Vivien

My husband and I are going to France in mid June. Our itinerary is: Paris (6 nights) - Beaune (2 nights) - Arles (2 nights) - Nice (3 nights). Both of us think we should not drive in big cities such as Paris or Nice. My husband is strongly against the idea of even driving out of Paris to Beaune. Therefore, right now our idea is to pick a car at Beaune and drop it off at Arles. The problem with this is that neither of us drive manual transmission car - I have spoke with about every rental company (including Auto Europe), none of them offer a pick up place at Beaune (nor nearby Dijon, for that matter). We are thinking of just purchase the railpass now.

Yet, I wonder if I am missing a lot without a car in Beaune or Arles? Since we only stay in Beaune and Arles for 2 nights each, can we just get by without a car?

I appreciate your comments.

usbeauty

Well - it's probably not necessary but I think you would miss out on some of the beautiful countryside of Provence without having a car. Part of the joy of Provence, IMHO, is the ability to drive and stop wherever your heart desires. Having said that, many people don't have a car there and have a wonderful experience nonetheless. If you can't find an automatic, or it's too expensive, don't hassle. You'll have a great trip anyway.

Also, I'm wondering what railpass you're buying? Have you priced your point to point tickets individually to see if a pass will save you money?

staceyB

You would be much better off with a car so that you could explore nearby towns and not be restricted to the places you are sleeping. If you absolutely require an automatic transmission, why not just rent a car in Paris - the drive to Beane is lovely with great stops along the way. Your husband should not fear driving out of Paris - we did it last summer in a manual transmission which we were definitely not accustomed to driving and while it was a bit frustrating due to the fact that we stalled at just about every stop, the driving was otherwise ok. Just be sure to pick up the car at a place close to the autoroute to avoid much driving in Paris proper.

Cluny

We made a day trip to Arles and only had time to see the Roman arena and theatre and the cathedral and cloisters. We plan to go back; it has a lovely feel to it. Of course, a large part of our travelling involves sitting in cafes watching the world go by; someone with the clipboard and checklist approach to travelling might be able to "do" it in a day.

MorganB

I will cast my vote for a car. There is no better way to visit the country side and the surrounding villages near Beaune and Arles. Near Beaune you can visit wineries as well. I dont think Arles or Beaune would hold my attention for 2 full days each unless I could get out of the towns.

I typically rent from Avis and have been satisfied with them. I checked and they do not have automatics in Beaune but they do have them at the Dijon train station. You would want a category F which is a Mercedes C class automatic deisel. If you go to the US site they are offering 20 percent off on rentals in France via this AWD K520400. Look under the special deals outside the US section for the details. If you rental includes a Friday or Sat night it will be dramatically cheaper. Good luck!

MorganB

I forgot to mention if you rent from Avis I would call the rental location 48 hours before your rental is to begin and stress the importance of an automatic. You might also want to mention it when you make the reservation. I would have for you to get there and them not have one and offer you a manual of some sort instead.

Pete1222

Live dangerously---get the car.
After 3 nights in Paris we trained out to Versailles. There is a car rental right there at the train station. I think it was Avis. Note: Book in advance and pick up the car after you tour Versailles---if that is your plan.

From there it is a very nice drive to Beaune, with lots of little places to check out. Beaune is fantastic!
Buy your food and drink in the local market and just find a quiet spot to park in the countryside.
Also, for what it's worth, Lyon was a huge surprise for us. It seems that the Italians pretty much built the whole place, so the architecture is mostly renaissance. Just park in the underground garage if you stop there.
Pete

cigalechanta

My husband was scared as much as could be his first time. Now, let me tell you, we have the worst drivers(he was included) in Boston. But once on the road, I advised him to keep up; their speed was faster and they'll ride your tail til you drive the same speed.
That was his first time with me in Provence, now years later he's like a French driver and no longer gets honked.
Manual is less expensive is why he rents one. Be sure you do rent a small car as the streets and roads are VERY narrow. Also is you rent from the states(assuming you are from here) the rates are half the price.

johanna

Hi Vivien: I know everyone has said to rent a car; just a different perspective. Last summer, I was in Paris for 3 weeks and then took the TGV train to Avignon. I really enjoyed the train ride and the scenery. (I drive all the time in the states) I took a tour in Avignon and there was only myself and one other person and we got to see many of the villages. I enjoyed the villages of Gordes, Rousillon so much, I am leaving Sunday; spending a week in Paris and then heading to Avignon by train to make it my base to explore many more of the villages either by train or day tours. Either way, have fun.

