redc

We will be in Paris from Mon Aug 24 thru Fri Aug 28.
We then wish to explore the not too distant environs (within a 3 hour train ride).
We have until Mon Aug 31 to return to CDG for an 11:30am flight home to the US.
Which direction should we go?
Dijon and Beaune look inviting.
Any other suggestions?

Sarastro

A 3 hour radius encompasses most of France with the exception of the Côte d’Azur. I should however look at this in reverse order.

If you are leaving from CDG on Monday, you'll want to be at the airport no latter than 08h30 that morning. Assuming you are not going to spend the last night in France near the airport, you'll need to find a train that gets you to CDG early. That might eliminate anything much farther than Dijon.

Seat availability and booking cannot be done earlier than 90 days before departure so preliminary work is all that you can do at this stage.

redc

Yes, I have studied this in reverse. There is a train from Dijon to CDG Monday morning that arrives at 8:30 or so. Although we could be back in the CDG area late Sunday evening.

Weadles

I highly recommend a trip to La Rochelle, which is about 3 hours on the TGV. It's a lovely historic port city on the Atlantic with excellent music and art festivals in the summer. The seafood is some of the best we've had in France!

StuDudley

Are you doing this entire trip by train and staying in cities, or are you renting a car once you get to a destination?

Here are Cities that are easy to get to. I'll rank them according to my favorites

1. Dijon 1 3/4 hrs
2. Rennes 2 1/4 hrs
3. Avignon 2 3/4
4. Aix en Provence 3 hrs
5. Strasbourg 2 1/4 hrs
6. Annecy 3 3/4 hrs
7. La Rochelle 3 hrs
15. Brive la Gaillard 4 hr
15. Tours 2 1 1/2 hrs
Lyon - 2 hrs, but I would not visit Lyon after Paris.



These cities will be somewhat dead on Sunday - when the shops are closed.

If I were to rank the AREAS these cities are in, IMO it would be:

1. Provence/Avignon
1. Dordogne/Brive
3. Provence/Cote d'Azur/Aix en Provence.
4. Rennes/Brittany
5. Alsace/Strasbourg
6. Dijon Burgundy
7. Lake Annecy/Alps/Annecy
8. Loire without the chateau/Tours

I would not go to the Cote d'Azur in August. IMO, you should not go to Provence or the Dordogne for just 2 nights.

You can get a very early train back to CDG from Dijon and Avignon on Monday. From Dijon, the train leaves an hour later on Sat & Sun. We've taken the train back to CDG from Dijon twice.

For only 3 days, I would either visit Dijon/Burgundy or Avignon/Provence IF you are willing to take the morning train to CDG.

If you won't have a car, in the Dijon area you could visit Dijon on Sat & Beaune on Sun (some shops are open in Beaune on Sun). In Provence, you could visit Avignon on Sat, and the huge food/Antiques/crafts market in l'Isle sur la Sorgue on Sunday (there is a morning train there from Avignon).

Stu Dudley

Robespierre

London. 2:20 or so from Gare du Nord to St. Pancras. And back to Paris for bedtime on Sunday. We never spend the last night before a flight unless there are at least two ways to get to the airport. Staying AT the airport would minimize the rush in the AM, because the morning's shot anyway.

kerouac

Lille is lovely and only 55 minutes from Paris. Even less time to CDG.

It is having another fantastic cultural festival over the next several months: http://www.lille3000.com

If it is anywhere near as good as the last Lille 3000 event which was devoted to India, I will rush there as fast as the train will take me!

What a shame it only runs until July 12th, so you will miss it! Timing is everything.

redc

Thank you all so much...we may travel to/stay in Dijon and rent a car and then travel south toward Beaune following Mr Dudley's advice...Also, staying Sunday night at the airport sounds like sound reasoning, any suggestions on hotels near CDG?.....anyone else have ideas for our weekend excursion?

StuDudley

You don't need a car to get to Beaune - there are frequent trains that get you there & back.

How had you planned to get to CDG on Sunday?. Seems like you have two options:
1. Drive
2. Take a train into Paris, take a taxi to a RER station in Paris (Gare du Nord or other RER stations), then take the RER to CDG, then stay at either a CDG hotel, or taxi to one just outside of CDG.

I would not want to do either of these. They will consume too much of the day Sunday (light car traffic, however). You already have a short vacation.

I would take the early TGV from Dijon that gets you to CDG at 8:20am - plenty of time for the 11:30 flight. Some people are not comfortable with this, but I would have more confidence in arriving on-time at CDG on the TGV than I would have in arriving by plane from Dijon (or anywhere else). I have no statistics to prove this (other than my own personal experiences) but I bet the on-time arrival rate of the TGV is much better than the on-time rate of a plane. If you were flying in from Nice, Florence, etc on Easyjet to CDG, you probbly would not worry about the connection - so why would you worry any more about a train connection? I've taken the train from Dijon twice, and from Chambery once to get to CDG for a connection.

If this still bothers you, I would take the TGV to Gare du Lyon, stay overnight at a hotel next to the Gare, have a nice dinner at Train Bleu (a "must see" in Paris, IMO), and then take a taxi to CDG in the morning. We did this 2 1/2 years ago.

What do you think residents of Dijon do for getting to CDG for a flight??

If you decide to take the early TGV to CDG, I would spend Sunday morning in Beaune, have lunch there, then wander some more. Return to Dijon, visit a museum or two (they are open on Sundays), and then find a place for dinner.

Stu Dudley

redc

Stu D-- A belated thank you for your thorough suggestions and advice. Not having been to Dijon/Beaune, it's difficult to envision travel requirements. Is it not wonderful to drive from Dijon to Beaune and back to freely visit the various vineyards? Or will a train suffice for visiting the two cities? (And one embarrassing question How does one pronounce Beaune? shhhhhhh)

kerouac

Beaune is pronounced Bone (close enough).

Christina

You might read a guidebook or other information that tells you Beaune is very near Dijon, or check a map and any tourism site online, like the Beaune one. I think it's only a half hour or so by train or car.

http://www.beaune-tourism.com/

A train suffices anywhere that it connects easily IMO, but whether you like just driving around is just a preference. I don't think people should be visiting vineyards and then driving (I assume you will be drinking or why else visit them).

it's pronounced bone

StuDudley

We had a car for the entire 2 weeks we were there - plus 2 weeks in Beaujolais just south. We traveled to/from Paris by TGV.

The area is very scenic - vineyards, Chateaux, small villages, etc. Howevver, if you only have 2 nights 1 1/2 days, You could be perfectly happy with 1 day in Dijon & 1/2 day in Beaune.

Stu Dudley