My wife and I are planning a 10-day trip to Burgundy for May of 2015. So far, it looks like we can fly into Lyon and then spend our time between there and Dijon. The goal is to see the sites and do a little wine tasting. It is hard to tell if we should rent one place somewhere south around Beaune as a base, or if we need to be thinking in terms of two segments (north and south) to avoid too much "windshield time". Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Chris
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
The best way for you to answer this question is to identify the things you want to see and group them geographically and into days. So you have a rough itinerary for a day (e.g. AM in Noyers sur Serien, lunch in Chablis, afternoon in Vezeley). Get a map. How many north days and how many south days do you have?
Armed with this level of planning you should be able to see how much windshield time is at stake.
Also, Beaune is a great base, but small, and you'll probably get tired of it after a few days.
Posted by
San Diego
552 posts
You have to ask yourself how interested you are in delving into the regions of Macon, Morgon, Moulin-a-vent, etc. Or perhaps you want to get a 'Bresse' chicken from the source?
If you are much more interested in immersing yourselves in Grand and Premier Crus, definitely stay near, or just north of, Beaune as a base.
Also, stay a few night in Lyon and then get a car. Parking fees are outrageous in the city. So I suggest not using it as a base for car exploration if you don't have to.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6504 posts
I'd suggest spending 2-3 nights in Lyon, where there's a lot to see, then renting a car and heading for Beaune as your base for the rest of the trip. Beaune itself is worth about a day, or more if you plan on a lot of wine and correspondingly less driving, but it's a good base for other sights in Burgundy. We spent a week there last year and visited Dijon (20 minutes by train), Vezelay, Alesia, Fontenay, Autun, Bibracte, Chalons, and places between. Not too much windshield time, we felt, but we like driving through beautiful scenery anyway. Beaune is easy to get in and out of, and we'd rather stay put and make day trips than change lodging often.
We stayed in this apartment in central Beaune, with nearby parking included, and were very happy with it. (It's not where the Homeaway map puts it, it's inside the city a few blocks from the center).
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9420 posts
Dick, what a nice apartment... now I wish we were going back so we could stay there. We loved Beaune. Nice of you to share.