Need one more base in Burgundy or...

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Hello,

I've spent most of the day perusing the Burgundy forum and Michelin Green Guide and have gotten much great information.

We will be travelling in France in October. We are arriving at CDG, renting a car and heading directly to Burgundy from there.

Tentatively, we will spend our first night in Auxerre or environs, so that the drive on the first jet-lagged and sleep-deprived day won't be too long. No reservation yet.

Then, we are heading to Beaune where we have a reservation for 3 nights. Our adult son will be joining us (via TGV from Paris-Dijon) midway on the second day.

We have one other day available for travel...or we can head back to Paris where we are spending a week in an apartment. We have a choice whether to spend that free day/night in the Burgundy area, in Paris, or somewhere else that is interesting, beautiful and geographically convenient.

Things we want to do and see:

Bike riding around the vineyards near Beaune.

Visiting wineries if possible ( I understand its not like California where you just drop in).

Dijon. Markets. Driving around scenic villages.

Specific landmarks/places I'd like to go: Vezelay, Semur-en-Auxois, Autun, Fontenay, Tournus. (I'm mad for Medieval architecture but the family can take just so much...I'll work in as many of the above as I can.)

Anyway, sorry to be so long-winded, but should we stay an extra day in Beaune, go back to Paris, relocate to another part of Burgundy, or head elsewhere (within a 3 hour drive of both Beaune and Paris)? Thanks for any suggestions.

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I just got back from this area and loved it. Another day in Burgundy would be worth your time. If you're based in Beune, you could head south to Tournus, which has an interesting Priory/Cathedral (although I didn't love the town too much, it was OK). Then head west to Brancion, which has an amazing ruined castle/fort and a cute village at it's base where you can have lunch at a tiny restaurant. There's also a small church with the remains of some frescoes on the edge of the village with gorgeous views, too. Then head further west to Cormatin which has an amazing chateau set in beautiful gardens. We almost skipped this and I'm so glad I didn't. The whole area is green and beautifula nd easy to drive through. Be sure to check on the hours/months that things are open because many places close or reduce their hours after September.

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From Beaune you could visit the small wine village of Savigny-lès-Beaune, where there is a fine château tasting room as well as smaller places to visit. For a lovely ride, keep going through Savigny out to the hamlet of Bouilland; on the way you can visit the ancient chapel of Ste-Marguerite.

A don't miss is the cathedral in Autun, which also holds a Roman theater still in use.

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You've got some good advice and some good ideas of your own and no matter what you do with your extra day in Burgundy you won't be disappointed. But since I'm a huge biking enthusiast and spend most of my free time biking in the countryside near Paris I'm going to endorse your own idea of doing a bike ride. There is a great ride, on flat terrain, between Dijon and Beaune that will take you past the vineyards and through some charming villages as well. I've given detailed instructions on this ride to others so I'm just going to copy the same response I've given to others and provide it to you.

First of all, however, whether you are driving or biking you need to get Michelin maps of the scale 1:200,000. You can buy them from their website or once you get to France. The Michelin map number for Burgundy is number 519 (Bourgogne). 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/bike rides just reading 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

I know there are web resources you can use to search for bike paths in the Burgundy region. Let me give you a link to one that I am aware of. http://www.burgundy-by-bike.com/

I also have a list of web resources that show where there are dedicated cycling paths in France. This might already be covered in the link I gave you about biking in Burgundy but since I have this list in a word document it's as easy as cut and paste for me so here it is:

http://www.voiesvertes.com/

http://www.ffct.org/

http://www.af3v.org/Cycle-routes-and-greenways-in.html

http://www.gobicycletouring.info/

http://www.cartovelo.com/

http://randovelo.fr/randovelo/-Anglais-

http://slowtraveladventures.wordpress.com/

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/biking-directions-added-to-google-maps.html

