jagger

We are planning a trip to Beaune, France in August. We are seeking advice on our transportation options. After a week in Beaune, we must get back to the Orly airport for a flight to Pisa, Italy. What is the best way to get to Beaune? We are leaning towards flying to Lyon, renting a car and driving to Beaune. After our trip in Beaune we will drive to Orly, return the car and catch our flight. We have been advised from some that, to avoid traffic and other hassles, a train from Paris to Dijon may be the best way to go. However, we are unsure if any TGV trains run directly from Charles de Gaulle airport and if any TGV trains run to Orly. We would appreciate any advice from anyone who has done either leg of the trip that we are taking. Thank you!

Christina

I haven't done this, but know the train routes fairly well. Unless you have a desire for a car in Beaune, you could just take the train to Beaune instead of flying to Lyon and then driving to Beaune. It seems a lot easier to me.

The TGV doesn't go to Orly. It also doesn't go to Beaune.

If you took a train to Beaune, you'd have to get a TGV from CDG to either Lyon (more frequent) or Dijon and then transfer to Beaune. There are more runs from Paris, although most still involve transfers. There are some direct trains from Paris to Beaune, but they aren't TGVs.

If you want to check French train schedules, see www.sncf.com

NeoPatrick

We stayed several days in Beaune without a car and took trains for day trips as well as a train to Paris when we left there.
But in all honesty, if I were doing what you're doing, I'd rent a car for a week from CDG to Orly and then have the luxury of a car in Beaune for exploring the countryside around there.

It's also only about a three hour drive between Paris and Beaune. I can't imagine a single reason to fly to Lyon to rent a car to drive to Beaune which takes an hour and a half in itself.

And neither trip involves driving IN Paris. It is easy to pick up a car at CDG and take the motorway around Paris and on towards Beaune. And you take the motorway right to Orly going back. Piece of cake.

hopscotch

What I would do is take the TGV from Paris gare de Lyon to Dijon. See the city. Spend a night or two. Rent the car. Drive south on the N74. Lunch in Nuits-St.-Georges. Visit some wine merchants. Taste. Buy. Drive on to Beaune. Drive around Burgundy. Nice villages in the neighborhood. Drive to Geneva. Check in car. Take train to Pisa via Milano.

jody

We did this trip in November 2006.

We took the train to Lyon. We took it from Paris as we had been there for 2 weeks, but you can get a direct train at CDG to Lyon.

After a few days in Lyon, we picked up our car at St Exupery airport and drove toward Beaune, stopping at some lovely towns along the way.

We did not stay in Beaune rather between Dijon and Beaune along the wine route. It was about a 30 minute drive to either Beaune or Dijon. We stopped in Auxerre on the way back and dropped our car there and trained back to Paris for a few more days. But it would have been an easy drive to Orly and your flight.

bilboburgler

Beaune is lovely (but its only a market town really) you need a car or bike to get around and see the countryside the better restaurants and vinyards. So the guys are right rent a car in CDG or in Beaune.

French trains are pretty good even if not TGV

TimS

Some of the information Christina gave you is inaccurate. If you take the TGV from CDG, your only route to Beaune is via Lyon. It's only if you leave from Paris that you can bypass Lyon and go via Dijon. There are two direct TGVs and one direct regional train from Gare de Lyon to Beaune. Otherwise you would take a TGV from Gare de Lyon to Dijon and a regional train from there to Beaune.

To see all of your choices on www.sncf.com, enter either Aeroport CDG 2 TGV or Paris as your departure station.

Here's another option to consider. Take the train from either CDG or Paris to Beaune. Pick up a rental car in Beaune (see www.autoeurope.com) when you're ready to do some exploring, and return it to Orly.

If you decide to skip the car altogether, take the train from Beaune to Gare de Lyon and then the Metro and RER to Orly.

gameson

Good morning: Last fall we were in Paris with a five night stop-over in Beaune thrown in the middle. The drive to Beaune from Paris is very easy and you do not have to take the A-6 the whole way if you want the flavor of the countryside on the trip down. Take the N-6 from Auxerre and you can use the day (5-6 hours) for a pleasant drive and a stop for lunch. Once in Beaune I think you need a car anyway. The best way to explore the surrounding countryside is to drive around and get way back up in the vineyards. If you haven't yet chosen a hotel, consider the Hotel Le Cep: very sweet little hotel, convenient to historic Beaune, on site parking and very close to all the ways out of town when you want to hit the road. Have a good time.

TimS

Adding to my previous note. I agree with the others who recommend exploring the area around Beaune by car. For the best rates, book from home well in advance. If you use Auto Europe, don't presume that the rate quoted on the Web site is the best you can get. Call their toll-free number and ask if there are any special deals.

jody

Or try Http://www.novacarhire.com. The quote for 10 days on the above trip was $250.00 less than the best price quoted by Autoeurope and they would not meet the Nova price. Then they upgraded us to a diesel automatic BMW sedan, great car!

jagger

Thank you all for your suggestions. It seems like the drivers and train travelers are equally split. We totally agree with the notion of having a car in Beaune...it's the getting there that's been a bit murky. One challenge on the train front is that I have been on the sncf website several times but I can't always get my information in English. Plus, it's a little difficult to confirm exact times,dates and fares since you can't book more than 60 days in advance. However, if we do drive from Paris or Lyon, does anyone know about tolls? I've heard they can be pricey. Also wanted to mention that we have been to Paris several times, so starting there is not a priority. We don't plan on visiting there this time at all. We've heard that flying into Geneva is nice but we can't pick up a car in one country and drop it off in another without a hefty fee.

NeoPatrick

Regarding tolls and prices. I'm willing to bet that since you want a car anyway in Beaune, that renting it and dropping it off in Paris (at the two airports) is going to be considerably less than the cost of renting the car for a week IN Beaune and adding on the train fares back and forth (or the airfare to Lyon). That comparison would even include the tolls and gas.

cocofromdijon

And you can find what you'll pay for the peage with your itinerary on mappy or viamichelin websites.
Welcome to Burgundy! (and don't forget to visit Dijon! )

altajoe

I secoond the advice to call AutoEurope rather tahn accept their internet price. It also helps to get a quote from a competitor such as Europcar.com

TimS

jagger- FYI, you can now book up to 90 days in advance at sncf.com. What kind of information are you looking for on the site that you can't find in English?

altajoe

Jody, where did you stay?

jagger

CocofromDijon, Thank you for the viamichelin tip. It was very helpful. We would love to visit Dijon. Do you have any recommendations for wine tastings while we are there?

Neopatrick, your confidence in the ease of the drive from Paris to Beaune is also good to hear.

TimS, we've had a little more luck with the sncf website so thank you as well.

Thanks to everyone else as well. I welcome any other suggestions or advice.

cocofromdijon

>We would love to visit Dijon. Do you have any recommendations for wine tastings while we are there?<
Dijon maybe the capital of Burgundy with all that great architecture and great restaurants but Beaune is definitely the capital of Burgundy wine. And don't hesitate to stop in the glorious villages of the golden slope!