So my wife and I are traveling by car from Paris. As we leave Paris, we have 8 or 9 nights. I'd like to hit Burgundy on the way to Lyon, then swing East and see Annecy and Chamonix. Maybe even Geneva since we're right there. Anyway, I'm trying to decide how to divide up the nights spent in the cities. We wouldn't be staying overnight in Geneva. Just Burgundy, Lyon, Annecy and / or Charmonix. Does it may sense to just stay in Annecy and drive out to
Charmonix for a day trip? Thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Patrick, we did this in reverse from Barcelona/Provence. We spent one night in Lyon, 2 nights in Annecy, 2 nights in Chamonix Mt. Blanc and 2 nights in Beaune. Then, we drove to Dijon early on our travel day to Paris and turned in our rental car. We then spent most of the day walking around Dijon before boarding our late afternoon train into Paris. What I might suggest (in reverse), is to take the 2hr. TGV fast train to Dijon and rent the car there. The rental car agencies are in the train station. Or, you could take the train directly to Lyon and rent the car there and do what we did. We drove the Grand Cru trail in Burgundy and went way off the main highways to see the wonderful and scenic countryside. For Annecy, we found it to be a bit touristy. We stayed about 30 minutes outside the city. We ate outside of the main city as well. For Chamonix Mt. Blanc, we had a wonderful stay at L'Oustralet. They are two blocks from the main mountain gondola and a short walk from the center of the city.