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Burgundy for 10 days

Good day. We are planning 10 days in Burgundy. We have Airbnbs booked for 3 days in Dijon and 7 days near Beaune in Change. Our interests are small towns, cathederals, abbeys, historic sites and local gastronomy. We will have a car for our week near Beaune and we’re thinking of day trips to Beaune, Auxere, Autun, Vezelay and maybe one other small town or village. We also are thinking of a day trip to Château de Digoine, Château de Saint-Fargeau or Château du Clos Vougeot. I would love some feedback on what we’ve planned so far.

Posted by
2092 posts

In case you go to Saint-Fargeau, combine it with a visit to Guédelon, a construction site of a medieval castle using the original methods and tools. It's about 15 minutes driving south-east of Saint-Fargeau. https://www.guedelon.fr/en

If Roman history is of interest the place to go is Alise-Sainte-Reine some 15min driving north-east from Semur-en-Auxois. It’s better known as Alésia and famous for it’s siege by Julius Caesar, defeating the Gauls under the leadership of Vercingetorix. Think there is a good reason to assume that one of the most influential battles in European history took place there as the victory for the Romans opened the path expanding later the Roman Empire all the way north to the rivers Rhine and Danube and Hadrians Wall in the UK. All well presented in that smal but excellent MuséoParc Alésia.

Further Noyers, Chateauneuf and Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, the latter some 10min. driving from Alise-Sainte-Reine.

Posted by
4 posts

I just saw this thread. When are you going? If you have not already done the trip I wanted to add that Fontenay Abbey is amazing. You could also visit Chateau Ancy Le Franc.

Posted by
1352 posts

Yes to Fontenay Abbey. It is lovely and peaceful, rain or shine!

Posted by
8 posts

I agree Fontenay Abbey is amazing, and we did include it in for our week in Burgundy. The drive from Dijon to the abby was worth the price of admission, let alone the magnificence of the abby. We also drove down to the Rock of Solutré from our house in the country near Nolay, and that was another great drive - the hike was amazing too.
But, our highlights were those journeys not planned like the pop-up restaurant at Clos du Moulin Aux Moines winery near Meursault and La Cabane a pop-up restaurant in a park in Chassagne-Montrachet. We also were luck enough to take in two choral and organ concerts in cathedrals in Dijon and Beaune. Still, many places unexplored that merit a return trip.

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11 posts

We are planning a similar trip to Burgundy in late October, and I am interested in where to stay. Did staying in Beaune and Dijon work well as your home base? Would you recommend staying in Lyon as well?

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8 posts

We started in Lyon and stayed at an Airbnb there. Easy to get around via the metro and Uber works well there. Wouldn’t want to drive there though - too much traffic. Be careful with pickpockets in Lyon. We also stayed in Dijon for three days at an Airbnb - easy to walk around the city. If you do end up in Dijon, make a reservation at La Maison des Cariatides and do their tasting menu - a feast for the eyes at the palate. Our villa in Burgundy was in the country, near Nolay. Great boulangerie within a 10 minute drive. Small towns with great markets, Autun for one, are in abundance. We spent a week in Burgundy and could have easily spent two or three to take in more small towns with magnificent cathedrals and restaurants.

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11 posts

@orbenbill, thank you for sharing your great finds from your recent trip. I am trying to balance having a balance of spontaneity and pre-planned reservations. If you were to do it again, would you have skipped staying in Lyon and go somewhere else?

Also, did you leverage the TIC to help with your planning?