Help with itinerary for 3 nights Burgundy

We had a lovely wine tour with Authentica out of Dijon. Our only regret was not having more time in Beaune, so if we had had another day we would have gone back to Beaune for sightseeing or maybe have selected that as a base.

I'm doing something similar: mid-November, bookending in Paris and taking trains around Burgundy.
My particular interest is in ancient Gallic-Roman history, so I've planned my trip around that theme. I'm going to Autun, visiting Bibracte, a museum and archaeological site in the Morvan forest. Sounds like this is a great place for hiking and biking. Then I'm going to Besancon to see the Doubs river, ancient fortifications and to taste Jura wines, raclette and fondue. Then, on to Alesia, where there is a modern museum devoted to the final, deciding battle between Caesar and the Gauls united under Vercingetorix. Very excited!

I can recommend Cyclable in Dijon for bike rental. Solid equipment with good panniers. We rented for a day and biked to Nuits St Georges, had lunch, then worked our way back stopping to taste wine along the way. It's an easy ride. Near the bike shop is a restaurant called L'Escargot that is very good (if they have the entree of a salad with a melted fondue of Epoisses and chevre on pain d'epice, do order it!) Doesn't look posh but very good traditional food. Old school awesomeness at the Hotel de la Porte Guilliame. Avoid the Hotel Jacquemot in Dijon.

In Avallon, the Hostellerie de la Poste was quite good and Avallon is a lovely spot with a great Saturday market. Had an excellent meal at the Hotel de Moulin Ruats just outside town. It's a bit out of the wine area, but good hiking and countryside here.

For me Beaune is worth visiting for the Hospice, and as a base for nearby wine areas (Mercurey is interesting), but as a city, I much prefer Dijon.

Had lovely tasting experiences at Ch. de la Tour (Clos Vougeot), the community caves in Mercurey and in Saint-Aubin, and at Dom Javillier in Meursault.

Enjoy! It's a wonderful part of the world.

Consider staying in Beaune since you are coming via train. It has a TGV stop and is considered the wine capital of Burgundy. Pick up a copy of the Rick Steve's France book (if you don't have one already) as there is good information about wineries, bike rentals, and bike routes in the area if you are based in Beaune. My husband and I are planning a trip there in March but are staying in one of the small villages as we will have a car.

Re train to Beaune: Note that the direct TGV is infrequent. However, the transfer to the local in Dijon is trivial and easy.

I'm just saying, don't fret if you need to make that transfer. It's nothing.

Run do not walk to a bookstore and get a good guidebook to figure out what you want to see and do.

The bike shop in Beaune is excellent and will provide tons of advice about routes and itineraries that include vineyards, wine caves, restaurants, and other attractions. They will make reservations if you like and provide other services you probably do not need such as porting your bags from inn to inn.

http://www.bourgogne-randonnees.fr/

That time of year I would send them an email before you leave to learn their hours. It might just be a case of needing to make an appointment to pick up bikes. (Or they might be open regular hours.)

For poking around Burgundy, the hybrid VTTs are better than a road bike, btw.

Have a great time there!

Not sure what your budget is, but Hotel Le Cep in Beaune is an outstanding property. In Dijon, I'd recommend Hotel La Cloche. Both are near the center of each town and have excellent restaurants. As far as biking, you might look at Discover France's website (www.discoverfrance.com) for rides in the vineyards. They do self-guided rides only, but you might get some good ideas as to villages to see.