just_wandering

I plan on spending about two weeks in France during June or early July. I've been to several different regions of France but never to Burgundy and the French Alps, which is my objective for this trip.

I have sketched out a rough itinerary and would really appreciate comments from people who have been to either of these regions before. I also have a few specific questions I'd really like feedback on.

Rough Itineary:
Day 1: Fly overnight from USA to CDG
Day 2: Pick up car at CDG and drive to Bourges. Sleep.
Day 3: Sightseeing in Bourges, Vezelay. Sleep near Avallon or Auxerre.
Day 4: Drive to Beaune or Dijon, via Chablis, Tonnere, Ancy-le-Franc, Fontenay, Semur-en-Auxois, Chateauneuf (please see question below on which of these - or other places - is worth focusing on).. Sleep in Beaune or Dijon.
Day 5 and Day 6: Explore Beaune and Dijon and use one of these towns as a base to explore some more of the countryside.
Day 7: Drive through Lyon via Cluny, Beaujolais country. Sleep in Lyon.
Day 8: Explore Lyon. Sleep in Lyon.
Day 9: Drive to Grenoble via Vienne. Sleep in Grenoble.
Day 10: Drive to Chamonix-Mont Blanc. Sleep in Chamonix.
Day 11: Explore Chamonix. Sleep in Chamonix.
Day 12: Drive to Annecy. Explore Annecy. Sleep in Annecy.
Day 13 and 14: Drive to Geneva, Switzerland. Return car. Stay two nights.
Day 15: Fly back to USA.

Now some specific questions:

1. Some guidebooks say Bourges is well worth a stop, but it's a bit out of the way. Would I be better off skipping Bourges and heading straight to Auxerre/Avallon/etc., spending two nights there instead of one.
2. Would Troyes or Sens be better stops for the first night?
3. Any recommendations on which villages/sites to focus on between Auxerre and Dijon. There are several chateaux and several towns that sound really photo worthy (and I am an amateur photographer), but perhaps too many to really stop in.
4. Is it worth going to Chamonix which again is a little out of the way. By the way, I have traveled through a good part of Switzerland including the Jungfraubahn and the train from Zermatt that heads toward the Matterhorn. Given that, is the ride to the Aiguille du Midi worth an extra day or would my time better be spent somewhere else.

I really look forward to comments so I can finalize my reservations.

Thanks!

FrenchMystiqueTours

Bourges is nice enough but not worth going out of your way to visit. Sens and Troyes are also not as near to where you're exploring on day 2. You'd be better off going to Auxerre after arriving at CDG. On day 4 I see you've got a long list of potential places to visit and I think it's really a personal choice as to which of those places is of more interest to you. I wrote a trip report about exploring some of those places for a weekend and you can have a look if you'd like:

http://tinyurl.com/6wtm6u5

I've never been to Grenoble so can't really comment on it except to say that I think you're better of skipping it and going straight to Annecy/Chamonix. But perhaps you've got a reason for wanting to go or maybe others think it's worthwhile.

As far as villages (not châteaux or abbeys) to visit between Auxerre and Dijon I'd say skip Chablis and focus on Noyers-sur-Serein, Semur-en-Auxois and Châteauneuf-en-Auxois. I think Semur is best visited by doing the walk along the river outside the walls to the west and south. It's one of those places that looks better from the outside than the inside. You'll see in the photos in my report.

I spent two weeks at the Lac d'Annecy last summer and did a day trip to go up the Aiguille du Midi and that was enough for me. If you've seen lots of the Alps in Switzerland then maybe it's not worth it. Again, it's a personal choice. Ask 10 different people and get 10 different answers. Here's my trip report about my vacation at the Lac d'Annecy if you want to have a look for ideas in this area:

http://tinyurl.com/7er3tjn

Overall, I'd say it looks like you've done your homework and have a fairly well thought out itinerary. A bit of fine tuning and I think you'll have it figured out. You just need to decide for yourself on a few things.

FrenchMystiqueTours

I just wanted to add that I found the views from the top of the Semnoz Plateau near Annecy much more scenic than from Aiguile du Midi. I don't enjoy looking at gray rocks and white snow as much as I do green hills and valleys with little alpine villages. But again, you'll see pictures from both places in my report.

just_wandering

FMT,

Thanks for your reply! I checked out your trip reports - only briefly - and it looks like the photos and your impressions will be really helpful. I want to read it in more detail, though.

MaineGG

We covered much of this ground during our last trip to France. If you're interested, see my trip report and photos:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...tober-2011.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nce-photos.cfm

We stayed in Beaune liked it for a base. It's small and well-located for daytripping around the region. We visited Dijon by train (around 30 minutes) and walked the Owl Trail there.

The best drive of the trip, though, was between Chambéry and Annecy following FMT's recommended route via the Semnoz plateau. Beautiful and peaceful. There's a link to his driving directions in my trip report.

just_wandering

FMT,

I enjoyed your trip report and pictures. Your story about rognons de porc in Faverges reminded me of the time I stayed overnight in a small town north of Cannes which was especially known for its food. It was said to have some of the finest restaurants anywhere in France and at prices much lower than in the larger cities. I chose one of the highly recommended restaurants and saw "rognons d'agneau" on the menu. I knew that agneau means lamb - and I like lamb and don't see it very often on menus in the US - but I didn't know what rognons meant. The word was not in my dictionary, the server could not translate it, nor could a Canadian couple who spoke French and English sitting at a nearby table. I figured I'd give it a try. I forced myself to eat about half of the meal, which was rather pricey, before giving up.

(For any readers who don't know what rognon means, I suspect the word may come from the same Latin root as the English word "renal.")

Underhill

Well, I have a story about rognons. We had French neighbors in our California town for a year and became good friends. One evening they invited us for dinner with other French-speaking friends, and I did my best to converse with them in my feeble French. At one point the conversation turned to pets, and I said that our elderly cat had failing rognons. Everyone burst into laughter; apparently rognons are one thing in food, but there's a different term for them in animals. I never did find out what that was.

FYI, rognons are kidneys.

cocofromdijon

rognons = testicles

FrenchMystiqueTours

coco - You scared me for a minute but I double checked and rognons means kidneys and rognons blancs means testicles. I shall remember that.

FrenchMystiqueTours

just_wandering - Glad you enjoyed the report and pictures and hope it helped. I recommend looking at MaineGG's report as well.