Orleans to Strasbourg

It is going to take you about 4 hours to get from Orleans to the Abbey. When we went to the Abbey, we enjoyed the peace and stillness of it so much that we stayed about 3 hours, but we were not in rush. So let's say you leave Orleans by 9 and have no issues with traffic you will arrive at the Abbey at around 1 PM. You can probably make it through the Abbey in an hour. You should expect that it will take about 90 minutes to get to Beaune. If that all goes well and you are parked and ready to go by 3:30, that should leave you about 3 hours for the hospice if they close at 6:30 PM. I don't like that tight a schedule but it is doable. I enjoy a leisurely lunch when on vacation so this type of day would be too much rushing for me. The second day is going to be about 8 hours of driving all in but because you are going to Strasbourg only to spend the night, it should be okay.

I stopped overnight in Cluny between Chamonix and Avalon, where I spent several nights to explore Burgundy. Through no great planning on my part, I was in Cluny on Saturday, their market day and I very much enjoyed my time there but I was not so impressed with the Abbey itself that I would recommend going hours out of one's way to see it. I much more enjoyed abbey at Fontenay Abbey. There are so many great sights to see in Burgundy and Alsace. Chateau de Bazoches and Vezelay are near Fontenay and you'll pass near lovely Auxerre on the way there. Then see the Beaune hospice in the morning and stop to visit one or two of the Alsatian villages (Ribeauville, Riquewihr) or Colmar before hopping back on the A35 to Strasbourg.

PS - whatever you decide, GPS will be your best friend driving through the area.

Anyway in Burgundy there is so much to see and enjoy I would take it easy and use the three days you think about. Visiting Fontenay the same day is a good idea but to my opinion in your case I would keep as Chani already notes the visit to the Hospice in Beaune for the next day. Create more time to see (one of the) lovely places like (indeed) Vézelay, Semur-en-Auxois, Noyers, Montréal etc., they really add to the experience. Are not too far from Fontenay but the visit(s) need enough time that you have to rush if you want to visit the Hospice the same day.

But drive to Beaune at the end of the day for staying the first night there. The next day as already said you can visit the Hospice in the morning and in the afternoon Cluny. Stay the next night too in Beaune to keep moving around to a minimum and leave the third day for Strasbourg.

Be aware that driving over toll and freeways is timewise reasonable easy to plan, national and local roads not so much. Many speedlimits and local traffic especially trucks and tractors can slow down the speed considerably. If the planning is a bit tight it will make the drive not so pleasant.

Merci beaucoup for all the suggestions, especially on drive times. We are travelling with relatives, first-time visitors to France, so we want to make their experience very enjoyable. We could start off from a town closer to Fontenay than Orleans. We definitely won't rush Fontenay and will head toward Beaune later on that day, perhaps stopping in Vezelay for the night, then on to Beaune in the morning. I've stayed in Beaune, and will probably only visit the hospice, as we will have seen several cathedrals already, and we are trying to show our relatives a variety of sights. We have a day to play with, so could stop somewhere Beaune and Alsace for the night, or shoot through to Strasbourg on the autoroutes. TBD later. All advice is appreciated!