gaelle

This May, we will take a train from Paris to Dijon and spend 2 nights there before picking up a car and driving to Beaune where we are considering staying for 4 nights. We would like to spend our time taking little day trips to places like vezeley, Autun , Noyers, Semur-en-Auxois, etc. (Have been to Beaune before but not the aforementioned villages)

1. Is Beaune a good base for the towns mentioned?
2. We would love any recommendations for places to stay. We would like to stay somewhere just outside of Beaune (walking distance to town for dinner at night would be good) . When we were in Saint Remy de Provence, we stayed at the Mas des Carrassins which was close to town but also offered meals at night if we decided to stay in. Sometimes it's just nice to not go anywhere at night after being gone all day. We've also stayed in a bed and breakfast in Dordogne which was also great.

Thank you for suggestions.

BarbAnn

When in Beaune, we stayed at Octroi Saint-Jacques. It is a B&B. We loved it! Free parking within the gates of their property and a wonderful breakfast. An easy two minute walk to the center of Beaune. The room was clean, comfortable and the owner, Jocelyne and her husband were helpful, kind and wonderful to chat with. We were two couples traveling together and we all agreed it was our favorite accommodation in France.
https://www.chambredhoteabeaune.fr/

HappyTrvlr

We have been in Beaune and stayed at the historic Hotel Le Cep which is a wonderful place to stay.
Some of the towns you wish to visit are in the NW section of Burgundy and it would be better to stay in Auxerre to visit them. We have stayed there and in Vezelay( near the Basilica at the top of the town).

Jean

We stayed here:

https://hotelabbayedemaizieres.com/

Vezelay would be a bit too far for a day trip from Beaune for me... more than 90 minutes each way and longer if you choose more interesting secondary roads. FYI, on the recommendation of the hotel in Beaune, we drove a very scenic road along the Le Cousin River south of Avallon, D427 from Magny to Pontaubert. We circled back to Avallon (about 15 minutes) for lunch and then continued to Vezelay.

maitaitom

We loved Les Jardins de Loïs, one of the best B&Bs we have stayed at in all of our travels. Besides being beautiful, comfortable and a great breakfast, it had the best shower we've ever had on vacation. The owner said he travels a lot for business (he's a wine maker and grower), and he thinks a good shower is a must for travelers. It is still ranked #3 of 75 B&Bs in Beaune. Located only a five minute walk from Hotel Le Cep (we met friends in that bar for drinks ... they loved the hotel, but it was a little too high-priced for us) and all the restaurants we hit while there. Check out Chapters Two - Four in below trip report link for our time in Beaune (and day trip to Dijon) and more about the B&B. The photos below are the breakfast room, and the spacious backyard grounds perfect for a little afternoon wine tasting. Have a great trip!
https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/france-2016/

gaelle

I would like to thank you all for your suggestions. We always appreciate following suggestions by those who so generously share their travel tips. Merci mille fois!

zebec

Gaelle,
Just an optional place to consider, a village that'd allow for all the above daytrips--Meursault. Its quiet, maybe too much so for some. But its smack dab in the middle of the vineyards wizout the busier feel of Beaune. One could either walk or cycle down to Puligny-Montrachet, a great way to experience that whole wine culture---oh those legendary dry whites! We rented in Meursault and enjoyed the local feel. If memory serves, there is a modest annual fest held in that village each May---but don't quote me.

You'd still be close to Beaune and all its its attractions.
Bourdain was high on Noyers. We are high on Semur-en-Auxois.
Aussi, je propose 'Orches' en route to one of your daytrips, if only for the view.

Hope it goes well.
I am done. The end.

gudava

Les Jardins de Loïs was wonderful. We stayed there in October of 2021. Do not hesitate to stay there. If you do end up in Beaune, PLEASE arrange for restaurant reservations well ahead of time. We didn't know that booking ahead was important, and had some trouble finding dinner reservations on certain days. If you decide to stay at Les Jardins de Lois, ask for recommendations at the time of reservation. Beaune is a great town.

frenchaucoeur

I know you specifically asked about Beaune (we've stayed at Le Cep a couple of times and really liked it esp. the back courtyard, which is a great place for a late-afternoon glass of wine), but in fact Beaune is a bit of a shlep to all the villages you mentioned.

Chateauneuf-sur-Auxois is quite close to Beaune, but Semur, Noyers, Vezelay, even Autun are about an hour or even a bit more from Beaune .Have you considered staying further north, around Chablis, if you want to visit these places? We stayed at the Hostellerie des Clos in Chablis a few years ago and were very pleased with it. We also thought the restaurant, which at that point had one Michelin star, was excellent (I'm not sure it still has the star). Chablis is less than an hour from the places you named and is only 20 minutes from the pretty town Auxerre, with two magnificant churches and half-timbered buildings.. There are also several lovely chateaux in the area, such as the beautiful 16th-century chateau Tanlay.

Just a thought.