Help me with 12 nights between Lyon, Dijon and Marseilles

Thanks for the reply. I've been to Arles and Avignon and in fact much of the region, Nimes and Montpelier being the major towns I have not been to. I will also plan to go to Cassis while in Marseilles. I've also been to Beaune but will look into the other day trips you suggest, though I'm not really looking for day trips (other than the ones I mentioned) so much as trying to figure out how many days each city warrants and the 'sensible' order in which to do them given I have to start in Lyon and end at CDG. I should also say I'll be traveling by train (no car).

To me it makes the most sense to do Dijon last, since it's so easy and fast to get from there to Paris. Marseilles --> Paris would be a full day on the train, no?

I would say that, of these cities, Dijon seems the least interesting to me, especially if you've already visited Beaune and won't be taking day trips to Fontenay, etc.. We were in Dijon for about a week several years ago and found it kind of boring. Good cuisine and wine, of course, but the city itself seems a bit meh (and is very dead on Sunday/Monday, if I remember correctly).

If it were me, and my flight home on Day 13 were after 2 PM, I would plan to end in Lyon. From Lyon are many trains that go directly to Charles deGaulle in 2 hours. Another night in Lyon beats a night at the airport.

You have an urban heavy itinerary for July. I would spend minimal time in Dijon and instead explore rural Burgundy with a car or bicycle. Dijon has its charms but is also a bit of a snooze, frankly.

I'd be comfortable spending a good five days in Lyon, plus day trips. It is such a great place.

I realize this does not fit your expectations, and may not fit the constraints of your trip. But maybe those are subject to change; I hope so.

Philip - that's for the input on Dijon. Do you think two nights (so one full day plus two half days - and if I put it last then the 2nd half day would actually be till about 5pm) is enough? I like to wander city centers to photograph them - often at different times of day - but I don't plan on a lot of museums. Certainly I'll go into architecturally significant sites (like churches). It is a bit faster to get from Dijon to CDG than from Marseilles - 2.5 hr from Dijon vs. 3.5 from Marseilles - but the Dijon one requires changing to the RER in Paris whereas the Marseilles one looks like direct to CDG.

Adam - interesting that you also found Dijon a bit boring. I guess I'll limit my time there. Unfortunately my flight out is at 10am so it really does make sense to spend the night at the airport (I've done that other trips and it's pretty painless). I realize the itinerary is urban heavy but these 12 days are the end of almost 5 weeks. We will have spent most of the first month in Croatia and Italy and almost all of that part is rural - islands, national park, small hill towns. Actually my husband feel a lot like you do - he's flying home two days after we get to Lyon and I'm doing the rest solo. He's just not that into the cities (fine with me, I like solo travel).

Yes, two nights sounds like plenty to me for Dijon. I'm stunned that the TGV can get you back to CDG that quickly. (Truly grande vitesse, I suppose.) That being the case, I guess there's no need to make Dijon the final leg. Getting to CDG from central Paris has always felt annoying to me.

Thanks for the suggestions. And now I'm convinced that two nights in Dijon should be enough.

Any thoughts on Lyon. I know it's larger and I definitely want to see it, but it's not really 'calling' to me. I originally thought 4 nights but am now thinking only 3. I probably do want to do day trips to Vienne and Perouges but they look like they would be rather short day trips leaving some time each day in Lyon itself. That would give me three afternoon/evenings and a morning - is that decent for Lyon?

Also you got me thinking that since the Dijon to CDG train involves changing to the RER (with a change from line A to B and then of course hotel shuttle to hotel and back again in the morning) that it might make more sense to stay in Paris that night instead. I have a 10:20 flight from Terminal 1 ( to Dublin) - is 1 hr for the RER and 2 hours at the airport sufficient? Obviously even a few hours in Paris beats the dreary airport hotel as long as it doesn't make the morning too crazy.