My husband and I are planning a two week vacation to France at the end of May. We are thinking about arriving in Paris and then going to the Burgundy area. (We have been to Loire, Provence and Dordogne as well as Paris in the past). Does anyone have some ideas as to an itinerary for this visit--i.e. places to stay and visit. We also would consider going to Burgundy and then visiting another region such as Alsace for a few days. Thank you, Kathe

Lucky you to go to Burgundy! It's one of my favorite regions of France-- I'll send you the series of articles I wrote for the bonjourparis.com web site with sightseeing and lodging recommendations.

I've only been through Burgundy on the train, but Vezelay is on my list to see within the next couple of years. Looks beautiful.

I stayed In Beaune in September 2005 at Le Cep. Loved Beaune and our hotel. This was a last minute destination at the end of a trip to Switzerland so we didn't have reservations and it was very busy in the area. Aside from Le Cep in Beaune we didn't care for our hotels in the area. Planning would alleviate this.

Oh Underhill, would you mind sending it to me as well! [email protected]

THANK YOU!

Underhill,
Anther request to send those articles to roman_days (at) yahoo (dot) com
Please

Thanks a lot

Underhill--If it's not too much trouble, can I have them as well?
[email protected]
Thanks!

Hi Kate,
I'm always happy when someone wishes to visit my region
Maybe you can tell us more about your interests? Abbeys, churches, castles, vineyards, nice counrtyside, food....
you'll find all that for sure!
Have a stop in Dijon if you like architecture,(Ducal Palace, Fine Arts museums, tiled roofs and narrow streets...)
my pictures here :
http://www.kodakgallery.fr/BrowsePho...id=43499444733

happy travels!
corinne

Underhill,
I would also love a copy if you have time. [email protected]
Thanks

You will love Burgundy! I spent 2 weeks there in October of '03. I had a wonderful time driving all around the area, and stayed at several different places. I took the train to Dijon from Paris and spent 2 nights there (there's much to see in Dijon, some wonderful museums). I stayed at the Sofitel La Cloche in Dijon. Very nice, and convenient to the train station. Be sure to spend some time in Beaune.

My favorite hotel was the Chateau d'Ige
in southern Maconnais, a beautiful region, and a really wonderful hotel.
Another nice hotel (altho not in the same category as Chateau d'Ige) was the Moulin de Ruats near Avallon (and not far from Vezelay). Both those hotels have wonderful restaurants. I loved the food in Burgundy!

I'm not sure how much time you'll be spending in Burgundy, but some other towns I liked were Semur-en-Auxois, Autun, and especially Auxerre, which is where I ended the trip, dropping off car and training back to Paris.

I did this same kind of trip in Alsace another time (also in October) and enjoyed also, but liked Burgundy better.
Alsace was more crowded (with Germans!)
I loved Strasbourg, though.

Hi Sue, I'm so pleased to enjoyed your stay in Dijon! And you didn't go to the worst hotel either!
For Christmas, they had put big pink present boxes on the balconies. Very nice.
Did you go the jardin Darcy just in front of the hotel? I really like it, with the Pompon bear which welcomes you.(the statue!)
If you want the picture I've taken of the hotel from the side of the garden, let me know. It is not on my photo gallery.
ttt for Kate

For accommodation in Burgundy I recommend the Château André Ziltener in Chambolle-Musigny near Beaune --- one of the most beautiful estates in Burgundy. If you want to visit Vézelay and its surrounding, try Château Marigny, a beautiful little castle with only three rooms. The owner offers a delicious warm breakfast with homemade marmalade, prosciutto, eggs and view of the huge gardens. I have visited both places recently and was overwhelmed by the hospitality and warmth of the owners. For more information please take a look at the himmelbett-24.de site which is in english also. All my best, Suzanne

I just sent off the Burgundy articles to those of you who requested them. I hope they're useful for trip planning.

Drkatej,

I envy your upcoming trip to Burgundy. We were there in September on a canal cruise, and loved the area. My only regret was we had so little time to explore the towns.

Next time we go we will stay in Dijon, probably in Cocofromdijon's rental apartment. http://myhomeindijon.com. Coco is extremely helpful in meeting people and searching out the things that interest her guests, so you might email her directly. We will use Dijon as a central base to visit the parts of wonderful Burgundy that we missed last time.

Have a wonderful trip!

Underhill,
Could you possibly send one more out? I have 5 days in France to fill and your articles could be very helpful. Thanks Laura
[email protected]

Underhill,
I did not get the email, can you please try again: [email protected]
Thanks

Underhill--I didn't get the email either. Thanks for trying.

Thanks for the responses. I'm getting pretty excited about this trip.
I'm starting to narrow things down: I am thinking that we would go to Paris first and stay a few days. Then we would stay in Burgundy somewhere, perhaps Semur, then go to Beaune for three nights. Is it better to stay in Beaune or Dijon? It looks like Dijon may be a bigger city and Beaune more manageable?? We love good food and I think both have great restaurants. Then we could head to Lyon for two more nights. We would have two or three extra days--would it make sense to visit Alsace area or somewhere else close by? Kathe

One of my favorite hotels is Le Grand Chaumiere in the little town of St Florentin, which is near Auxerre. The wife runs the hotel and the husband is the chef in the very good Michelin* restaurant. Reasonable rates too.

As much as I think you would enjoy Alsace, I don't see how you have the time on this trip.

How do you plan to get to the area from Paris? Drive out of the city? Train?

I agree that we won't have time for Alsace the more I think about it.
We will probably rent a car when we leave Paris and drive to area such as Auxerre or Semur and stay one or two nights. Then we will head to Beaune or Dijon (whichever is better to stay)for three or four nights and then end up in Lyon for three nights. I thought we could travel around and see things using those places as a base. Does it sound reasonable? Kathe