The Porte Saint-Nicolas takes its name from a 13th-century church that stands some distance to the north, invisible from the gate itself.

The original fortified entrance, complete with drawbridge, hosted some spectacularly theatrical arrivals: Henri II and Catherine de Medici in 1548, Louis XIII en route to the Alps in 1629, and, most extravagantly, Louis XIV in 1669, greeted by cannon fire.

The current ceremonial arch, designed by Dijon architect Nicolas Lenoir Le Romain, replaced the medieval gate in 1770 as part of Mayor Maufoux's campaign to modernise Beaune's ramparts. During the Revolution, its aristocratic coat of arms was chiselled away and replaced with the words "Liberté" and "Egalité."

The gate marks the starting point of VoiceMap's self-guided walking tour of Beaune, which follows the Rue de Lorraine into the medieval wine capital, tracing its Burgundian ducal history, monastic wine cellars and the story of the famous Hospices charity auction.