SuzanneI

Hello Fodorites!
My fiancé and I (young 50's) will be honeymooning in France in early May, 2015. We've already booked our apartment in Paris for 7 days and we also want to spend 5 days in wine country - preferably Burgundy or Rhone. We plan to rent a car, so are not obliged to stay in a city center - in fact, off the beaten path would be fine by us. We would like to stay somewhere where we could visit wineries, see some of the countryside (maybe even take a day hike or two) and perhaps make a day trip to the Alps.

After finally securing an apartment in Paris - from the thousands that are available - I am brain dead. Any suggestions as to where to stay and some wineries to visit for the remaining 5 days of our trip?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
Cheers!
Suzanne

StuDudley

Welcome to Fodors.

I don't know where you're from - but visiting wineries in France is nothing like visiting wineries in the US (we're from the SF Bay Area). You don't just saunter into a winery and expect a tour and tasting in France like you do in the Calif wine country. Most wineries in France are closed on week-ends and often at lunch too. You need to do some careful planning, and often need to make a reservation.

I suggest that you go to a region where there are other things to do in addition to winery visits. We've spent 5 weeks in Burgundy & Beaujolais, and 20 weeks in Provence/Rhone area. I think there is more "stuff" to do in Provence than in Burgundy/Beaujolais. Stay near Vaison in Provence and visit the Rhone region - Chateauneuf du Papes & Gigondas - even Tavel if you like Rose. Other stuff to do in Provence will occupy at least 6 weeks of your time.

Stu Dudley

greg

I don't know if you have driven in France before. In case you simply thought driving is a good idea without further research, driving regulations can be different from where you live. If you are from the U.S., be reminded that France is not as permissive as U.S. in terms of Blood Alcohol Concentration. Also they may enforce speed limits more vigorously than where you live.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rom-france.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-516175-2.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-france.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...car-rental.cfm

A car is useful for winery visits. But as you can see from the postings, those who assumed the traffic rule enforcement is similar may come home with a big surprise.

Cathinjoetown

I'm topping this to remind me to try to find the name of the place we stayed just outside the village of Chablis. Burgundy is such a beautiful area and what I would choose with just 5 days. You could combine with a stop in the champagne region.

SuzanneI

Thanks much for your thoughtful feedbak - I knew I came to the right place. This will help us set more realistic expectations as to winery tours. I believe if we visit just a couple wineries in the 5 days, we will scratch that itch. Basically, we just want to spend some time in a beautiful region of the world - looking forward to hearing about your stay in Burgundy. Also the warning of driving safety is much appreciated.
Suzanne

kimharp

Having just come back from two weeks in Bourgogne, I have to highly recommend you check out this place: http://www.chateaudenobles.com/. It's basically a chateau/winery/b&b in the countryside. We spent two nights there prior to a canal boat trip and it was a highlight for everyone. It would be perfect for a honeymoon! You would definitely need a car, as it is a little out of the way.

Also, this winery was a favorite of ours on our last visit: http://www.domainedelafolie.fr/. We were given a personal tour by the owner--extremely nice and great wine!

We love Bourgogne and go back each year--great honeymoon choice!

Gretchen

Burgundy is of course, lovely. Provence is also--chateauneuf-de-pape. The Loire. How can you go wrong.
What Stu said, of course, is correct about the caves often being closed at noon. We did find we could sort of just go up to the door and knock however, without an appointment. On the road into CNdP, there is also a chocolatier!!

bilboburgler

Crikey at your age you should be still up to walking or riding a bike, not stuffed into a metal box on wheels. Look at Auxerre and Chablis. Lovely area, good food and empty roads.

http://www.mybikeguide.co.uk/Yonne_Guide.php

You could even just buy a package for the area. This one is a walk through the vinyards but there are loads of others
http://www.headwater.com/holidays/wa...ance/W08BU.htm

rancherswife

When I was mid-50's my adult daughter and I spent several days in Beaune, Burgundy and had a fabulous time. We took the train from Paris and were picked up by the host of our B & B. Couldn't have been easier. We didn't rent a car but rode bikes on the wine route that connects directly with Beaune. Not too hilly and hardly any cars - mostly vineyard vehicles. You will ride through gorgeous villages (with wineries) and spectacular scenery. In Beaune, you can go through several larger wineries with caves under the town. Fun experience and terrific for an overview of wines in the area -even if the wine is not to your taste. Restaurants are tremendous. We also booked a formal wine tasting with incredible meal in a nearby village. IMO, it's better not to try to do too much but go for a richer experience. With only 5 days, you won't want to waste time traveling to multiple locations.

StuDudley

>> In Beaune, you can go through several larger wineries with caves under the town<<

Was this a winery with vineyards, all the de-stemming, crushing, fermentation, and storage equipment - or just a store that had some barrels around, retail shop, and some tasting. The ones we saw IN Beaune were the latter.

