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Waypoint Suggestions Between Amboise and Beaune

After spending a few days near Amboise, we plan on driving to Beaune for another 3 days. Along the way, we would like to stop at a picturesque town or village where we can have a nice lunch, streach our legs by doing some walking around, find some interesting shops or markets, and then continue on to our destination.
Our intention is to drive about 3 to 3 1/2 hours and arrive after mid day. That plan would appear to give us several choices that look interesting to us.

Auxerre, Noyers sur Serein, or Semur-en-Auxois.
Just wondering which of these towns the folks on this forum might suggest for a nice mid day visit?

Thank You!

Posted by
10621 posts

Auxerre is actually a small city, prefecture of the Yonne department. Very interesting, not many tourists with a lot of restaurants for locals. Noyers is a cute town with a lot of old structures. Semur, though interesting, is getting you beyond the halfway point. One town you overlooked is Chablis, only 14 kilometers from Auxerre. Very pretty with a lot of restaurants.

Posted by
824 posts

Unless you're planning on spending your day bashing along the Autoroutes I can't see why you're thinking of going within cooee of Auxerre - that means you're spending the first half of your journey heading away from your destination.

Sancerre is almost exactly halfway between the two, about 2h45 from Amboise, and 3h15 from Beaune (real life timings, not over ambitious route planning timings). The advantage is that you'll see some good scenery along the way, and not have to pay any tolls.

Posted by
7300 posts

Simon nailed it, Sancerre was my first thought!
Nearby Guédelon castle (a castle built in the past ~20 years with medieval techniques) could be of interest as well.

Posted by
10621 posts

I was going to suggest Saint Fargeau and a visit to Guedelon in the Puisaye, an hour west of Auxerre.
Saint-Fargeau/Guedelon and Sancerre are on the 4-lane highways and two-lane roads. Auxerre is on the autoroute that goes north and east. Noyers and Semur are beyond the halfway point.

Posted by
82 posts

If you are going by Saint-Fargeau and Guedelon, another stop nearby is Colette's childhood home at Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye.

But in this area I'd give priority to Guedelon, which I think well is worth a detour. It's fascinating and there's nothing else in France like it.

Posted by
50 posts

The advantage is that you'll see some good scenery along the way, and not have to pay any tolls.

Thank You all for the input!

Simon or Bets, would you say the route following the D-976 / D-926 north of Vierzon would be a "scenic" drive? Or would you suggest another way to Sancerre or possibly further on to Saint-Fargeau and a potential stop at Guedelon?