What is the best way to get from Charles de Gaulle airport to Beaune?

The train straight out of the airport with a change in Dijon will be faster than any other surface transportation and result in an earlier arrival as well if you catch the initial departure right. I think it's a four/five times a day deal. After Dijon they're so frequent it won't matter.

If you are flying in from the US, I would put renting a car and driving at the bottom of the list of choices. If not, it is an easy drive from CDG and takes about 3 hours if there is no traffic. Hiring a car and driver will probably cost approximately 750 euros -- maybe more. You can take the train directly from CDG. That train will usually stop in Lyon which is south of Beaune and then you would change for a northbound local train to Beaune. The trip usually takes about 4 hours. Alternatively, you could make your way to Gare de Lyon or Gare Bercy in Paris (trains to Beaune leave from both) and take a direct train. Travel time is around 3 hours. I have done all of the above methods except hiring the driver to get from CDG to Burgundy. The worst was being in the car with a driver suffering from jet lag that kicked in about 1.5 hours away from CDG while we were stuck in horrible traffic. Easiest for me was going to Gare de Lyon and getting the TGV, but that is because I have an aversion to going past my final destination to head back. But that is a personal idiosyncrasy and the most cost and time effective way is probably the direct train from CDG. Do you know how to check the train schedules without going through RailEurope?

Last time I checked, there was one train a day from CDG directly to Dijon and it leaves at around 8 PM. So unless that works with your timing, you will still end up having to go to Lyon to change trains if you leave from CDG and the train from Lyon to Dijon is the train to Beaune.

Requesting a departure from Aeroport Charles de Gaulle TGV station, I get the same schedule results JHK reported. Train connections from the airport to Beaune via central Paris take 3-5 hours with 2-3 connections. If you want to deliberately detour via Lyon to avoid going into central Paris, and just make one connection there, then those TGV trains leave the airport almost every two hours (fewer mid-day), take 2 hours to get to Lyon, are probably more likely to get full, and the total ticket price will be more expensive.

How to Look Up Train Schedules Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it.

Do you need/want a car for the next part of the trip? Driving with jet lag is not the most safe or fun option, but navigation along the main, toll autoroute is pretty easy, with 3 - 4 hours drive time.

Great suggestions. Didn't think about the jet lag! So thanks. Also thanks for the train schedule link. Didn't know about that.

We are a group of 6 traveling from CDG to Beaune in August. After much discussion we decided to hire a personal driver (650 euros). I have been to Europe multiply times and this is the first time I've hired a driver. The reasons to support our decision were 1) would have to take a taxi from CDG to Gare Lyon and then take the train to our destination. After traveling 10+ hours from the West Coast, we thought it would be exhausting. 2) no one in our group wanted to drive out of CDG and 3) the train at CDG to Lyon did not depart until late afternoon. We arrive in Paris around 10:30 am. Yes it is expensive but when suffering from sleep deprivation it seemed like a no brainer. I'll provide an update when I return. Cheers!

Debbie -- I think you've made a great decision. At a little more than 100€ a person, you'll avoid lugging onto all sorts of different trains and cabs and metros . . . .value is not only in the number of euros (or dollars) that you spend, but in the hassles you sometimes can save yourself from in order to preserve your energy for your vacation instead of expending it all on just getting there!

One option that worked well for me and a friend was to take the Air France bus that goes directly to Gare Lyon. We made it to Beaune by 10:30 am!

The bus is an easier connection, but if traffic is bad it can be slower than the RER. Traffic is probably not an issue if your flight arrives early and you pack light so you can skip baggage claim.

This was however cutting it fine for us, to the point that we hedged our bets by not buying tickets in advance. (No risk of missing our ticketed train seats that way.) Consequently we payed full fare as the "price" of this convenience.

For you, it will depend very much on when your flight gets in.

There's a later train that will still get you into town for a late lunch.