Towns to stay in Burgundy and Champagne...

In Burgundy we enjoyed staying in Beaune. In Champagne, it depends on the size of town you are looking for and what you'd like to do. Reims is a large city with a lot to see and do, including wineries. Hautvillers had wineries we liked and is a cute small village. Dom Perignon is buried there. The Rick Steves guide had a nice driving tour and suggestions of other towns you might like to stay in.

I would stay in Beaune. There are options in the various wine villages, but you would need a car to get to restaurants.

We just spent a few days in the Champagne region last week and based ourselves in Epernay, which is so charming. We did day trips to Hautviller (small village) and Reims (larger city). If you visit Hautviller, stop by the wonderful Fernand LeMaire, a wonderful family-run, small Champagne house with fantastic Champagne.

My wife and I did a similar trip where we stayed in Fere-en-Tardenois, about a 45-minute drive from both Reims and Epernay. Besides all the tastings, we also visited American WW1 battlefields (Chateau-Thierry, Belleau Wood) and cemeteries (Meuse-Argonne). Not many visit these hallowed grounds, but well worth a visit. Dormans is a beautiful French monument to the soldiers lost during the battles in the Valley of the Marne. Our hotel, was outstanding and sits next to the ruins of the 13th century castle.
https://chateaudefere.com/en
I too recommend staying in Beaune, as it is central to Burgundy wineries and has the best choice of hotels and restaurants. We stayed at Hotel Le Cep which I would recommend highly.

I have been in Chateau-Thierry twice. The first time in 1999, the second time last summer , 2023. Never went out to Bellow Wood.

The first time it really hit me when walking from the train station and reaching the bridges over the Marne River, one of the rivers in Napoleon's "Four River Strategy" for defending Chateau-Thierry (he won) and France from the Allied invasion of 1814 and, of course, the importance of the river in 1914 and 1918.

I thought, so this is it, imagine how it must have looked (or smelled) in 1918.

In the city I saw the Anglo-French military cemetery from WW1 and the monument to the US 3rd Inf. Div.

Chateau-Thierry is more than its war history connected to Napoleon or WW1, it's the birthplace of De Fontaine, the famous fables writer if you're into French literature. In saw more of that in 2023 than what I recalled from the 1999 visit. Is the city worth a 3rd visit, yes, absolutely but I need the assistance of the Tourist Office.

If you stay in Beaune can you get to wineries without a car? How would you do that and are there any reasonably priced day tours from there to do wine tasting?

I don't know about tours from Beaune, but I'd be really surprised if there weren't. There are wineries within the town. There are also a lot of bike rentals, and if you look at the RS guide, I believe there is a bike route you can do to wineries on the outskirts. I would make appointments for all wineries. I can't recall the name, or format, but there is a place in town to do a wine tasting of wines from many producers.

Thanks! I'll have to get an updated guidebook. Mine is older. Appreciate it.

Thanks so much! We are staying in Beaune, and there are wine tours that start from there. I appreciate all of you for sharing your ideas and experiences. Rick Steves is great, but the people who follow him are just as great! Thanks!