Jetmel

Hello there. I need a hand planning my side trip from Paris. I have already booked a PREMS fare on the TGV to Dijon from Paris, a night in hotel in Beaune(which can be changed if need be). Now I need help to work out if I should hire a car for 2 days to tour around Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune, or should I organise wine tours to each region out of Beaune? Is it easy to navigate? Can you just drive into a vineyard to taste like Australia? How does it work. Please guide me.

ira

Hi J,

We found a car very handy when we visited Beaune this past May.

As you go up and down the roads, you will see "Degustation" signs. Just drop in.

Here's what I have in my notes:

Beaune
Do not forget to visit the Hotel Dieu! between 10am and 1pm when the sun shines on the tiled roof
I left the plaza outside the Hôtel Dieu and walked at a regular pace to the Hotel Grillon. Though I'm not a snail pace walker I'm not a power-walker either. It took me exactly 15 minutes.


Marche aux Vins: Across the street from the Hotel de Dieux
You pay an entrance fee and get a tastevin (which you can keep as a souvenir). Then you go self-guided steps down into a celler. Expect rows of wooden casks lit by candlelight. In the middle of the aisle you will find tables with open bottles of wine. You help yourself with the tastevin. You can drink as much as you want. ….You start with three or four white wines, then continue with simple red wines (I usually skip this section). At the end of the celler, there are very old coffins. Then you ascend another stairway and you find yourself within a former church, also sparsely lit. Here, you will find another 10 or so bottles of the better reds (including grand crus), and again you help yourself with the tastevin….At the end of the tour, there is a shop where you can buy the wines. IMO, they are overpriced. l.

Restaurants
La Gourmandin 8, place Carnot Tél. 03 80 24 07 88 abt 1 km from hotel
Le Cadran Solaire 14 Place Fleury 03 80 24 78 15 about 1.5 km from hotel
The best escargot I’d had
La Régalade 164 bis, Route de Dijon 03 80 22 45 95 about 3 km from hotel
Le Bistrot Bourguignon Bar a Vins 8 rue monge (rue pietonne) about 1.5 km from hotel
Les Paulands in Aloxe-Corton abt 6 km N of Beaune on the N74
Ma Cuisine Passage Sainte-Hélène Tel. +33 380 223 022 abt 1 km from hotel

Dijon
Tuesday is Market day in Gevrey Chambertain, Dijon at Les Halles, Demigny and St Legur sur Dheune
Don't miss l'escalier Gabriel and la Salle des Etats.
Tourist offices are at Place Darcy and 11ter rue des Forges. They open at 10:00
OWL TRAIL starts from the Place Darcy office. 2.5E for the guide book.

We had a lunch reservation with 15 wines to taste (these are small amounts) in Puligny Montrachet at Olivier Leflaive which was a real treat for anyone who loves great white wines.

Autun**
Autun cathedral has some of the most magnificent carvings anywhere, and the surrounding medieval precincts are first rate.
(Don’t bother with the lower town]The cathedral (upper town), however, really was remarkable – …We walked around the interesting small streets adjacent to the cathedral.

Vezelay***
see the Basilica--it's one of the starting points for the pilgrimmage to Santiago de Campostela. The church is stunning: very light, wonderful carvings on the pillars.
Vezelay disappointed - we've seen dozens of churches & abbeys that were more interesting - and the village is quite touristy.

Flavigny-sur-Ozerain* is where part of the film "Chocolat" was filed; very picturesque, as is the small town of Semur-en-Auxois* impressive setting.

Bligny-sur-Ouche Variety and beauty of the landscapes: valley of the Ouche that divides a part of his journey with the Burgundy canal Le train Touristique built in 1830. Runs only on Sunday

Enjoy your visit:

RJD

I can't really add much to ira's abundant and excellent advice above. Perhaps just a personal note. I've toured Burgundy a few times always by car, using Beaune as a base, and found some great places along the way, some quite by accident. I remember, for example, a picnic lunch in the vineyards of the Cote de Nuit. I also recommend Beaujolais, in southern Burgundy. It's a ways from Beaune but it's beauty makes the trip worthwhile.

Jetmel

Thanks ira! Great info!

RJD- Did you book for tastings along the way, or just look for signs saying "Degustation" as ira mentioned?
Is it easy to get around, we dont speak French?

ira

Hi J,

>Is it easy to get around, we dont speak French?

Always say "Bonjour/Bonsoir Monsieur/Madame" upon entering and "au revoir" upon leaving.

RJD

What I did was rely on Hugh Johnson's book on Burgundy that lists vinyards and their hours. We visited at the listed times and never had any trouble.

FauxSteMarie

You definitely need a car to get around or you will be limited in what you can see. The driving really is not difficult.