Driving from Paris to Dijon
 

Thinking of driving from Paris airport to Dijon a three night trip. Need suggestions of where to stop and some highlights. Thank you very much Emily

Vezelay and its area of Burgundy to me is fantastic

A thriving medieval pilgrimage stop on the road to St Jacques shrine in Spain (i believe) the grandiose Basilica at Vezelay was built to house a very holy relic of i believe Our Lady - whatever the relic was it was exposed as a fake in medieval days and Vezelay's pilgrim trade dried to a trickle quickly and then the city became virtually abandoned and slumbered along until it was restored to its medieval stone (cobblestone streets and stone houses) glory - thus it is a perfect medieval town draped over a high hill standing sentinel over a bucolic Burgundy countryside.

Nearby Auxerre gets good reviews and could make a better overnight perhaps.

Emily
I recently posted a similar message, so you may want to look at my replies. I am going to stay at Troyes but if I had the time I would follow the Wine Road (Strasbourg to Colmar).

Varying stops, depending on the direction: Troyes, Vaux-le-Vicomte, Fontainebleau, Tanlay, Ancy-le-Franc, Tonnerre.

Looking at PalenQ's response I may have misunderstood your question; I thought you may have been requesting where to stay over en route.

Sorry, Emily.

I am afraid nobody has understood your question.

Hi Emily,

On the way from the airport to Dijon, you could stop at Auxerre or Troyes. I only did a day trip to Troyes and while I really loved the town, I don't know where you could spend the night. (Is that what you meant by "where to stop?")

If you go to Auxerre, I recommend www.chateauderibourdin.com just outside of Auxerre. Both the B&B and the man who runs it are very nice.

Highlights in Auxerre include the cathedral & abbey. Troyes has a cathedral, churches & a wonderful art museum. I've heard great things about the tool museum but haven't seen it myself. Both towns have lively farmers' markets, too.

As far as highlights - I second PalenQ's recommendation about the basilica at Vezelay. I also enjoyed the abbey at Fontenay http://www.abbayedefontenay.com/abbayedefontenay.htm
with its well renovated exteriors and garden - it gives you a feeling of what it must have been like to have lived there. Another option near Auxerre is the abbey at Pontigny
http://abbayedepontigny.eu/ - although it needs a lot of work, the choir, organ, & altarpieces are impressive IMHO.

There's also the chateaux at Ancy le Franc and Tanlay.

I hope that this helps.

The chateau at Tanlay is especially interesting because of its Renaissance roots. The family still lives there; so the chateau is furnished, unlike many in the Loire Valley.

Near Dijon is one of our favorite towns: Autun. It has a splendid Gothic cathedral with facade carvings by the famous Ghiselbertus, and the medieval precincts of the cathedral are interesting.

There's also a still-in-use Roman amphitheater, and the wrought-iron gates of the Jesuit college are worth a stop.