|
Which is the better hotel in Dijon?
Hello everyone! I am new to the site and will be taking a trip to France at the end of September. I will be travelling to the Burgundy region for 4 nights and it seems like a good home base for this region would be Dijon. I've been searching Expedia, etc for hotels and the 2 that seem to be the best bet pricewise and locationwise are Hotel Philippe Le Bon and Hotel Le Jura. Can anyone suggest or give feedback on either of the two? Thanks in advance for your help!
|
I can't help you with either of those hotels, as I have only stayed in Dijon for one night. I came in by TGV, and stayed at a hotel very close to the station; the Campanile Centre. It is a small 3* commercial hotel that was quite adequate. Cost was €69 for a double.
Hopefully a regular on this site, Cocofromdijon, who lives in Dijon, will pick up on this thread and be able to give you more advice. I do recall she had something to say about the Jura some time ago. Coco is a great source of information on the area for us, having worked in the hotel business both in England and in France. She also has a rental flat at myhomeindijon.com that has a lot of links to local information. I think you will love Dijon. We found it a friendly place with good transport options. Lots of mustard, too. :-) |
Linnyravs: We were in Dijon last Sept for 4 nights and stayed at Coco's flat in Dijon. It was wonderful-everything we could want-spotlessly clean, wonderful location to transpotation and museums, washer ,dryer ,kitchen and Coco picked us up at the train. She is a wonderful lady and you won't go wrong staying there. It was the first time we had stayed in a flat and for our next trip to France in 2008 we will look for a flat again
|
Coco's flat is booked almost solid in September, except 19th and 20th. Did you check TA for the rating of those 2 hotels? If you are interested in renting a flat, check www.dijon-rentahome.com. September is considered a high season. I planned early in the year and reserved 4 nights at Coco's flat (21-25 of Sept).
|
Thanks everyone for your replies! I've actually tried booking with Coco and Dijon rentahome but both do not have the availability I desire unfortunately. Thanks for the suggestion of the Campanile, I will look into that hotel as well. And, yes, I've checked reviews on Trip Advisor and Expedia on these hotels but am kinda torn because nothing is really grabbing me about either. I'm disappointed the flats didn't work out, that would have been a neat experience.
From those that have been to Dijon, do you think there is 4 days worth of solid sightseeing in Burgundy region? This is my first time to France/Europe and I want to make the most of my trip. As it stands now we are splitting time equally (4 nights each) between Paris/Burgundy. Does this sound smart? Any suggestions otherwise? Torn between 5 days Paris/3 Burgundy or splitting 4/4...any opinions from those that have been would be greatly appreciated! |
Hi L,
>Torn between 5 days Paris/3 Burgundy or splitting 4/4.. Both are good, but I would do 5 in Paris. If nothing in Dijon thrills you, try this place in Beaune: http://www.hotel-grillon.fr/ See my trip report for details.http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=35014078 ((I)) |
Bonjour mes amis! :* (Judy it's been a while, hope you're fine!)
Linda contacted me already(she found me here actually and I'm glad she registred now :-) ) My personal choice would go to Philippe le Bon hotel which is located in a little street very close to the Burgundian life museum and has a good restaurant (les Oenophiles). Actually it depends if you wish to stay near the train station, in that case Le Jura is much closer. I remember it is Stu Dudley's favourite hotel when he has to take an early train. But I find the street (avenue Foch) very noisy and there are big works at the train station that would make it even noisier. (maybe ask for a room at the back). Have you checked hotel du Nord on Place Darcy? http://www.hotel-nord.fr/ Dick Campanile hotels are 2 star hotels... ;-) Good luck Linda and please let us know what you chose. :-) |
Coco! Good to see you and thanks for the suggestions. I actually have a choice to make - Beatrice has an apartment available but not on the first day I wanted to arrive to Dijon...so I can either spend an extra day in Paris and spend 3 days at Beatrice's 1 bedroom apt or go the full 4 days and find a hotel. Decisions, decisions! I did tell her that you recommended me to her...thanks again for that, you have been so helpful.
