A colour magnitude diagram to V=20 is given for 395 stars in the heavily reddened open cluster NGC 6649. The absorption-corrected distance modulus is 11.00+/-0.15mag (1585+/-110pc) assuming R(OB)=3.27+/-0.10 for NGC 6649 and based on a ZAMS with zero point referenced to a Pleiades distance modulus of 5.56mag. The range of reddening over the 5arcmin diameter of the cluster is {DELTA}E(B-V)=0.3mag. NGC 6649 contains the double mode Cepheid V367 Sct, which has <M_V_>=-3.80+/-0.06 and <B_0_>-<V_0_>=0.58+/-0.02.