Now let's get to my suggested route. I'll describe the route heading south from Dijon to Beaune but you can do it in reverse order too. I have a recent version of the Burgundy Michelin map and it has some of the dedicated bike lanes marked. I'm noticing that there is a bike trail leading out south of Dijon in the direction of Beaune. I'm sure you can check with the tourist office to see where the trail begins in Dijon to take you out of the city. The trail leads out of Dijon and goes through Chenôve and Marsannay and seems to end in Couchey. From here you are going to pick up one of the small white roads, the D122. Keep going south on this road to Vougeot, where you can pass by the château Clos de Vougeot. I've done this road in a car and it is quite nice and goes through several nice, charming villages and a couple of châteaux. From here you want to cross to the eastern side of the D974 to the village of Gilly-lès-Cîteaux. This village lies between the D974 and the A31. Follow the white roads from this town south (between the D974 and A31) to Nuits-Saint-Georges.

Up to this point the route I have laid out is pretty flat and shouldn't present a challenge to pedal. But you've got a choice to make here to avoid biking on the D974, the main route between Dijon and Beaune which is full of traffic. You can head east to Agencourt and then south to Quincey, Antilly, Moux and and Cussigny before ending up in Corgoloin, which is between the D974 and A31. From Corgoloin head south to Ladoix-Serrigny. See the next paragraph for the route from Ladoix-Serrigny to Beaune. The route I just laid out is flat and easy to pedal. I've never done this route so I can't tell you what it offers in terms of scenery but at least you've got the flat factor working for you on this route.

The other route takes you west of the D974 but you've got at least one hill on this route. The first hill you will encounter will be heading out of Nuits-Saint-Georges to Chaux on the D8. The Michelin map shows one gradient arrow on this route, but it is also a designated scenic road with some nice views of the countryside. After Chaux the map shows no gradient arrows on the rest of this route I'm suggesting so any hills (if any) shouldn't be too bad. From Chaux continue to Villers-la-Faye then Magny-les-Villers then Buisson then Ladoix-Serrigny, which is between the D974 and A31. From here follow the white roads south to Beaune, passing through Chorey on the way.

From Beaune you can take the same route back to Dijon, or you can try a different route. If you go back a different route you've basically got to decide on either west of the D974 or east of it. The eastern side is the flat and easy to pedal route. I've never done this route on the east but I bet it's probably not as scenic as the west route, but probably not un-scenic either. If you look at your map just pick a route through the villages that lie between the A31 and D996, following the white roads. Whether you go with the east or west route I think you are going to want to end up in Gevrey-Chambertin and retrace my previous route from here on the D122 back to Dijon. This is the route that will keep you out of traffic.

If you choose the west route it will be more hilly but more scenic. Just look at your map and pick at random which villages you want to go through and aim for Gevrey-Chambertin.

Having said all this perhaps you will discover there is a dedicated bike trail between Dijon and Beaune and you'll stick to that. I know I would follow one of the routes I laid out but I think you know what your comfort level is with a bike better than I do. The route I mentioned is all on small country roads so traffic will be minimal.

So there you go. I know there is also a bike trail south of Beaune that is called the wine trail and if you did a bit of google searching I bet you could find out about that route too. If you ask at the tourist office in Beaune I'm sure they'll tell you all about and probably have maps/brochures outlining the route. Here is the website for the Beaune tourist office:

http://www.ot-beaune.fr/

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Thank you all so much for the responses. I will print them out and bring them with us. Autun and Tournus were already on my "list", but I may have to sacrifice one of them since Vezelay is a must-see and I'd really like to see Fontenay as well. Four Romanesque churches in as many days may be more than my guys will want to see, given how many other great things there are to see and do. There seem to be so many wonderful things to do that I'm sure we won't be able to do half the things we'd like, but your suggestions all sound wonderful and it is great to have so many suggestions to choose from.

A bike ride through the vineyards is at the top of my son's list, so thank you for that.

We will definitely stay one more day in Burgundy, either in Beaune or a move west to Segur-en-Auxois for the last night. That may make sense, as my son really wants to visit the castle-in-the-works at Chantier Medieval de Guedelon on our way back to Orly (where we will drop the car before heading back to Paris).

