14 nights in France

AlbertaMax,
What time of year will this be? Also, I believe there is a typo re exploring Cote de Beaune. Did you mean to say Burgundy? Your idea sounds fine, and Bewaune is a good base for Burgundy, but time of year and length of daylight will affect what you may do.

I would remove 1 night in Burgundy to make sure you have 3 nights in the Loire, where there is quite a bit to do.
And I would just keep driving from Burgundy to Blois (or Orléans if easier to return the car there).

I agree - you need to add more time to the Loire Valley. Take at least 1 night from Burgundy and maybe 1 night from Provence. 4 nights in each area? We stayed at a B&B just outside of Gordes and it was perfect for exploring the villages in the Luberon. We stopped in Aix for a quick visit on our way and even drove to Arles one day. We drove all over the Luberon and saw lots of bikers. I hope you can go when the lavender is blooming! Heaven! We didn’t explore around in Burgundy - just Beaune, which provided a full day of exploring. We are going to the Loire Valley this spring, so I can’t speak to that. Except to say that I think you will want to keep your car for that. You will have a great trip!

I assume there is some way to research details of your biking plans, but I wanted to share my experience two weeks ago. You may well be experienced cyclists in which case the below won't come as a surprise.

I saw a cycling accident with car on the major bridge crossing the Loire in Amboise. Two cyclists were being taken away by ambulance. Two other cyclists were standing by looking shell shocked. I didn't see the accident happen - unobstructed views on the bridge roadway, vehicle lanes of adequate width, raised pedestrian sidewalk. I don't know what happened. This was all within 3 minutes walk of a cycle rental spot.

I was in Blois also - some steep hills, narrow streets, and stairs to get around town. Not terrain I could manage on a bike.

Countryside cycling looked unchallenging. Weather issues? I had several days of non-stop rain during my chateaux visits. I would want a car back-up.

Many bikes on the local trains - people use them to commute from train to work in places like Tours and the above towns. In some seasons, you need a ticketed bike reservation. Between Blois and Tours, I overheard an heated exchange between a train official and cyclist. He told her her bike was blocking passenger traffic through the luggage area and her response was that there wasn't enough room for bikes. That was not appreciated. He threatened to throw her off the train. I continued through the cargo area, so don't know the outcome!

I agree with the above thought of an additional night in the Loire. There is a lot.

AlbertaMax,
As others have suggested, I would spend just 3 nights (2 full days) in Beaune for the Burgundy leg of your trip, and add nights to the Loire area. The drive from Beaune to the Loire Valley (eastern end) will be a good half day. If you can find the time, a stop between them at Fontenay Abbey would be a real treat. We did the reverse, driving from Chambord to Beaune, with a stop at the Abbey. I am so glad we didn't miss the opportunity!
Bon voyage!

Thank you all for your replies. I think we are now planning on 5 nights in Provence area with a rental car, train or drive to Beaune for 4 nights, train to Paris for 3-4 nights (1 possible day trip from Paris) . WE hope to cycle once in Provence area and also a couple of times in Beaune and area. We have decided to return to France in a few years to tour Normandy Beaches, Mont St. Michel, Brittany area and Loire valley.
One of the couples had wondered about stopping in Lyon enroute from Provence to Beaune as they know someone there. I have read that cycling along the river is lovely there - other than that, what might someone do on an overnight there? Is the drive from Avignon to Beaune too much for 1 day?

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT.

I can't comment on driving in France, but Lyon is a large city with many and varied attractions. You could spend three days there, I think, without running out of things to see. Rick lists his top sightseeing suggestions for Lyon (as form any other destinations) right on this website:

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france/lyon << Click on "At a Glance".

Train from Avignon to Dijon is much faster than driving. Lyon is a major city, not a quick stop.
In Provence, Malaucene is a biking center with multiple bike shops and restaurants filled with groups of bikers from all over the world in the evening. It’s at the base of Mont Ventoux.

I would not give up the car until you finish with Burgundy. I’ve driven a portion of that drive and it was fine. It looks like 4 hours of mostly highway driving with good rest stops. We spent a week in burgundy in 2022 and used the car a lot.

Are you set on flying home from Paris? You could drive from Beaune to Annecy, explore Annecy, the lake, Chamonix - turn your car in at Annecy and get a driver to the airport in Geneva. Annecy is just 30 miles from Geneva. Then you could save Paris for your Loire Valley/Normandy trip.