JoeG

Vivien,
What hotel are staying at in Arles?
JoeG

Vivien

Dear All,

Thanks for everyone's suggestion, indeed this is my first post and I truly appreciate everyone's inputs. Now we do think we should rent a car, and the idea we came up is to take the TGV train from Paris to Lyon, which only takes 2.50 hours, have lunch there - then pick up the car in Lyon, where Autoeurope does have automatic available - then drive for about 2 hours to Beaune. We think it's worth the little loop over, since we truly love countryside and want to enjoy about it. Hopefully it is easier to get out of Lyon than Paris, though.

usbeauty: the price for a railpass and point-to-point price are probably very close, but I like the pass because of its flexibility and that I do not have to wait in line to get the tickets. In fact, our last stop is Florence, so we will purchase the saver pass for France and Italy, which is $239 for 1st class.

MorganB: I checked Avis website, the Mercedes C was sold out but I do appreciate your inputs and will keep them in mind.

JoeG: we are staying at Hotel Calendal, which is recommended in Rick Steve's guide book and several other guide books.

Again, I truly appreciate everyone's inputs and will report my trip when I get back.

With my best regards,

Vivine

Larry_M

I spent 5 days in Beaune last year, beautiful! But you definitely need a car to get around Burgundy. We found a EuropCar Agency right in Beaune, just a 5 - 10 minute cab ride from the train station.
Don't know about whether they would have any auto transmission cars available, but it's worth a try.
Go to www.europcar.com

usbeauty

Vivien, thanks for your report back. Have a wonderful time.

JoeG

Vivien,
We stayed at LeCalendal in October for 8 nights. We stayed in room #4 which has a large terrace that overlooks the amphitheatre and it has a large bathroom. See if you can reserve this room. At75Euros, we thought it was a great bargain. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Also if you do get a car(which I would highly recommend) make sure that you have them reserve parking for you in the municipal garage. It's something like 7 euros/day.
JoeG

MorganB

Vivien sounds great. Too bad you couldnt find a car in Dijon. Did you check the Dijon airport location? They also had C class cars when I checked.

I was wondering if you are changing trains on the way to Lyon? If not it should take no more than 2 hours or 2h 10 mins to get there.

Have a nice trip!

Michael

If you hit Beaune on market day, you definitely will not need a car. Two nights represent one full day. Get there in the evening. Go to the market the next day. Get some picnic items. Have a picnic. Then go see the hospice and other sights. If you try not to rush, that will take the whole day. The next day you are on your way to Arles, and you will visit the Burgundian countryside on some other trip.

Michael

I forgot one thing. 11 years ago we were in Beaune in early June and could not find a hotel closer than 40 km from the city. I hope you have a reservation.

Vivien

JoeG: Thanks for the information. Le Calendal told me that my room is facing the garden, I will follow up to inquire about room #4.

MorganB: thanks for the follow up. 2.5 hours is a rough number I estimate from Paris to Lyon - but if it is shorter time, the better it is!

Michael: do you recall which day is the market day in Beaune? I did have my hotel fixed up - thanks for the reminder.

Michael

Saturday is market day.

uhoh_busted

We just got back from 2-week trip. Rent through AutoEurope as you will get the best deal with no surprises (we just had bad experience with Hertz...well not terrible, just not as flawless as every time we've rented through AutoEurope). Frankly, Beaune was a little disappointing to us, but we had already spent time at sublime places in Provence and the Dordogne and Beaune seemed too "tourist-city" to us. Lyon is a beautiful city itself. We spent one night there and would have enjoyed staying longer. If you aren't set on staying in Beaune, I'd suggest a place in one of the wine towns between Beaune and Dijon. We stayed in Gevrey-Chambertain, but one night had dinner at a nice little place in Aloxe-Corton, just outside of Beaune. They have a cute little hotel with a pool, and he can arrange visits to wineries for you (they are all around you). The name is Les Paulands, it is a 3-star hotel with doubles that ran from 65-90 Euros. the email address is [email protected] and there may be a website (I haven't tried it) at: www.lespaulands.com (We also bought a couple of bottles of wine from his "cave." ) I thought the tour of the hospice in Beaune was interesting, however DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME on the tasting at the Marche des Vins. The wines were uniformly disappointing. Mr Paulands' were much better, and he is a very nice guy.
Arles is a very cool town. There is a terrific internet place where the guy can transfer digital camera pictures to a CD for you for 4 Euros -- what a good deal! You can then erase your san disk and start fresh! But I digress. With a car, from Arles you can go visit the Pont du Gard, which you should certainly do! And the drive to Nice should be wonderful. I'd suggest a stopping in Cassis on your way, to take a boat ride to see the Calanques but that's up to you...