Thanks for your comments Dee Dee- Beaune was my first thought but it seems a bit far south from things we are interested in (Vézelay, Fontenay, Sens), and are thinking to stay in Auxerre. What would you recommend as day trips from Beaune? We like wine but aren't experienced at visiting vineyards in France.

Ok, the rules for wine tasting in France. There are three types
1) The well organised, paid for trips you get in the main tourist centres or with the better wine houses out in the country. You pay your E10 (or there abouts) and one of the marketing team walks you through the wine cellars chatting delightfully in accented English and deposits you in the shop at the end, simple.
2) Just the shop but with tasting opportunity, free-ish for the cheaper wines and maybe some pictures to look at
3) The smaller winery you stumble upon who has "mum" talking for free and hopes you buy some wine. These are often the best but, you must buy something to pay for their time, otherwise they will not let tourists in again next year. So we do a lot of these third types and will buy wine if it is good, if it is not good we buy glasses, knapkins etc to pay for the time.

So, if you drive East to Chablis form Auxerre you will only find types 1 and 2 because the place is world famous and the coaches come by their thousands, similarly in some parts of Burgundy proper. But Irancy is more type 3.

You look out for the word "degustation". Hope that helps. Good luck.

Unfortunately, that trip was 10 years ago and my memory isn't what it used to be. LOL. I know we visited 2 chateaux (one had a lovely glazed tile roof and gorgeous views). We visited two wineries. Another day was spent in Dijon and Beaune. I also had planned driving routes using a michelin map green routes stopping at towns and villages. That whole area around Beaune really is lovely. I wish I could give you more specific details but the notes for that trip were lost when my laptop crashed.

Thanks again, this is very helpful.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I have another question- it turns out we will be in Strasbourg while EU Parliament is in session. The Rough Guide suggested Strasbourg will be very crowded during this time- is this something to avoid? We could adjust our schedule although starting in Strasbourg is most convenient. Thanks if you have experience with this.

The only other time I was in Strasbourg was way back in 2002. It was September and the Parliament was in session which I didn't know until I got there. But, I do remember thinking how relatively empty the streets and cafes were, especially during the evenings in the area in and around Petite France. It must have been during the week rather than a weekend and there weren't that many tourists around. There was more activity around the cathedral and Place Kleber but I don't remember it being overwhelming or oppressive. Of course, that was 17 years ago and there seems to be way more tourist everywhere in Europe these days. I hope someone else will chime in on more recent experiences for you.

The high end hotels can fill up, but that's about it.

Thanks again everyone for your helpful comments. I do have one more question. We thought we'd take TGV from CDG and spend a few days in Strasbourg, rent a car and drive to Auxerre for ~3 days, drive to Colmar for ~3 more days, then take the train (or drive) back to Strasbourg and return to CDG on the TGV. That does seem to require some backtracking and two TGV trips- is the drive from Auxerre to CDG complicated/unpleasant? Alternatively, start Strasbourg--> train to Colmar where we get car and tour around, --> Auxerre, tour around --> to CDG for departure.

I imagine it is pretty much a wash but if anyone has any thoughts we'd appreciate them.

In 2009 we landed in CDG in the morning and drove to Auxerre for our first night. The drive wasn't bad even though we were using paper maps. (Google Maps has changed my life! LOL.) I do remember there was some congestion along the way coming out of Paris. But, we made good time and I wasn't too stressed even on very little sleep. I wouldn't hesitate doing that drive again unless something has dramatically changed. I would definitely do it rather than backtracking to take the TGV to the airport from Strasbourg. As an alternative, you could take a direct TGV from Dijon to CDG if you really don't want to drive to the airport.

Given the dangers of microsleeps and inattention due to fatigue I think it would be kind to the rest of the people of France if you do not do that again :-)

To the OP I'd take the train to Strasbourg and then car beyond back to CDG. Or you could take the train to Bercey, then Chatalet and then underground from there taking about 2 1/2 hours. From memory there are a limited number of trains out of Auxerre but it might work for you. It does depend if you like driving around the "peripherique".

Thanks, these are helpful. Train from Auxerre to CDG involves 3 transfers and metro so I'm kind of tired of doing that with large suitcases- hence direct from Strasbourg to CDG was attractive. Thanks, we'll consider Dijon as well.
WRT la peripherique, I took a bus from CDG to l'Étoile in March and it didn't seem like a terrible drive. We're used to city traffic so we'll just decide what is easiest for our itinerary.

You don't have to have large suitcases, you know. Many regular European travelers on this board manage to cover a lot of territory over many weeks with very minimal luggage, and it's all been documented. Traveling light seriously frees up your travel time, and state of mind.

Yes, the old adage = pack everything you /need then leave half at home. You can buy anything you will need.

Some people do not suffer much from jet lag. Others suffer from it terribly. I think that most adults who have travelled a lot and have driven rental cars from the airport know into which category they fall. I have noticed that I can drive with absolutely no problem from 3 to 5 hours after an 8 to 10 hour flight. Naturally, I will not recommend doing this to anybody else if you don't know your capacities. If you are unsure of your stamina, don't do it. But I will also not tell people that it is necessarily a bad idea.

It is pretty much the same as the "order" to stop to rest every 2 hours when you are driving. However, that is one rule that I generally follow, because I can usually feel that I need to do so.