Stu Dudley

MarySteveChicago

We drove from Paris to Beaune with a stop in Avallon for a fantastic lunch http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Burgundy.html

We rented the in-town apt in Beaune from canadiens Franck and Lara http://www.graperentals.com/burgundy/. They provided a tag for our car on the street and they also directed us to bike rental place. There is so much to see in Beaune and nearby. We've seen the process of making wine before so that wasn't high on our list. Tasting local wines was! We visited a winery owned by a couple from Boston just outside the ramparts. we also went to Olivier leflaive's crazy fun lunch. http://www.olivier-leflaive.com/en/
Enjoy your trip!

http://www.burgundytoday.com/towns/beaune.htm

FrenchMystiqueTours

In any major wine region if you are just driving around the countryside you will undoubtedly come across numerous places with a sign that says "dégustation", which means wine tasting. Usually it's just the wine growers own home. Just go right in and remember it is polite to buy a bottle or three. If you're not serious wine aficionados then you'll likely be happy with whatever you drink and even more so the experience of meeting the producer in their own home. Again, if you're not wine experts it's really not something you even need to research. The opportunities will be so numerous everywhere you turn your head you(ll be spoiled for choice.

If you want to learn about some of the highlight places to visit in Burgundy as well as wine, hiking, biking you can check out this thread:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...-Burgundy.html

SuzanneI

Wow! Such wonderful information! Thanks, all, for sharing your experiences and insight. I can't wait to get home and get lost in my research.

Will post back with some tentative plans.

Cheers!
Suzanne

traveller1959

Go to Bourgogne!

Drive first to Auxerre and Chablis. Auxerre is a quaint old town with some stunning Carolingian frescos in the crypt of Abbaye de Saint-Germain. Enjoy the vista of the old town over the river from the bridge. Chablis is a small town with a few small wine shops and some large factory-like wineries on the outskirts. There, you will have the chance to taste this formidable white wine. For a culinary experience, you may have dinner at Le Jardin Gourmand in Auxerre.

On the way southwards, you may visit the impressive monastery in Vezelay. Further southwards, Dijon has several attractions to visit (there has been written much about Dijon here on this forum).

Between Dijon and Beaune, you are in the heart of Bourgogne. Chose accomodation there. We loved this 3-star hotel in a castle:

http://www.chateau-saulon.com/fr/index.php

It is reasonably priced, has a park and a pool and a very good restaurant.

In the region, there are hundreds of (mostly small) wineries. You may visit them but, as said, do not expect touristy tasting tours like in California. And you will taste young, immature wines.

For a once-in-a-lifetime tasting experience, visit Marché aux Vins in Beaune:

www.marcheauxvins.com

You pay a nominal fee and you are give a tastevin. Then, you work your way through underground caves and the ruins of a former church (most romantic) and you can try some 30 different wines. Make sure that you do not have to drive afterwards.

Besides the Marché, Beaune has a magnificent medieval hospital which is worth a visit and which has been funded by making their own excellent wines (Hospices de Beaune).

Also, you should visit Clos Vougeout, a castle/vineyard/museum halfway between Dijon and Beaune. Here, everything has begun and it is a beautiful place.

Of course, you will drive the small roads through the world-renowned vineyards and through the picturesque wine villages with those famous names: Marsannay, Gevry-Chambertin, Nuits-St-George, Aloxe-Corton, Vosne-Romanée...

South of Beaune, there is Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet and more.

South of Tournus (which is also a fine city), you find a small village called "Chardonnay". It is not special, but maybe you want to buy a bottle of Chardonnay from Chardonnay there, especially when returning from Cluny, a ruined monastery of utmost historical significance.

Enjoy your trip!

bilboburgler

Most of the tastings you will get at Degustation will be the young cheaper wines and that includes the Marche. Over the years I've found that the smaller degustations also require a bit of French. If you are not buying wine then it is good manners to buy glasses, tea towels etc. If you want to taste the better wines then you need an introduction from your local wine merchant (go ask, you never know), with such invitations I've had serious tastings out of the wood as well as older years.

Cathinjoetown

Suzannel,

I've searched my notes and online and can't find the name of the place where we stayed outside Chablis. Will continue to look.

Chablis is a pretty little village, spent a fun hour tasting wine at the co-op. l

SuzanneI

Hello all, not sure if anyone will arrive at this page by searching places to stay? We ended up renting Las Maison des Chaumes in Villers Les Faye. It's located in the Burgundy Region, about a 3 hour drive fom Paris and 10-20 minutes drive to Beaune. The house was lovely and reasonably priced and Laura and Franck were easy to work with. Thanks, http://www.fodors.com/community/prof...ystevechicago/ for the recommendation!

We would highly recommend this home to anyone looking for a home base in Burgundy.
http://www.graperentals.com/burgundy/