Driving from Nice to Beaune

Four routes: 1] fast & expensive-- the toll road; 2] scenic 1: thru the Alps 3) Scenic 2: cross Provence & the Massif Central. Some of the most unusual scenery in EU. The longest route. 4] cross Provence not on the toll road.

How long it takes depends on how much time you've got. There are web sites that give driving times (& toll costs). With sight seeing, & not on the toll road, we averaged 100-150 miles a day.

Regional Michelin Green Guides are essential.

ViaMichelin.com only suggests one route for this drive. Take a look and see what you think.

Between Beaune and Reims you'll skirt Troyes ("Trwah", more or less), which I liked a lot. I found it visually a lot more interesting than Reims (the cathedral aside, of course). The historic center is full of higgledy-piggledy half-timbered buildings that look as if they'll come crashing down in the next heavy wind. Before my 2017 trip I read that Troyes gets no bus tours, and I was pleased to see that it was true. It's popular with French visitors, but foreigners don't seem to have discovered it yet. It's not a tiny little village, so if you want to explore it, I recommend some pre-trip internet research on parking options.

The absolute fastest route takes 6:15 min. As noted above in the first response, the A7/A8 route has some expensive tolls and frankly, the expressway is not the most scenic along this route. You will get tantalizing hints or glimpses of fantastic destinations, and won't be able to see much. Most people will break up a long day with a lunch somewhere. You can also take the route mentioned via the mountains, through A51, dropping through the Valensole plateau. A hybrid of the two is to take the A7 past Lyon and Orange and then cut over on D900 through the Luberon, stopping along the way, and rejoining the A8 east of Aix.

You could really take days to do any of the other more scenic routes. The choice depends on what you want most -- countryside, sites, wine, etc. Even a one night stop could expand a very long day.