|
Lyon to Beaune/Dijon In November: Suggestions, Please
Hello,
After 3 full days in Lyon, 60 yr old parents & adult daughter heading out early on a Mon morning in Nov for Beaune/Dijon area. Plan to drive, and sadly stay only one night in that area before taking train Tues evening to Paris. Questions, please: Is it easy to get an automatic rental car in Lyon, drop it off in Dijon? How's the drive to Beaune/Dijon? Suggested itinerary for 1.5 days? (So far, the Hospice de Beaune, and the Marche aux Vins sound like must-sees.) We like wine/tastings, historic sights, scenic drives, regional food, and of course a little mustard! Should we stay in Beaune or Dijon? Lodging suggestions? I am checking out Les Jardins de Lois, but not sure if there's a room for 3. Restaurant suggestions? Don't need super fancy/Michelin, as we may do a bit of that in Lyon. As always, I greatly appreciate your thoughts & suggestions! Thank you- MJ |
You should be able to secure an automatic in a major city like Lyon – I think most agencies are located near Perrache or PartDieu. Whether it’s worth renting for just a day, is debatable. I’d reserve ahead with one of the frontline agencies like (Europcar, Avis, Hertz etc.) directly or go via a credible aggregator like autoeurope.com and select an automatic car. A (marginal) one-way rental fee may apply, given the different pickup and drop cities. While based in Beaune for a few nights few years ago, we drove north (Cote De Nuits to Dijon, Vezelay etc.) and south (to Cluny, Macon etc.) and the scenery in Burgundy is wonderful (as is the wine). We haven’t explored the Beujolais area before, as we detoured via Annecy before returning our car in Lyon.Apart from the attractions listed, you could visit the Fallot mustard factory. We have never been in November, so do check opening hours for places you wish to visit, as the tourist season winds down. Beaune is more compact than Dijon which is a large city (albeit with a relatively small historic centre – easily done on foot following the Owls Trail – obtain the map and directions from the tourist office). Personally, we preferred Beaune and chose to stay there – it was also more centrally located for our Burgundy drives. Doesn't Les Jardins de Lois also offer an apartment with 2 rooms? Or you could ask them if they could throw in an extra bed in one of the larger rooms if that’s possible. We stayed at Chez Marie (Quatre chambres d'hôtes en plein centre ville de Beaune) – who has larger family rooms I think - wonderful hosts and a super convenient location (with parking) just outside the city walls. I'm vegetarian, so I’m not sure you want my restaurant recommendations (!) but Le Bacchus and Caves Madeleine are great. |
Not sure where you’re taking the train from, you want to decide on that. Presuming you’re based in Beaune I’d drive first to Dijon (about an hour) and spend the morning there, the town center is compact and easy to walk around. Do the Owl Trail, you can either download the map or get one at the tourist office, costs a couple of euros. Don’t forget to taste the different kinds of moutarde, some are quite strong and pungent. Then drive back to Beaune along the Côtes de Nuits, stopping at Vougeot, Nuits St Georges, Vosne Romanée, etc. Spend the next morning in Beaune, tour at Marché aux Vins is good and the setting in the crypt of the old Eglise des Cordeliers is atmospheric. The Hospices de Beaune is right next door, so easy to combine the two. Then take the train to Paris sometime that afternoon. The charges for one-way rental shouldn’t be very much, it’s usually quite reasonable. Auto-Europe is highly recommended on these boards, though I’ve gone with Enterprise the past couple of trips. |
Hello, and thank you for the speedy replies!
My reason for renting a car in Lyon and driving to Beaune/Dijon area was to hopefully enjoy a scenic drive, and possibly stop some place(s) briefly en route. Does that make sense? Is a car necessary in Beaune to do the highlights, if we're there just 1.5 days? Now that I see the Moutarderie Follat is in Beaune, and there are trains from Lyon to Beaune, and Beaune to Paris, (I incorrectly thought we could only get the train for Paris in Dijon), maybe we do not need to go to Dijon. Thoughts on that? I also stumbled upon some car service (cannot find the name right now) with English speaking guide, that will drive you from Lyon to Beaune, stopping along the way. Is anyone familiar with that, and have opinions? Again, thank you. -MJ |
I don't think there is any place in France with a train station where it would be impossible to get to Paris by train from it. You may have to transfer, but you could always do it. Of course it's a lot quicker to get from Dijon to Paris than from Beaune, as you have TGVs plus othr quicker trains and from Beaune you only have TERs (which go through Dijon, I think). So it takes twice as long. Or you can just take a TER to Dijon and then get a TGV to Paris.
There isn't any reason you need to car in Beaune unless you want to do something out in the country, of course. You sure don't need it in town. If you are there only one day, anyway, I don't see why you'd need a car for that or to get from Lyon to Beaune, obviously. It isn't going to be any great scenic experience if you do the autoroute, you can look out the window in a train, also. I would never drive from Lyon to Dijon, spend a couple hours, and then drive on to Beaune only to spend one night. I would never rent a car for that. Hope you are a good driver in foreign cities, those train stations in Lyon are not on the outskirts, you know and Lyon is not small. Part Dieu isn't too far from the autoroute, though. I just don't see the point of renting a car to drive the A6 from Lyon to Beaune. Perrache is right next to the A6, though, practically, it would be easier, I think. I just wouldn't even fool with the whole car thing when you are talking about one overnight in that area. |
I don't always agree with Christina but this time I certainly do. Having a car just complicates things, slows you down and has no upside as far as I can see, especially if the weather interferes with the best laid plans as it could that time of year. Take a nice warm comfortable train, none of you are driving so everyone can watch the countryside go by, have a relaxed visit & your overnight in Beaune, skip Dijon. The lovely people in the tourist information office in Beaune & their website will give you ideas for structured & casual activities. It's a lovely town and I wouldn't dilute your experience further by trying to be everywhere for just 1 day.
https://www.beaune-tourism.com/ |
Yup, Christina has it nailed. And Mme.Perdu.
|
I agree with Christina and Mme Perdu, take a train for such a short stay. Skip Dijon and keep it for another time as it deserves more time. Welcome to Burgundy!
|
Hello,
And WOW...thank you. That clarified things a lot for me, and confirmed my general inclinations. Will save Dijon for next time. Ok---sticking to just Beaune for 1.5 days, and will get there by train from Lyon, and again by train Beaune-Paris. SO, with no car, would it be wise to stay some place central, "downtown" Beaune? I see Hotel des Remparts....any opinions on it, or suggestions for another? The option of hotel transport to/from train stations would be nice We're definitely seeing the Hospices, Marche aux Vins, and Follat. Would like to see Abbaye de Fontenay or another abbey, and a chateau/vineyard or two. Is a car needed for those? Any rec of guide or driver to go to those spots? Thank you. MJ |
Yes, makes sense to spend your 1.5 days in Beaune. You really don’t need a car, the tourist office offers several options for winery visits, you can email them for suggestions. The historic center isn’t really very big and you can easily walk around. https://www.beaune-tourism.com/practical/tourist-office |
| All times are GMT -8. The time now is 10:34 PM. |