So starting another idea, we want peace, quiet, but stimulating environs ... after Beaune where should we go, keeping in mind that we need cheap and we have 2-3 days to do it in (not Paris).
Could you give us more info such as are you driving? Do you need to be close to airport you fly out of?
In about 3 hours you can reach either Chamonix-mont-blanc or Annecy . Either one would give you a different cultural feel.
From Annecy you could visit Lake Geneva.
We went from Colmar to Baden-Baden for 3 nights in December. We stayed at the Hotel am Markt--in Rick's book and a good value. We enjoyed the Friedrichsbad Spa experience as well!
I was thinking we'd take trains, but I need to look into renting a car ... it might be cheaper and would give us more mobility. thanks.
We'd like to be close to the airport our last day/night so it's not a huge hassle to fly out at noon. I'll look into Annecy etc.
I'd thought about the castle trip, but don't know if we're into castles that much. Thanks all for your replies--they are helpful.