Feasibility of driving Paris - Beaune - Alsace - Luxembourg - Paris Loop?
 

I'm looking at renting a car for a whirlwind weekend in French wine country.

Let's assume that we will remain sober enough to safely operate the car.

Here is the proposed itinerary:
Land in Paris Orly at 6:30 on Friday night.
Immediately depart for Beaune (3 hour drive)
Crash in Beaune on Friday night
Tool around Beaune wine country for a couple of hours on Saturday, then drive 3 hours to Alsace.
Have dinner in Alsace region, stay there on Saturday night.
Tool around Alsace wine route for a couple of hours on Sunday morning (knowing that a lot of stuff is closed on Sunday -- don't have much of a choice) and then head to Luxembourg (3 hour drive again) on Sunday afternoon.
Either stay in Luxembourg Sunday night and get up at the crack of dawn on Monday morning to drive back to Paris, or head to Paris late on Sunday.

Phew! I know it'll be insane -- actually tasting the wine is just a bonus (after all, I can taste most of it in the US anyway); mostly I want to be there and see the countryside.

Feasible?

The main reason to hit Luxembourg is, admittedly, to cross the country off my life list. It's only about 90 minutes out of the way round trip if we're going from Alsace to Paris.

Why go to Luxembourg when you could hit the bottle in Champagne. Also you missed out Auxerre Chablis, Vin Jaune etc.

Actually it is madness, the issues would be
1) Jet lag followed by a long drive. CRASH is right
2) Going for Beaune rather than Chablis/Irancy etc and take advantage of Northern Burgundy.
3) The distance and lack of pleasure in what is basically a road trip rather than a wine tour. Also when do you eat?

Of course, you'll be sober. There is no time to drink in this itinerary.

While on a map it might be technically possible to do that trip, I can't imagine it'd be any fun at all, or that you'd actually get to see anything of any of the regions other than the autoroutes...

I would pick ONE of those places and explore it, rather than trying to do all at once.

I just checked google map and CDG, Beaune, Colmar, Reims, CDG is about 1200 km and 14 hours driving roughly (google is a little confident about driving speed) in 2.5 days.

Jet lag, french drivers.

We will be flying in from Florence, having already been in Europe for a week. So jet lag isn't an issue.

I know that it's a lot of driving -- but I can't bear to get rid of Alsace or Beaune.

If I were forced to pick between Alsace or Beaune (or sub in another option altogether) what would you recommend? It'd have to be killer!

You can't go wrong, but pick one or you will see nothing of either region other than the roads!

Oh and I have been to luxembourg and its a pretty city but NOTHING compared to burgundy or Alsace, definitely not worth taking time from the one region you pick!

I see your point -- and I suppose if I skip a region, I won't know what I'm missing. :)

I just want to pick right -- I want quaint, quintessential, the ability to taste some wine and drive slowly by the vineyards.

Don't need luxury. Don't need kitchy tourist traps.

Don't even need to visit the actual vineyards since I've heard that's difficult -- I'm okay driving by them and then doing the actual tasting in tasting rooms.

I agree with Jamikins (and not just because I'm legally obliged to) - stick with Burgundy, visit the Marche Aux Vins in Beaune, wander around Dijon, Drive the wine road taking the time to stop in some of the villages (Nuits St George, etc)

We're more into red wines anyway, so that's a vote for Burgundy vs. Alsace.

OK, drive straight to Beaune, spend two nights there and head back to Paris?

Darn, I was hoping to hit 30 countries by my 30th birthday, which would require Luxembourg. #firstworldproblems

We loved Beaune! And the Marche Aux Vin is fabulous...for a small fee you get a tasting cup and then descend into the caves to taste about 10 wines I think...awesome

http://www.marcheauxvins.com/vin-bea...-aux-vins.html

There are tonnes of great drives through the vineyards http://www.burgundy-wines-tourism.fr/ with tonnes of lovely villages...fabulous food!

Dijon is a great place to visit and the owl tour (not on a Sunday) http://www.travelsignposts.com/Franc...jon-owls-trail

Check out the Michelin green guide for lots of ideas!

Our pics of burgundy in 2008 https://picasaweb.google.com/1071846...95323/Burgundy

I like Jamikins and BikerScott -- I take it you know each other?


I'd be willing to skip Dijon in favor of smaller, vineyard-friendly villages -- unless Dijon is a can't miss. We're going to Paris right after so I'll have my fill of cities.

Marche aux Vin sounds like exactly what I'm looking for.

Any rec's on where to stay in/around Beaune?

BIlboburglar said:
Going for Beaune rather than Chablis/Irancy etc and take advantage of Northern Burgundy.

Don't know anything about Chablis/Irancy. Really better than Beaune?

We are husband and wife :)

I dont know that area as we have stayed in Beaune both times. There are tonnes of lovely villages around to visit...I highly recommend the green guide!

The place we stayed doesn't appear to be around every more but friends stayed here and enjoyed it
http://www.hotelpaix.com/

Irancy/Chablis

1) Irancy is a red wine (they also do a white but not of any note) it is a tiny hilled village with the cellars hollowed of the land below. Just very pretty and you will need to speak french to talk to the local peasants. Just down the road from Auxerre which is one of the jewels of the area
2) Chablis, a white wine... a bit like saying California makes the odd pleasant wine. a walled town in the middle of no-where

Really offering it to you to see if you could do the mad-max-tour you were proposing

I like Beaune but it tends towards touristy, this means it is set up for you and me to enjoy wines.

I also think the wine road in Alsace is by far the prettier, producers will open to you (it is a tourist trail after all) but you will need french. I tend to ride a bicycle (on holiday) along it
so not sure how it is for the car (when I am in buying mode not tourist mode).

Just to add to the opportunities if you were doing this whole thing to Luxembourg you could also visit Trier an sample their Mosel white wines. I know the man who makes most of the Trier city wines for them (including ancient memorable sweeties) not sure if this is of any interest.

I know this is just making the decision harder so to catch all

1) Beaune, touristy, accessible, multi-lingual
2) Irancy, little village (and there are a few others nearby) red, French
3) Chablis, pretty walled town white, multi-lingual
4) Alsace, pretty road, lots of village, mainly white, multi-lingual
5) Champagne, two towns, very accessible, fizzy white, multi-lingual
6) Trier, one city, white, German

Alsace would be my priority, but not on a Sunday. The 3 <i>départements</i> of the formerly annexed Alsace-Moselle area are still ruled by traditional German laws.

What about a Spa in the area?

Love Beaune. Alsace is very pretty however German cuisine rules, not something we enjoy.We were lucky to find some Moroccan dishes on the menus since the workers in the vineyards are form there.Seems like too much for such a short stay.
Also love Auxerre, Joigny, Chablis, Vezelay.