|
Many people like smaller cities like Beaune, just down the road or any of smaller wine villages along the Route des Vins Bourgogne - Dijon is a fine city but if driving cities like that can be hassle to get into and out of.
|
We will probably be renting a car to get around Burgundy so that is something to consider. Kind of like being in a city though to just walk out and grab breakfast first thing - or to walk around town before heading in for the night. Does anyone have experience with renting cars in this area? Is it easy? Very expensive? I've seen around 50-75 Euros per day with only 60 miles. Can anyone recommend renting a car in Paris and driving back and forth versus taking TGV to Burgundy and renting once there?
|
Hi L,
>Kind of like being in a city though to just walk out and grab breakfast first thing - or to walk around town before heading in for the night. Most hotels offer bkfst. The Grillon had DIY boiled eggs. Also, Beaune is a pleasant place to walk around at night. >Does anyone have experience with renting cars in this area? www.autoeurope.com and www.gemut.com >Can anyone recommend renting a car in Paris and driving back and forth versus taking TGV to Burgundy and renting once there? I certainly wouldn't. ((I)) |
At one time, I was thinking of renting a car in Dijon to do day trips and drive up north to Ardennes. I changed my mind after seeing the price of the car with automatic transmission. Coco directed me to National car rental site. They have office at the train station in Dijon. The price for regular car is good with unlimited mileage.
|
Great - thanks Ira and Georgiegirl for your advice - great stuff! I think we are going to go with the 5 nights Paris/3 nights Burgundy as was suggested by Ira.
So is there any benefit to driving from Paris to Burgundy - any good sights along the way that make it worthwhile for a 3 night stay? Or is time better spent in the cities in Burgundy rather than stops along the way? Also, does anyone have any info on this area on a Sunday? Are things open? Wineries, stores, tours, etc? |
Since you are leaving end of September, you still have time to check for prem ticket from Paris to Dijon. I got mine - Dijon to Paris - for 20 euro. Rent a car in Dijon. There are many things to do in this region: Beaune, Auxerre, Besançon, wine route, etc. Go to Tripadvisor and search under Burgundy, there are a lot of posts. It is hard to search in this site.
|
Hi L,
>So is there any benefit to driving from Paris to Burgundy - any good sights along the way that make it worthwhile for a 3 night stay? Or is time better spent in the cities in Burgundy rather than stops along the way?< Ah, you Americans and your love for automobiles. :) You could drive from Paris to Dijon or Beaune - stopping at Troyes and/or Auxerre - about 4:35 hr on the road. It's under 2 hr by train. You'll want a day for Dijon, a day for Beaune and a day to visit the countryside. ((I)) |
georgiegirl - what do you mean by a prem ticket from Paris-Dijon? Is that a train? I was looking at rates for a TGV roundtrip and it came to about $160-$200 roundtrip for 2 (about 120-140 Euro). Is there a cheaper way to do this? Also, I'll have to check out TA for info on Burgundy - thanks.
Ira-thanks for some ideas of stops along the way. We are on the same page thinking 1 day Dijon, 1 day Beaune and 1 day wine countryside. Looking forward to the market in Beaune on Saturday and I believe Coco mentioned one on Friday in Dijon as well - I'll be there Fri-Sat-Sun. |
www.voyages-sncf.com has all the PREM fares available - you must be looking at full fare or www.raileurope.com, which though largely owned by French Rail (SNCF) does not display many PREM fares though on some runs they may have discounted fares.
|
Put MorganB in the search box of this site. He wrote a comprehensive essay on how to buy train ticket. There are 2 versions. Just go to the first version. Since I don't know your dates between Paris and Dijon, I could not check the prem fare out for you. If you want to contact me directly, my e-mail address is [email protected]
I am not an expert, just know enough to get around on my own. |
I just found the PREM fares with your advice - thanks so much! I checked MorganB's instructions and they were perfect...so it would be 80 Eur for 2 people round trip...not bad at all! You can rent cars right at the train station in Dijon right? Do you recommend doing that now or once we get there?
|
|
The car rental agencies at the train station are the most convenient but keep in mind there are big works now and the main entrance is a big mess :-( When you get out of the train follow the signs near the main hall. Good luck! :-)
|
coco - how long is the travaux au gare going to be going on?
