A spare night driving from Burgundy - where do you suggest?

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A spare night driving from Burgundy - where do you suggest?
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We have 10 nights in Burgundy before we go to Paris. We have previously had overnight stops in Macon and Auxerre, but don’t know Burgundy. This is the draft plan – and I’d love some comments, especially on where to spend the last night prior to going to Paris.

Drive from Lyon to Cluny and overnight that area: maybe Tournas?

Drive via Beaune to Dijon (3 nights Dijon)

Drive to Avalon area via Autun and Morvan National Park. 2 nights in Avalon area

(short trips to Vezelay etc)

Then 3 nights north of Noyers sur Serein area. Visit places such as Jardin de Moulin, Fontenay, Semur-en-Auxois etc.

Then there is one more “spare” night before driving to somewhere close to Paris, and leaving the car and catching the train to Paris. I would like ideas on this: should we add one more night to the Noyers sur Serein area? Or have this “spare” one night somewhere like Sens, Troyes or Fontainebleau? We have not been to any of these. The Michelin Green Guide gives 3 stars to Troyes and to Fontainbleau, and 2 stars to Sens. I look forward to some ideas here.

Chicago, Illinois
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1. Re: A spare night driving from Burgundy - where do you suggest?
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We spent a week in Semur-en-Auxois last year and it was just a great walking town and so beautiful -- a night there and morning to stroll the ramparts, enjoy walking along the river below the walls etc would be well spent. -- it can be done as a brief stop, but it is a beautiful place to spend a couple of days. when we were there we just stayed put on several days rather than day tripping because it was just so beautiful.

I did some Burgundy posts on my travel blog which might give you some ideas

www.janettravels.wordpress.com

we stayed at a great little inn on a small river (large creek) in the Morvan near Avalon Moulin des Ruats --- great restaurant, lovely spot -- we did a little hiking from there and it was a good base to visit Vezelay

Edited: 9 years ago
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Hello Janet - thanks so much for the link to your excellent blogg - I have had a really quick look, and will return to it to read it in depth. I notice you were also in Montepulciano - we will be there for a week, before going to France, so that will be good to read also. I had already done some research about Semur-en-Auxois but could not find an apartment or gite at a reasonable price (we had thought of basing ourselves there for a week), but since then found some nice places to stay in the areas I mentioned in the initial post here. Then we thought that 2 bases/places might work well - with visits to places within easy distance of each. I need to keep researching - or read if I get more replies - for a place for that last night on our way north to Paris.... look forward to suggestions. Many thanks again.

Toowoomba, Australia
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3. Re: A spare night driving from Burgundy - where do you suggest?
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With that time , I would be choosing to stay in one place in a rental for a week. We have stayed for four weeks in different areas of Burgundy. We stayed near Flavigny in 2006 and visited Noyers, Fontenay, Vezelay, Dijon, Semur on day trips. So I definitely think you could stay for a week in an area and reduce your moves from place to place.

Last year we spent a week in the Maconnais region and loved it, as well as a week in Varzy. In 2008 we stayed near Givry and Flavigny. For example, it is not really very far from Tournus to Dijon, or from Dijon to Avallon. So a central base would allow you to see all of these places. If not a week in one place, perhaps two five night stays in the south [around Cluny] and in the northern part[ even in Dijon] from where you could do day trips.

Perhaps an overnight in the Champagne region might solve your last night problem if you stay with your current plan.

Paris, France
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4. Re: A spare night driving from Burgundy - where do you suggest?
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I've got a few ideas for you. If you haven't done so make sure you get Michelin maps of the scale 1:200,000 for whatever region you are traveling in. The Michelin maps have icons for all kinds of historically/touristically interesting things such as châteaux, ruins, churches, abbeys, scenic view points, caves, Roman sites, megaliths, designated scenic roads and many other things. Usually when I'm exploring various regions in France I just look at the map and I am able to plan interesting and scenic drives just reading the map. You can also get a sense of which places might be worth a visit by reading the icons on the map. For instance, I usually look for a designated scenic road, which are highlighted in green, and I especially look for towns with the historic church and/or château icon. I also try to make sure the route goes through as many small villages as possible. Usually putting all these things together I find interesting and scenic drives without even knowing where I am going and with no assistance from a guide book. Often these places are never mentioned in guidebooks and remain completely unknown to many tourists.

You can buy the Michelin maps from their website and here is a link to the page that shows all of the maps of France: http://tinyurl.com/4bt96ev

Tha Burgundy map (Bourgogne) is number 519.

And speaking of Michelin, you can go to the website viamichelin.com and get info on drive times and distances, toll and fuel costs and suggested routes (i.e. scenic routes). The drive times given do not consider stops (fuel, food, bathrooms) nor do they consider bad weather and traffic.

