My upcoming trip: Provence, Rhone Valley and Burgundy: Sept-Oct
 

Greetings all...

Just a brief synopsis of my upcoming trip in late September-early October:

Arrive at CDG, go into Paris. Lunch, then the TGV from Gare de Lyon to Avignon.

My friends and I will use Tavel as a base for 3 days. Expect to see Avignon, Arles and perhaps Aix en Provence.

Then, heading north to Perouges, spending 2 nights at Ostellerie de Vieux Perouges. A day in Lyon, then onto Bourg en Bresse.

Drive north to Chagny to spend 2 nights there; only a stone's throw from Beaune.

Ahh...all that Pommard, Volnay etc..

Please feel free to chime in and I'll will leava detailed report when I get back..


Luis

Luis - how are you planning on bringing wine back? I used to put it in my carryon, but now...

In Chagny, please eat a meal at Le Saint Vincent. 71150 Corchanu.

Ask the owner if he remembers 14 hungry Americans who descended on his establisment!

GREAT food. And if he likes you, his own special home made sort of "grappa" or digestif.

I've always brought wine back in my checked suitcase, and exchange students visiting us have done the same. I just put in in the middle of a thick roll of clothes to pad it. Never a problem at all.

I assume you're dining at Train Bleu at the Gare.

We'll be in the Beaujolais/Burgundy area for 4 week in Sept.

Have some great Rose in Tavel - we like the Chateau Mordoree. There is an excellent wine tasting facility in Tavel where you can tast & buy. When we arrive in Provence, we try to head to Tavel first thing & purchase a case of Mordoree.

I think Aix might be a bit too far for a day trip. For only 3 days, no need to go that far away to experience Provence - there's plenty of things to do closer to Tavel. Don't city-hop - explore the beautiful countryside if you want to see why we return to Provence quite often.

Stu Dudley

In Chagny, we'll be staying at the Chateau de Bellecroix. I was there years ago and liked it very much, so we'll have at least one meal there.

I fully intend to delve into some of Tavels' roses. I find them delightful.

And Stu, you may be right.. instead of Aix en Provence, we'll probably do the Pont du Gard and perhaps Nimes or Orange..

If I can have wine shipped home, I'll do that. Otherwise, it will be very carefully packed in my check in luggage and I shall pray to Bacchus with all the fervor I can muster that the bottles do not get damaged on route home...

Luis

If you see Avignon, Arles, Nimes, and Orange - that's a lot of the same thing - especially in only 3 days. Visit the Luberon to see some small medieval villages & pretty countryside, St Remy & Les Baux for a medium sized village & old fortress and interesting/rugged terraine. When you visit the Pont, also visit Uzes - which is a little different from Arles/Nimes/Avignon/Orange.

Also, for such a short trip, going into Paris to have lunch & catch the TGV will consume a lot of time, & the taxi is pretty expensive. We always take the TGV directly from CDG to points south.

Stu Dudley

Stu:

We will take the RER-B line train at about 11 am from CDG into Paris. Our connecting train to Avignon is at 2:20 pm, so we'll have time for a bite to eat, then nap on the train.

St. Remy, Les Baux and the Luberon sound like a good idea so we will look into it.

Luis

Langcraft, Is there a reason you are spending two nights in Perouges rather than in Lyon. We were there this month and it was pleasant but very small and very quiet. I didn't find it worth more than a couple of hours compared to other villages in France. It is not in a very attractive area. IMO Lyon was well worth the three full days we spent there. I wish we could have stayed longer. Just chiming in. ;;)Deborah

deborahAnn what are some "must sees" in Lyon. Will be there two days. Do you have a favorite hotel/B&B in Lyon?

I loved Lyon. We stayed in a hotel favored by many here called the Hotel La Residence at 18 rue Victor Hugo, a pedestrian friendly street. It's location is excellent near Place Bellecour and the tourist information center.

We purchased the two day visit Lyon pass which, for 28 euros each, gave us unlimited use of the metro, admission to many museums, a free walking tour of Lyon, free ride on the boats on the river and more things than we could possibly do in two days.

For me the tour through the traboules and Old Lyon were fascinating and I hope it would be offered on one of the days you are there and I know my husband enjoyed the roman ruins and archeological museum. We also went to the Museum of the Resistance and Deportation, a well done but sombering museum, smaller but on the order of the Holocaust Museum in DC.

I used lots of suggestions from this forum for our stay in Lyon and it was almost perfect. Our one regret is that we planned to go inside the Basilique Notre Dame but never had the time. It gives me a compelling reason to return ;;) Deborah

Deborah:

We are just using Perouges a base for 2 days. We will do a full day in Lyon, a 1/2 day in Bourg en Bresse and then who knows what...

Hi Luis I hope you'll save some time to visit the historic center of Dijon! :-)

Sorry to butt into this thread, but thanks Deborah

Coco:

We will do our best to see Dijon, visit the Palais des Ducs de Bourgogne and even wave at all the snails I intend to eat or as they might say in French...Agiter mon bras a tout les escargots que je mangerai..noye a le beurre et ail...

Bon appétit! :-d

It is a pity you're not coming earlier as there will be the Days of Patrimony on the 16th and 17th sept. You would have been able to visit the inside of the Ducal Palace and see the very nice office where our mayor works... Don't miss l'escalier Gabriel and la Salle des Etats.
Bon voyage!
coco

Coco

We'll be near Beaune then. Tell me more about the event.

Stu Dudley

Stu every year now in mid september there is a special week end for citizens(French or not)who want to discover the hidden face of the historic buildings they're not allowed in usually. Dijon opens its private mansions, the ducal palace, the theater. So it must be the same in Beaune. And everything is free :-)
http://www.journeesdupatrimoine.culture.fr/

Thanks Coco.

That Saturday is Gite change day for us, so we'll get to Beaune earlier than planned and see what's going on. Seems like more is "happening" in Dijon, so we'll hit that on Sunday.

We leave for France tomorrow.

Stu Dudley

I hope you'll have a great weather (like the one we had today with grandmere)
Anyway it is all about visiting nice places so it doesn't really matter.

I would have loved to meet you but I still don't know what I'll be doing on that day.
Last year on that special week end, I was meeting nukesafe before his barge trip.. a year already! :-)

bon voyage!
coco