Provence to Paris via Burgundy
 

We are a couple in our mid 50's travelling to France from Toronto at the beginning of September. We plan on renting a car. I would like to end our trip in Paris so I can get the Eurostar to London to visit family.
We are allowing about 12 - 13 days.
We are pretty active - don't care for beaches. We love discovering new foods, markets and enjoy wine. As a keen photographer I am looking forward to capturing the beautiful scenery.
Here is what I have come up so far.
Land in Marseille.
3 nights in Saint Satumim Les Apts.
2 nights in St Remy
3 nights in Burgundy ...need help where to stay here Dijon?
4 nights in Paris

Advice or thoughts appreciated. Do not miss attractions? Too ambitious?
Look forward to hearing from you.

3 nights in Burgundy ...need help where to stay here Dijon?>

Beaune is a region wine town -many like it more than a huge city like Dijon, nice as Dijon is. Drive to Dijon and return car and take TGV to Paris?

You really have:
4 days in Provence
2 1/4 days in Burgundy
3 1/2 days in Paris

That's about the bare minimum in each area, IMO. And if you are the person who just received my Provence & Burgundy itineraries - and have the knee problems - you might not welcome a fast-paced trip. You might consider skipping Burgundy. Although Dijon is tied with Toulouse as my favorite city in France after Paris, and Beaune is in my "top 5" small cities list - you might be a tad disappointed in Burgundy after Provence. If you are staying at Mas Perreal in St Saturnin - it is surrounded by vineyards. And you'll also see many more vineyards in the Luberon. If you venture up to the Cote du Rhone - even more vineyards & wineries. Maybe get your wine "fix" in Provence instead of Burgundy. If I had to make a list of "cute little villages" in Provence & Burgundy - my first 25 choices would all be in Provence before I hit a village in Burgundy. More castles in Burgundy than in Provence, however. But castle visits consume "time" because of opening & closing times around lunch, and waiting for guided tours to start.

Stu Dudley

Thank you for your replies. My knees are fine Stu so it wasn't me although I did get your itinerary thank you. What about St Remy? Any suggestions or not enough time? Is it a day trip from somewhere?

St-Remy is very close to Avignon and Arles.

A split between St Remy & St Saturnin is fine.

Stu Dudley

We took a trip similar to yours a few years ago but in the reverse. We spent 4 nights in Paris, two in Burgundy, 1 in Vaison la Romaine, 3 in Saint Saturnin Les Apts, and 2 just north of Nice. We loved all of it and did not feel rushed. We could have spent more time everywhere but it did give us a lay of the land for when we go back. I would go back to all but the Nice area ( way too crowded and too big a city). In Burgundy I would stay near Beaune not Dijon unless you like big cities. It is a beautiful area. We stayed at a B&B not too far from Beaune. I would give you the name as we loved it, but sadly it closed. Happy planning!

Welcome on the forumExBrit62,
Dijon historic center is very walkable and if you follow the Owl's Trail you'll see (and take photos)of more than 22 sites.
They include the market (on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday (+ Sunday special one with a brunch until mid Sept)), parks, churches, private mansions, the Dukes palace and many more.

What's best that the TO video to give you an idea? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zih7Xss12XE
Welcome to France :)

Yup Dijon gives a hoot! More than just about mustard. One of France's nicest larger cities and if you want a neat place to stay check out Coco cherie's web site on her profile - My Home in Dijon is her flat(s) she rents out and many Fodorites have raved about their stays there and Coco's friendliness!

That said IMO Beaune is a town more would find more romantic than Dijon or any large city -if staying in Beaune be sure to day trip to Dijon!