quaint towns between HonFleur and Burgundy region

Beaune is right about at the midpoint, interesting enough for a couple of hours, and has a slew of hotels in all price ranges. I'll be stoned by Rickites, since my druthers would be Dijon, but it's a bit more trouble to get in and out of.

Thanks, Ed, I must have not been clear about a mid-point. Looking for something between Honfleur (Normandy area) and Dijon. We do plan to stop at Beaunne,Lyon and Avignon on way to Marseille. Have you been to Grasse?
thanks, Rebecca

The easy question first, yes I've been to Grasse and like it. Bets is the expert down in that neck of the woods, however. I'm confused as hell, however. Grasse is just north of Cannes, not such a great stop enroute from Honfleur. If you're looking for a stop twixt Honfleur and Dijon, and you haven't seen Chartres, that's the obvious place. The cathedral is the hands-down winner for the best of the notre dame style gothics. Also, going that way keeps you off of the darn Paris peripherique's southwest sector. The old part of town ain't that bad either. If you spend the night, use the underround parking lot right in front of the cathedral. The best places to eat are off to the right side of the cathedral. Keep trying, I'll catch on eventually.

Ed named exactly what I had in mind: Chartres. The only thing is that your gps or Viamichelin will take you back north on the autoroute and around the southern part of the Paris region instead of straight south from Chartres through Montargis and then towards Sens. This is because the autoroutes are theoretically the fastest. You should check the route from Chartres to Dijon on a map. Other choices for a half-way point would be the village of Barbizon where the Barbizon group of painters was formed or Milly-le-foret, another town in the Fontainebleau forest area, or even Fontainebleau. As for the rest, you have nice stops planned a couple of hours apart.

Thanks for your suggestions.