Three of us will be going to Paris in July, and we were hoping to take a day trip to tour some wineries. I have noticed that most tours go to the Champagne region; we would like to visit a different region. Tours that include transportation to other regions tend to cost more than we would like to spend. Advice on transportation and wineries to visit for a day trip would be appreciated!

You can actually stay in Paris (or nearby):

http://www.saveur.com/article.jsp?ID=4385

Best wishes,

Rex

If you did want to tour some of the Champagne caves it is easy to take the train out there and do them on your own. My girlfriends and I did this for a day trip. I talk about it here:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...ame=stormygirl

Or if that doesn't work the title of the report is:

stormygirl's Paris trip report- people smiled, we didn't step in poo and there was TP!

I could be wrong, and if so, I'm sure others will comment, but I don't think there are any great wineries very close to Paris nor wine-producing regions. I have never seen any day tours to wineries from Paris by the established day-trip companies.

I think you can do some on your own -- notably, Beaune is possible by a day trip from Paris and there are wineries to tour in the town center (or nearby). That is still not super-close given the train schedule, but is possible if you are willing to spend 2-3 hrs each way by train.

You can also go to Chablis, although that is a bit more complicated by train, as I don't think Chablis has a train station, but you can go to Auxerre, perhaps, and take a taxi (it's less than 10 miles, I think, from Auxerre). That's probably at least as long or more by train than Beaune.

If it's just the money, maybe the tours you have found are what it will cost. I haven't ever found any day tours to wineries, which ones are you looking at?

It will be difficult to do a day trip to a winery from Paris since most wineries are not on the main rail lines. You will most certainly need to rent a car or hire a car and driver.

The closest wire region is the Loire Valley. To the east is the Alsace and then Burgundy, Jura and Savoie. After that it's the Bordeaux region to the south, then a little onto the Southwest for the newer Basque wines. After that it's the Côtes du Rhône, Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence as you work your way east along the Pyrénées.

Champagne is the closest region to the east of Paris (100 miles / 160 kms) and the Congnac region is found north of Bordeaux.

July is also not the best month for wine tours. The weather is much nicer in the spring and early fall.

Your best bet would be to take the TGV to Dijon and pick up a tour (or a car) there to visit the Côte d'Or and the Côte de Nuit vineyards and wineries. But you can do a very good tasting in Beaune, taking the local train from Dijon. About a month or so ago someone posted a message about tours available in Beaune, and you might be able to find the post by using this site's search engine.

Sancerre is another region easily reached from Paris by car (peripherique to A6, follow to A7, exit at Cosnes sur Loire, then follow local signs). In Sancerre (which is a very attractive hill town with great views), you can visit a few excellent wineries right in town (Vacheron, Mellot), have lunch at La Tour, visit any of several chateaux nearby and then head back.
FYI, along the A7 there is a brand new rest stop that would be a perfect place for a picnic on the way down or back...it's called Jardin des Arbres and the rest stop has a large (several acres) new garden showcasing the varieties of trees in the region, some organized by function (plants and trees used in medicine, for example), a small lake, and walking paths.