Your suggestions helped me decide, so thank you very much.

BTW, if any of you been to Fontenay or Guedelon, I'd be interested in your opinions.

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We've been to Fontenay, which is very well preserved and gives a good picture of what abbey life would have been like. It's quite different from, say, Autun and the other large churches in Burgundy; the focus is on the abbey as a whole, with the chapel, cloister, dortor, and various other buildings.

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About this...

<< the drive on the first jet-lagged and sleep-deprived day won't be too long>>

My experience is that any drive or train trip during the first day after the morning arrival from the West coast is too long! that shouldn't keep you from doing it, but just be aware that any enclosed travel very quickly puts one to sleep.

We loved using Semur-en-Auxois as a base. Beautiful walled medieval city (though with no specific attraction), great place to walk, and lies between Fontenay and Vezelay. We liked our stay at Hotel Cymaises.

I too search out medieval history and Romanesque ecclesiatical architecture, and Burgundy really fits the bill. Favorite Romanesque churches were in Autun, Tournus (larger city churches), Brancion, and Chapaize (village churches). This would surprise some, but after really looking forward to seeing Fontenay I found that it was so tidy and "complete" that it seemed a little sterile, though certainly peaceful and beautiful. Took much more enjoyment from visiting the ruins of Cluny, even though there is very little left of it.

Also, driving though the Burgundy countryside was just dreamy.

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I've been to Guédelon and it's fantastic. Haven't seen Fontenay but if you've already seen a few château and churches then this is something completely different. I highly recommend a visit:

http://www.guedelon.fr/en/

If you need a lunch/food option after your visit to Guédelon head the the lovely little town of Saint-Fargeau nearby where the owner/creator of Guédelon lives in a very interesting and large brick château.

I've spent some time in and around Semur-en-Auxois and if you want to see some photos of it and nearby countryside and villages for some ideas you can have a look at my trip report: http://tinyurl.com/6dkeozh

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Thanks everyone for very helpful suggestions. I appreciate the feedback on Guedelon and Fontenay, too. And the idea of seeking out some smaller, less famous Romaneque churches is very attractive. I've always found "minor" or regional art and architecture to be really interesting and sometimes more illuminating about a period or style than just seeing the most famous works. You get a much better sense of the context in which the artist or architect was working.

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PJ, any restaurant recommendations in Semur-en-Auxois?

French-Mystique, I loved your blog entries about travelling the backroads of Burgundy. Your description of trying, and failing, to find a decent place to eat in one village, and having to fall back on the horrid "Cafe de la Gare" was funny and definitely rang a bell. It is nice to know that a more expert and seasoned traveler has shared this disspiriting experience. I think most Americans travelling in France share the romantic notion (reinforced by travel magazines) that every French village has charming but unknown little auberge where you can tuck into a delicious lunch. So it's demoralizing, and feels like a personal failure, when you search in vain and end up in the nasty railroad cafe.

Paris, France
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Well, maybe the Café de la Gare experience wasn't as bad as I made it out to be. Let's just say it was average at best. But if you look at my report the two places I ate at in Semur were decent. When you are in the middle of the countryside in a tiny unknown village at lunch time your lunch options are limited to none. Montbard isn't that small of a village and does attract tourists but I was there in the winter time on a weekday so lots of places were closed.

I just looked at the Semur tourist office website to try and remember the names of some of the restaurants that looked decent and the website has been all changed and I couldn't find any mention of restaurants anywhere on the site. As is so typical with French websites, they have redesigned it to be totally confusing and as close to useless as possible. I think the name of the restaurant by the river (outside the walls) where I had a good dinner was called Restaurant des Minimes. The place where I had lunch the next day was good too (and inexpensive) and was the place in town where all the locals hang out and eat. I think it was called Carpe Diem. There was a modern cuisine place I saw that looked good but a bit more expensive called Au Douze.

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