can be organised here, with two meeting rooms, meals at the château's own restaurant and guest rooms inside the walls. The Château de Couches, also known as the château of Marguerite de Bourgogne, stands at Couches in Saône-et-Loire, in southern Burgundy.

Seminars and company events

The main seminar room sits beneath the timber roof of the chapel, under exposed beams, and suits meetings, conferences and workshops. A second room in the neighbouring Tour de Justice takes breakout sessions and can be turned into a billiard room for the evening. A seminar day includes breakfast served in the seminar room and an afternoon break. Activities can be added to the programme: a guided visit of the château, a commented tasting of the estate's wines, hypnosis, magic or mentalism shows, an escape game or a murder party, and other ideas on request. Cocktails are served in the medieval dining room or on the rooftop of the Tour de Justice. The château can also arrange transfers to and from Le Creusot Montceau TGV station, and a named contact handles seminar enquiries.

Rooms and capacities

The website names the two seminar rooms but publishes no capacities, so ask for the layout that fits your group. For larger events, French-style marquees can be put up in the parks and gardens, with a level of comfort close to an indoor room.

Accommodation

The château has three guest rooms, Chambres 1, 2 and 3, each with its own bathroom. Rooms 2 and 3 can be joined into a family suite with a private lounge. The rooms have air conditioning and Wi-Fi, and breakfast is included. Guests park below the courtyard of honour. For a larger group, plan additional hotels nearby.

Catering

Lunch and dinner are served at Le Blason de Vair, the restaurant inside the château, where chef Jean-Philippe Marques cooks with seasonal produce from local farmers and suppliers. The wine list draws on the château's own vineyards and the surrounding area. The restaurant is open to the public from Thursday to Saturday for lunch and dinner and on Sunday at lunchtime, so check how seminar meals fit around these services.

History and setting

The château is listed as a historic monument. It was built from the 11th century and reworked in the 15th, and its history runs from the feudal period to the Renaissance. The estate produces wine in the Côtes du Couchois. The château also runs a calendar of public events, including Halloween in late October, a Christmas programme in December and the Illuminations, which is worth checking against your dates.

Getting there

The château is on the D978 at Couches, with parking on site and an electric vehicle charging point. Le Creusot Montceau TGV station, on the high-speed line between Paris and Lyon, is the nearest high-speed stop, and the château can organise the transfer for your group.