Paris-Burgundy-Provence-Paris
 

Hi all,

I need some assistance in my 2 week itinerary in September starting and ending in Paris. My fiance and I are flying into Paris (ORLY) on Sept 9th and we will be flying back out of Paris (ORLY) on Sept 23rd. I am in my mid-20s and he is in his 30s. I have been to France once before and had spent time in Nantes and Normandy but he has never been to France. We are interested in taking things slow and spending time just strolling through small towns. We also enjoy going out at night and we both drink but don't need to get crazy. I have the following itinerary put together so far:

Sept. 9th- Land in Paris and stay the night
Sept 10th - 13th- Take train into Dijon and stay in Dijon / Beaune
Sept 13th - 18th - Take train to Provence and stay in Provence area
Sept 18th - Train to Paris and stay in Paris until 23rd
Sept 23rd - Fly home

I am slightly confused by the transportation from Paris to Burgundy and how to get around. Do you want to take a train into Dijon or Beaune and which town has more to do? Is it worthwhile to visit both of these towns? Do you need to rent a car in order to really experience the area or can you get around easy enough without a car? Same with Provence....would you need a car in this are as well? If so, would you recommend getting a car in Burgundy and just keeping it to drive to Provence? I am not sure what prices are like for 1 way rentals in France. I would prefer to travel by train as much as possible just because this is what I am most comfortable with.

I would appreciate any feedback anyone has for transportation tips on getting around or if you have any other suggestions on areas to visit. We are really open at this point in changing our plans and are really just looking for great places to spend time outside of Paris to get a different experience of French culture.

Thank you all for your help!!

Beaune is a regional wine center and nicer smaller city -Dijon is much bigger but still nice - Beaune is more in the center of the Burgundy wine area and trains trundle between Beaune and numerous famous wine villages.

I'd visit Dijon but base in Beaune or even a smaller wine town on a train line.

That said to visit Burgundy in general a car would be nice and you could drive the Burgundy Wine Road south of Dijon to Macon and then onto Lyon - neat large city - and go on to Avignon, which in many ways is the heart of the Provence for tourists - so many neat things to see in a compact area -buses and trains do go but a car would be nicer if not needed. Arles and St-Remy-de-Provence also are neat bases.

for lots on trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. Book TGV tickets at www.voyages-sncf.com - French Railways site and nab discounts if booking far enough in advance. Regional trains like Dijon to Beaune just buy as you go.

We spend 2 months in France every year, and I have yet to encounter a one-way drop off fee for a car rental.

Probably the best plan is to take one of the many TGVs from Paris to the Dijon Ville station and use Dijon as a base. Think about taking a taxi to the Gare de Lyon on arrival day and going directly to Dijon - thus saving a "pretty much dead day" in Paris.

Rent a car in Dijon. You'll need it to visit the "cute little villages", chateaux, and the various sites in Burgundy. Dijon is tied with Toulouse as our favorite cities in France after Paris. Beaune is one of our "top 5" smaller cities in France - but there is more stuff to do in Dijon than in Beaune. But visit Beaune by all means, Also Auxerre if you have the time. However, do not visit Dijon, Beaune, or Auxerre on a Sunday when all the shops will be closed. Visit the countryside & Chateaux on Sunday. Same with Monday morning also. Same with cities in Provence - except St Remy.

It is a 3 3/4 hr drive from Dijon to Provence - vs, a 2 3/4 hr TGV from Dijon to the Avignon TGV station. There is 1 direct train that leaves Dijon at 9:21 & arrives at 12:07 at the Avignon TGV station. Although I like taking trains - I would drive in this case. 3 3/4 hrs is about our limit for a "base to base" drive - and, of course, a car will give you more flexibility. There really aren't many interesting things to see between Beaujolais and Provence - so just get to Provence ASAP (watch for commute traffic problems around Lyon).

In Provence I would stay in St Remy if you want to walk to shops, restaurants, cafes, and be surrounded by others speaking English. If you want to be more "out in the countryside" stay in the Luberon near Gordes, Roussillon, Menerbes, or Bonnieux.

Take the TGV from the Avignon TGV station back to Paris.

My wife & I have vacationed for 20 weeks in Provence and 4 weeks in Burgundy & Beaujolais. I put together a 32 page itinerary for Provence & the Cote d'Azur, and a much shorter one for Burgundy. I've sent my various itineraries (I have others) to over 6,000 people on Fodors. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach them to the reply e-mail. Specify which itineraries you would like - I get 5-8 requests every day & some people just ask for "your itinerary" and I have no idea as to which one they want.

You allocation days are just fine.

Stu has some great tips.
Take a TGV to Dijon or Avignon.
rent a car there.
Get his itinerary
Buy the green guide Michelin.
We have spent 100+ weeks of holiday in Provence but never wrote one line. Used Michelin...
Sleep close to the places you visit - wine is fabulous there and you don't want to drive after a good dinner.

Yeh rent the car in Dijon at or near the station and return it after done with Avignon area at Avignon-TGV and blast back to Paris on TGVs in a few hours.

Lyon makes a great stop for a night or more -really neat larger city right on Dijon-Beaune-Macon-Avignon route.

Instead of spending your first night in Paris, I would go immediately upon arrival to Burgundy and lump all your Paris days at the end of the trip. The first day after an all-night flight is usually a washout anyway. I always use it to get at least halfway, if not all the way, to my farthest point. I hate all the logistics of getting into a city after a long-haul flight, spending just one night, and then traipsing on the next day. YMMV.

In Dijon, stay at Coco's B&B
http://www.myhomeindijon.com/

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-in-dijon.cfm

In the Luberon, try Kevin's B&B
http://www.masperreal.com/index.html

Stu Dudley

Thank you all for the quick replies! It sounds like there are different opinions in whether to make Dijon or Beaune our base in Burgundy so I may need to figure out which attractions we want to see first in order to choose. Renting a car also seems like a good choice and not as difficult as I expected. I think we may add on Lyon for a night as well because we have a lot of time between Burgundy/Provence.

for a simple but wonderful room with breakfast:
http://www.accommodationinprovence.c...re-du-platane/


or +1 for Mas Perreal for more of a B&B

>>> we have a lot of time between Burgundy/Provence.<<

Nope - you don't have very much time at all between Burgundy & Provence.

Altogether, your original itinerary has you:
2 1/2 days in Burgundy
4 1/2 days in Provence
4 1/2 days in Paris

This is a good allocation - but you'll barely even scratch the surface of these three destinations. Don't add any other destinations.

Stu Dudley

Coco's b&b looks gorgeous indeed.
I was about to take note but I'm always with some pets and/or children when in the region.

So spending more time in Provence makes more send than extra time in Burgundy?

The B&B recommendations are great, just the kind of places I am looking for.

sense*