You definitely don't need a car in Dijon.
It takes a few hours (about 5 maybe, it depends on where you take the train from ) from la provence to Dijon so don't take it too late.
If you want to stop in Beaune in the middle of your trip, why not? It would cut the long way south from Vezelay.

Thanks Coco!!! After Vezelay, we *are* stopping in Beaune! (17 June)

Hi TX,

>Take away a night in St. Remy and add 1 in Dijon? <

Yes.

I'll let coco tell you about Dijon. She lives there.

You might want to consider staying at www.myhomeindijon.com/

It has gotten good reviews here.

PS,

We will be staying in Beaune on our upcoming trip at www.hotel-grillon.fr/

Thanks Ira, and I hope we'll meet in Dijon on your trip in May.
If it is still at the end of May we could even make a GTG with hdm who will be staying in Dijon.

Not sure why you're staying near Lyon. You can make the trip from Beaune to St Remy in 4 hrs. I would not stay near Lyon - except perhaps in Perouges, but that's not too far away from Beaune and it takes some effort & time to get there - but it's a very cute village (read about it). Immediatly around Lyon, it's industrial with not too many interesting things - except for Lyon itself - and I would not recommend trying to drive into Lyon.

South of Lyon in the Ardeche region to the west, and the Alps to the east, there are some very interesting & scenic stuff - but they are all at least 1 hr off the freeway on winding roads. Immediatly next to the freeway are a few nuclear power plants, heavy & light industry, and some OK famous winegrowing villages/cities that we did not find too interesting. We stayed in the Ardeche for 2 weeks in '05, and drove the Alps a few times.

If this was my trip, I would power away to Provence. An alternative would be to stay in Northern Provence for a night, like I mentioned earlier.

When we were in the Lyon area (Beaujolais) in Sept, it was bumper to bumper traffic around Lyon on the freeway, so try to time your trip to be after rush hour (11 or so).

Another thought

I would break up your Provence stay into two locations - St Remy and either the Luberon (Gordes, Roussillon, etc), or near Vaison in the very pretty winegrowing region and the Dentelles. I think that would give you a little more diversity, and provide easier driving access to the sites east & northeast of Avignon - which are my favorite areas in Provence (Lavender fields, Alps, gorges, fewer tourists).

When we first spent extended time in Provence, we stayed for 2 weeks in four different areas - St Remy, Luberon, near Uzes, and near Vaison. We've also spent 4 weeks just east of Aix - but that's a little too far east for you. We returned again for 2 week stays in the Luberon, & 2 weeks near Vaison because we enjoyed these regions the most. This June we'll spend another 4 weeks near Vaison/Mt Ventoux. The St Remy area is a little more arid than either the Luberon or near Vaison. The flora, fauna, & terraine are also a bit different. I always try for some diversity - that's why I usually recommend splitting the time into 2 different areas when visiting Provence for 5 days or more.

Stu Dudley

Regarding Dijon

As I've stated many times on this Forum, Dijon is perhaps my favorite city in France after Paris.

However, for someone who is on a fast-paced schedule like you are, I think 2 nights in Dijon is too much. The frist time we visited Dijon, we arrived around noon and saw everything we wanted by the time we went to dinner.

Also, your schedule has you arriving in Dijon on a Monday. In most cities in France, many of the shops are closed on Monday mornings. Some open in the afternoon. We were in Dijon for the Patrimonie on a Sunday and ALL the shops were closed - except for a very few. If you stay there Sunday & Monday nights, Dijon might seem a bit dead & un-inviting to a first timer who wants to sit at cafes, watch the crowd, shop a bit, etc.

It's about a 2 3/4 to 3 1/2 train ride from Avignon to Dijon. If you arrive around noon, visit the Palais des Ducs (while shops are closed), take the Owl Walk (hopefully the tourist office will be open on Monday - Coco??), have a coffee on the Pl de la Liberation or R Amiral Roussan, admire the wonderful architecture, etc then I think you'll experience Dijon adequately.

IMO, I think if anything need adjusting in your latest itinerary (in addition to dropping the overnight near Lyon and splitting the stays in Provence), I would suggest that you spend 1 more night in Beaune. If you don't overnight near Lyon, then stay in Beaune instead.

Stu Dudley

Hi Coco,

We are still scheduled to be in Beaune May 27-30.

I'll keep in touch.

Hi to Coco as well!
What are your thoughts about us arriving in Dijon on a Sunday and spending all of Monday there. Will many attractions be closed? If so, then Stu brings up a good point...
So I believe we will skip our overnight in Lyon and head directly to Provence. I like the idea of staying in two seperate towns so I will look into that.
It was also suggested to me that our time in the Loire was too rushed. Should we add a third night in Amboise? Or are we okay?

The tourist office near Place Darcy (not far from the railway station) opens everyday, then go there and ask for the owl's trail brochure (2&euro.
http://www.dijon-tourism.com/uk/dijo...s_chouette.htm
and also http://www.dijon-tourism.com/uk/dijon_visiovisit.htm

Museums all open on both days (except Magnin museum closed on Mondays)
http://www.dijon-tourism.com/uk/dijo...re_museums.htm

The atmosphere is different on Sundays, no hurry, people take the time for a stroll in the old parts of Dijon. Stu is right check rue Amiral Roussin, but also rue Verrerie and the antique shops. You can't get lost if you can see the tower of the ducal palace (tour Philippe le Bon)
On Monday people are back to work but not all the shops reopen in the morning, but they will in the afternoon.
Have a look at Maille shop for mustard, one of my favourite shop fronts, in front of the Galeries Lafayette.
If you haven't seen my Dijon pics yet:
http://tinyurl.com/okerl

I hope I'm not dominating the replies too much - but regarding the Loire.

I think both Burgundy & Provence are much prettier areas, IMO. The Loire (if you somehow remove the Chateaux), is one of our least favorite regions in France that we have visited (we spend 2 months in France most years). However, the Chateaux are fabulous - but they have some very nice ones in Burgundy also (none to speak of, in Provence). If you can visit Chambord, Chenonceau, the gardens at Villandry, and the Chateau at Amboise, then I think an "average" chateau lover will be satisfied. You may have time for Cheverny too. If you arrive at Amboise mid-day, visit Amboise, and then hit Chenonceau in the late afternoon when the huge crowds thin a bit, then you'll have plenty of time for 3-4 chateaux/gardens the next day. If it does not interrupt your dinner plans, visit a Son et Lumiere show in the evening. Many people get "chateau-ed out" after about 4. Don't know where your threshold is. We saw apout 25 last year in the Auvergne, Beaujolais, and Burgundy regions, so we're real troopers.

Regarding Sunday & Monday in Dijon. We were in Dijon on a Sunday for their Patrimonie festival. All the shops were closed. The museum was open, which it normal on a Sunday. Check with Coco, but it's normal for shops to be closed on a Monday morning. Like I stated, I think Dijon is a 3/4 day visit anyway. If you get there at noon, you'll have plenty of time to see all you'll want to see.

I would spend Sunday in sunny Provence - lots of things going on there on a Sunday. Market in l'Isle sur la Sorgue, Luberon villages, shops in St Remy are open (more things closed on Monday than Sunday there), my Lavender Fields drive.

I assume you have my 20+ page Provence itinerary which describes our favorite sites, villages, drives, etc. It has my Lavender Route, and a section on Provence fabric (we have over 60 tablecloths that we have purchased there). E-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy. I have some other info that might be of interest to you also.

Stu Dudley