Heather7

We just got back from a trip to France including 3 days in Beaune in the Bourgogne region. It was the best part of the trip: the weather was better than we'd hoped for mid-late November and there were almost no tourists around except for us. Beaune itself is a lovely small town, very compact and charming, with ramparts and moats around it. We stayed at Hostellerie de Bretonniere and would recommend it: clean, inexpensive (63 euros), quiet (get a room upstairs at the back of the property) and only 2 blocks from the main part of town. We had excellent meals at Le Gourmandin and a restaurant in a wonderful old cellar called Abbaye something. Highlights included a tour and tasting at Chateau Pommard and a day in Vezelay.

Vezelay is a medieval village on a hilltop about 2 hours' from Paris and 2 hours' drive from Beaune, if you go by the winding roads through wonderful villages and the conservation area. You can also get there quickly on a multilane highway, but I'd recommend the scenic way there and the fast return at the end of the day (hwy A6 also goes past Chateauneuf en Auxois: definitely worth looking at from the highway and stopping by for the feel of the village, but don't expect much inside it). Vezelay was the best part of the vacation. The views from the mountain top are wonderful, as are the things you can see just walking around the village. The Basilica Ste Madeleine is the focal point: a suprisingly huge church that was a pilgrimage site during the 2nd and 3rd Crusades. Nuns and monks still worship there, and we were lucky to be inside right at noon prayers and heard astonishing singing (townspeople and tourists also join the services). Vezelay also seems to be an artists' haven, for obvious reasons, and you can spend the day in their shops looking at photography, sculpture, painting etc.

I would definitely recommend renting a car to look around the area. If you really don't want to rent one, you can see a lot of wineries using Beaune as a hub: we could have walked to Chateau Pommard in about 20 minutes down the highway, and there are several well-known wineries right in Beaune.

KathrynT

It sounds like a wonderful trip! Thanks for posting.

RobynFrance

Thanks for the interesting report. We have stayed at Hostellerie de la Bretonnière 3 times now and have always found it to be a delight--and so great to be able to park easily as well right in town at no extra charge. You didn't mention the market in Beaune, which is partially indoors and super, we think--the scenery all around is tip-top.

Vézelay has been one of the most magical spots for me--went there 40 years ago for the first time and entering those gates is always a a thrill. So glad you found it as wonderful as we do. We also love Avallon and so many of the other villages on the route in Burgundy.
It really is a special part of France.

MAP

Heather,
We are spending 3 days in Beaune and will have a car. If we stay in the immediate area for one day, would you rec. Vezelay for a full day, and then where for the 3rd day? Any good spots to eat in any of the above locations? Thanks. Also, we are staying at the Belle Epoque rec. by Wine Spectator. Did you see it or consider it by chance?

uhoh_busted

Driving around these areas is very very easy -- if you base yourself in Beaune you can enjoy the whole region.