Hi, I will be at a conference if Paris in September. I am arriving 5 days before the conference. Was thinking of going to Burgundy/Beaune/Dijon area for 2 days, then to Chamonix for 3 days and back to Paris. The conference is 3 days so I figure I will get in Paris sites in the evening and will have 1.5 days free before flying back. Does this sound like a doable schedule? Is taking the train to Burgundy the best option? It doesn't seem to be easy to get from Burgundy to Chamonix. Any recommendations? I love scenery and wine and meeting people. Also traveling alone. Just trying to firm up my plans. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!
Posted by
26 posts
I looked everywhere to get from Paris to Chaminox for my August trip. I have a short time there too, and decided on flight to Geneva then the ski bus to Chaminox. It wasn’t much more than any bus or train for certain flight times, and the ski van adds about $60 to the total. It was worth it for my short stay to save about 6 hours each way. I could not make the short bus or train work for my schedule. Dijon has an airport, so I would check that.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thank you for the response! It is very reasonable to fly from Paris to Geneva (140.00 RT) but I got the bright idea to go to Burgundy and take the train from Paris to there since it is only 3 hours. That is when it seemed that the trip from Burgundy to Chamonix was going to be very long, like 5 hours by bus. Was going to fly back from Chamonix. Just wondering if there is a better way?
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
If you can fly into Geneva on your first day and work your way back to Paris, you will save yourself a boatload of time.
On the other hand, there's no great advantage to flying from Paris to Geneva and then taking the bus. It will probably take the same amount of time (7 hr) as the train, in the end; maybe an hour less if there are no glitches along the way.
Posted by
SF
72 posts
Have you considered driving? A one-way rental through Burgundy and then up to Chamonix and then on to the French side of the Geneva Airport to fly back to Paris. Use Ferney-Voltaire as your return destination for the car. It is not a long drive from Paris to Dijon or Beaune and it is pleasant. We visited the Hotel Dieu in Dijon and then spent an afternoon on bikes through the Beaune countryside some years back. Rent a car when you arrive at CDG and head toward Burgundy, bearing in mind how you react to jet lag. My sense is that if you avoid Paris and head east, your 5 days work to get to the places you are going.
Day 2: Drive to Burgundy, give it a day, spend the night in the area,
Day 3: Drive to Chamonix, The ride from Burgundy to Chamonix is spectacular.
Day 4: Chamonix--the day you do the ascent to Aguille du Midi and cross to Italy (Hope you have a sunny day-especially since we will also be there in late September and know the ride is best if sun is shining off the glacier). We are only going to spend one night in the area and unless there are problems with tickets, it should be enough to see the best of the area.
Day 5: Chamonix, drive to Geneva, fly to Paris
Posted by
SF
72 posts
Just to clarify....get a car when you land and head east to avoid the traffic of downtown Paris. The scenery keeps getting better as you head into the country. You might want to plan your route to take you past Annecy. GoogleMaps should help you get a sense of driving times but we rarely cover ground as fast as Google suggests. Add at least 30% to the times the maps give you.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Oh my! Thank you so much for the responses here! this is very helpful.
Posted by
SF
72 posts
Just to clarify....get a car when you land and head east to avoid the traffic of downtown Paris. The scenery keeps getting better as you head into the country. You might want to plan your route to take you past Annecy. GoogleMaps should help you get a sense of driving times but we rarely cover ground as fast as Google suggests. Add at least 30% to the times the maps give you.