Things to do/see between Beaune and Loire

We did this drive and had a lovely day. First we followed the Route des Grands Crus toward Dijon. We stopped quite a few times for photos of the beautiful vineyards. We didn't stop in Dijon, but we might like to in the future. From Dijon we visited the half timbered, medieval town of Noyers. Gorgeous and very interesting little town on a small river. Close to Noyers is Vezelay. Vezelay has an abbey and I've seen it on a list of beautiful French villages however, we didn't stop in Vezelay, either. We also did not stop in Orleans. It was a longish drive, about 5.5 hours without stops, to our destination which was Amboise. We felt there were many options for stops that we didn't have time for.

jonathanhandrews,
The Fontenay Abbey! Wonderful stop along the way. We drove from Chambord to Beaune and stopped there en route, and are so glad we did. You could bring a picnic lunch. It was about halfway for us. We spent an hour there on a partly rainy day. Only machines dispensing beverages when we were there, so if you want to enjoy lunch in the beautiful setting, bring your own supplies.

Agree with Noyers, Vézelay and Fontenay Abbey. Auxerre is very lovely too and certainly worth a stop and driving to it you can see Chateauneuf lying on top of a hill along the A6 toll road. From Auxerre you can drive to Guédelon and visited twice and to my opinion not to miss for someone with the interest in Medieval history. The construction still going on is interesting but of little importance from a historical point of view.

In Dijon not to miss is the Palais des Ducs de Bourgogne as it was the headquarter of the Ducs of Burgundy who created a buffer state between France and the Holy Roman Empire. And much involved in the Hundred Year War like among others things the arrest of Joan of Arc. It was also an important cultural centre attracting many artists and craftsmen.

There is a museum about Joan of Arc in Orléans, nice for those interested in history.

The Loire Valley, or Loire? If the latter, then all of the above is heading in the wrong direction - Loire (it's a Department) is south of Beaune. Easy error to make, but it might throw up confusion.

I'd dodge Vézelay, it's a fair way out of your way, and not the best 19th century (with further 20th century "improvements") rebuild I've seen - it feels very over-restored. It's the inland version of Mont St Michel, but much the poorer because of the lack of mud.

Instead I would head via Bourges, visit the Cathedral and the Palais de Jaques Couer.

We went to Guedelon in 2022 while driving from Brittany to Burgundy. I enjoyed it but it did make a long drive much longer. I recommend watching Secrets of the Castle on YouTube. This is a show about Guedelon. I found that the deeper understanding I had about project made the visit more interesting. It should give you more context about whether it is worth your time.

Guedelon is unique. I don't think you'll ever have another opportunity to see a "Medieval" castle being built in modern times using original techniques and tools (with only two small, modern exceptions for safety).
I agree with Simon about spectacular Bourges cathedral and the Maison Jacques Coeur being a good stop, but I'd still choose Guedelon over the already-completed Bourges cathedral.

Simon and Bets are the locals so I often defer to them. I just want to suggest playing with google maps or similar. We were going to Loire Valley and the owner of our Beaune inn suggested that we do the gorgeous Route de Grand Crus and I had found Noyers in my research. Both gorgeous and they did not add significantly to our drive time. That route also takes advantage to the "A" highways. That said, I have Bourges on my list for future travel.

I would watch the videos on Guedelon. Similar to OP, my husband thought it'd be interesting given his interest in the actual structures of castles/churches. For me, it didn't seem that exciting.

I second and third Bourges. (Somehow I keep forgetting to mention it, as Beaune overwhelms everything else Burgundian in my head.) Well worth a stop.

Judy, you may feel better to know that Bourges is not in Burgundy. Burgundy is large, but not large enough to encompass Bourges. Bourges is located in a region called the Berry, which is much more rural than most of Burgundy.

Bets,
Thank you. I am very ignorant of the many departments in France, and also the boundaries of the various provinces. Just a general understanding. It has been about 20 years since I visited Bourges (with good memories), and it was on a car trip that included Dijon, and Beaune, so they are wedded in my old head. I should really get out one of my maps of France and refresh my knowledge!

We love Guedelon and expect to return this fall for our third visit.

Blois supposedly has one of the most interesting chateaux. We haven't been.

The Museum at Issoudun has two exhibits you won't see in many other places. One is a complete apothecary and the other is a pair of intricate sculptures in what used to be the hospice. We made a jog out of our way to see this museum and it was well worth it for these two items alone, though there were plenty of other interesting artifacts.

Crumbs: I forgot about Issoudun - good call. It's becoming me somewhere we drive through when heading east, but it's well worth the stop. The Tree of Jesse is amazing.
https://daysontheclaise.blogspot.com/2015/11/tree-of-jesse.html?m=1