I wrote a trip report about spending a weekend near Semur and it is full of photos and some historical tidbits if you'd like to have a look. I think you will enjoy the story I uncovered regarding the origins of the motto of the town of Semur. I cover some of the places mentioned, such as Noyers and Flavigny, plus a whole bunch of anonymous little villages in the area.

http://tinyurl.com/6dkeozh

Here are some links to tourist office/château/abbey websites in Burgundy that you may find useful:

http://www.visitdijon.com/en/

http://www.beaune-tourism.com/

http://www.vezelaytourisme.com/

http://www.ville-semur-en-auxois.fr/

http://www.noyers-et-tourisme.com/

http://www.avallonnais-tourisme.com/

http://www.alesia-tourisme.net/index.php?id=40

http://www.linternaute.com/sortir/escapade/selection/villages-medievaux/11.shtml

http://www.chateaudepoisses.com/sites-fr.html

http://www.epoisses.fr/Main.aspx?numStructure=79987&numElement=46883&numRubrique=473018&transfert=1

http://www.abbayedefontenay.com/abbayedefontenay.htm

http://www.commarin.com/

http://bussy-rabutin.monuments-nationaux.fr/fr/

http://www.chateaudetanlay.fr/

http://www.chateau-ancy.com/

http://www.chateaux-france.com/bourbilly/

I'm not sure why you are driving from Lyon to Cluny, which is only a distance of 88km, if you are just overnighting there and heading to Beaune/Dijon the next day. Why not just head right to Beaune? However, if you are going to overnight in Tournus/Cluny then I would explore that area a bit the next day. Certainly you could spend time visiting the Cluny Abbey the next day but if you look at your Michelin map you'll notice right near there are a bunch of towns with the historic church/ruin/château icon, such as Brancion, Lugny, Blanot, Chapaize, Saint-Gengoux-le-National, Cormatin, Chissey-lès-Mâcon and Taize. I bet there are a bunch of other tiny villages here that are charming that don't even have a map icon. There are also some designated scenic roads in the area as well as scenic viewpoints and some grottos/prehistoric sites. I haven't explored this area myself but I've seen it many times from the highway and spotted some cute villages from the road and just seeing the icons I'm seeing on the map and having passed by and gotten a visual this is a place I would target, and it will be the next place I visit in Burgundy. I've never heard of anyone on the forums visiting these places so you could break some new ground here. This might be a good way to use that extra night in Burgundy.

If you want to learn a bit about some of the towns I mentioned you should check their official town or tourist office websites. You will find loads of info on these websites including hotel/accommodation and restaurant info as well as what to see and do in the area. Occasionally the websites have English versions. In doing a google search enter the name of your town followed by the words "site officiel" or "office de tourisme" and this will bring the town to the top of your search. Another thing I like to do to see if a town may be worth visiting is enter the town name in a google search followed by the word "photos". Sometimes I visit a town if I find it looks charming/interesting in photos.

I suppose another site you might consider with extra time would be the caste of Guédelon. This is a site in the forest where they are reconstructing a 13th century castle using the tools and techniques from the time and everything is done right on site. They've got a whole village set up there. It is fascinating and I don't now of anyone who didn't enjoy their visit there, including me. Here is the website:

http://www.guedelon.fr/

Of course, Troyes is also a good option:

http://en.tourisme-troyes.com/

Edited: 9 years ago
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5. Re: A spare night driving from Burgundy - where do you suggest?
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Hello, what generous replies - I am very appreciative and will really research all these options - thank you. Just in passing, the reason we are driving from Lyon and overnighting near Cluny is that the train from Italy gets in around 2.30PM, and so we really only have half a day on that day - however, I will re-think the idea of travelling through to Beaune and overnighting there - but the idea of exploring Cluny and that area does appeal too. I can't wait to do further research - and yes, I do have the wonderful Michelin map of Burgundy and the Michelin Green Guide to Burgundy - I do love maps!! Kind regards and thank you all once again. Keep the ideas coming - if you think of anything else!

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6. Re: A spare night driving from Burgundy - where do you suggest?
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The town of Troyes is lovely, full of amazing churches which are themselves full of art. It was quite a centre of art at one stage. Also many streets of medieval buildings.

We stayed at the Auberge St Jaques which is in the centre of the medieval town and has a part of the municipal car park, so you drive underneath and enter the hotel from the garage. Very sensible.

We drove into Paris through the champagne area, stopping at Epernay and visiting a champagne shop that had tastings and lots of info on (and different bottles of) champagne.

Then we left the car at Gare du Nord.

Paris, France
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7. Re: A spare night driving from Burgundy - where do you suggest?
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Actually, I kind of like the idea of visiting Cluny and that area around there. Maybe spend your first night there as planned and explore the area the next day before heading onto Beaune for your second night. I don't really know what to suggest because I don't know what you might be considering visiting. If you put a list out of what you're visiting then I and others might fill in some gaps with worthwhile places that might not be on your agenda. I often like to not have an agenda and just wander around and get lost using the Michelin map. That's always fun too.

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8. Re: A spare night driving from Burgundy - where do you suggest?
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A good point French Mystique. We are not "food and wine" experts, so that is not a focus when we travel We are interested in history, architecture, how people live, how countries "run"; art and galleries, theatre and music. We are a "mature" fit couple. We like staying (generally) in towns rather than remote country locations. On the list for this trip (in this part of France) so far are the places such as: Cluny and Tournas, Beaune, Dijon, Autun, Avallon, Fontenay, Semur-en-Auxois, Tonnerre, Noyers, Chateau d'Ancy-le-France, Vezelay and so on. In no particular order. And we don't "need" to see everything. We also like visiting gardens. We have been to France several times, and like using apartments - but this time thought we might also like to stay in 2 B and B -type places that look nice - for 2 or 3 nights each, for a change. Lynn - we are a bit nervous about driving into Paris - so that is why we thought we'd leave the car out at a town with good rail connections to Paris - that is why I was researching either Sens or Troyes. Thanks so much everyone!

9. Re: A spare night driving from Burgundy - where do you suggest?

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