DRIVING FRANCE - PARIS TO PROVENCE
 

We are driving from Paris to Provence in October and looking for suggestions for a great travel route. Don't know anything much about the Burgundy area - any suggestions for towns to visit, places to stay & eat. Want to stay in Lyon and Avignon - again suggestions for accom & eating. Most important is good travel routes - not autoroutes - would like to see some great things on the way and not get stuck in traffic jams. Thanks.

welcome to Burgundy! why not have a few stops along the way like Vezelay and Avallon, and then head to Dijon (if you have time don't take the motorway but go through Précy sous Thil, Vitteaux, Sombernon, Mâlain, follow the canal de Bourgogne to Dijon.) and then the golden slope to Beaune and further south, following "la route des grands crus" through all the famous villages (Gevrey Chambertin, Fixin, Vosne Romanée, Nuits st Georges...)
enjoy!:-d
corinne
www.myhomeindijon.com

How many days to you have allotted for the drive down?

The autoroutes are generally most free of traffic jams and are handy for covering lots of ground and banking time for more leisurely travel. This is best experienced as a rule the D roads [shown by Michelin in yellow and white]. The N roads [red] are heavily traveled by trucks and can be slow sometimes.

www.mappy.com is handy for plotting driving routes. Keep in mind that time estimates are far more accurate for the autoroutes.

If you are renting a car and heading into Burgundy, you may wish to start from Orly. Everyone seems to want to go to Provence, but Burgundy has some marvelous countryside.

One of my favorite little hotels is the Grand Chaumiere in St. Florentin [near Auxerre]. Very reasonable rates and a Michelin* restaurant.

Bringing your message back up "to the top" since you are fairly new here (how do I know that? click on your name. This is a valuable tip that Fodors fails to give you when they send you that initial e-mail confirming your registration).

And as to your oroginal question, serch &quot;Longsard&quot; here on this forum. You can travel to and from there (from points north in Burgundy to further south <i>vers</i> Avignon) without getting on the autoroutes.

Best wishes,

Rex

I really like the Blauvac in Avignon. Parking might be difficult but check them out. The prices are reasonable and the accoms spacious. Do skip the breakfast though.

La Fourchette is a must do for either lunch or dinner in Avignon.

Thanks all. To answer you Ron, we are spending 10 days driving from Paris via Burgundy to Provence and then on to Lake Como via Turin and then flying out of Milan. Thanks to you Rex, I will check these out. Can't wait to get to Avignon Pam, will check out your recommendations too.

Cheers
jenniw