Bonne vacanelles! |
Bonsoir Pal, les travaux à la gare should finish at the end of 2008.
http://mobigo-bourgogne.com/PEM/ Bon week end aussi! coco |
Sylvain et sa girlfriend bientot rester quelque jours au chalet dans les petites alpes francaises pres de Annecy - je veux que je peur y etre aussi. C'etait pas loin de Dijon je pense.
|
Annecy is 260km away from Dijon (2h50 by car) no TGV (4.30 to 5 hour trip!) bon voyage! :-)
|
wow - have to study my French geographique. I haad planned to day trip to Dijon next winter mainly for the tour de moutarde - but i'll still go because though i was in Dijon once and camped their on the new (then) lake not far from the train station on a bike trip i didn't look around that much.
But my main goal is to experience the TGV Dupleix - double-deckers which i have yet to ride - Coco cherie - do Duplex TGVs serve Dijon or only Lyon? merci |
<do Duplex TGVs serve Dijon or only Lyon?>
That's a good question! I never paid attention but since I'm going to the train station twice tomorrow (departure and arrival of my guests) I'll try to find out... :-) |
|
coco - thanks for those gorgeous pictures - and you will be meeting me at Dijon Gare on Sep 31st for my free night's stay at your wonderful flat?
|
You're welcome Pal :-)
BTW I asked someone at the train station for the Duplex and he told me we used to have one a few months ago (last year)stopping in Dijon station but not anymore. So now it is only on the Paris Lyon line. :-( |
merci bien coco cherie - i guess i'll go to Lyon for the day though i spent a week there once but really want to do the Duplex.
Have you ever ridden one - i'm wondering if folks on sunken lower level can see any of that truly bucolic Burgundy countryside from lower level - steerage kind of. I assume they charge the same for either level but perhaps sncf can earn a few extra sous by charging more for the top seats? |
I've never used it unfortunately :-(
Maybe the 1st class is on the upper level! ;-) I just checked the SNCF website and found prem's ticket for 25€ one way Paris Lyon, 45€ 1st class... You can even choose the level you want even for 25€ that's great (choose salle haute ou salle basse) :-) |
Thanks everyone for your advice. Decided to stay at Philippe Le Bon as per Coco's recommendation. Coco - can you tell me how far this is from the train station? Is it walkable? What would be the best idea for transportation to the hotel if we do not have a car. Thanks!
|
Sorry to respond so late. I did a similar trip...TGV r/t Paris-Dijon for 3 days and stayed at the Hotel du Nord which is no more than a 5 min. walk from the train station. It was nice with a wine/snack bar as well as a nice restaurant and the upper floor rooms have a nice view. It is a short walk to the main square. We looked at Philippe Le Bon and it appeared lovely, but if you have much luggage it is a fair walk from the gare. Let us know how you liked it and give the owl my regards.
|
Linda, I'm glad you found a place to stay!
Hotel Philippe le Bon has a good restaurant too, mideba wrote about it here (and about Stephane Derbord as well) http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35028102 You'll have to take a taxi from the station. The hotel is located in a one way street where there is only a small bus called diviaciti stopping there. Take it to go to the Ducal Palace if you don't want to walk, it is free. :-) |
Thanks Coco - is it still relatively easy to get a rental car at the train station with all the renovations going on? Which rental agencies are stationed there? Thanks for your advice.
|
Follow the signs to find the agencies. If I remember well, you should find Europcar, Avis and National car rental. (the address used on their website is usually "cour de la gare")
|
| All times are GMT -8. The time now is 10:04 PM. |