My wife and I will make a trip to France the first part of October. Dates flexible. We will arrive CDG and rent a car. We have driven many times through France and Europe. We will have our own GPS. We currently plan to drive directly to Beaune -- about 3 1/2 - 4 hours. Have never been here before but hear town / wines are beautiful. Love Paris but will skip this trip. We love big reds and French cooking. We prefer beautiful countryside and country towns. We may have some friends travel with us. We prefer quaint hotels - usually 4 stars. For example, we love Le Chateau des Alpilles in St. Remy. So will spend 2 or 3 of those nights at that hotel. In Beaune, we are looking at either Hotel de la Poste or Villa Louise. We have visited Provence and Cote d' Azur previously. Hotel prices are always important but not driving factor. We depart from Nice (to Amsterdam) on the way home to Houston. We will stay at a hotel close to airport the night before departing.

Appreciate your thoughts on:
1. Driving Itinerary May only need one additional base. Say 2/3 nights Beaune and 2/3 nights in St. Remy. Then would need one additional base.
2. Great restaurants for food and ambiance
3. Hotels -- prefer staying at any hotel 2 or 3 nights
4. Hotel close to Nice airport
5. We have stayed in Nice a couple of times but love that part of the world. Do you have a suggestion to stay in another part of the Riviera.
6. Would you stay at the Hotel Poste or Villa Louise in Beaune
7. Not to be missed in Beaune

Appreciate any suggestions on this short trip to southern France.

My first suggestion is NOT to drive directly after a flight if it's a transcontinental one. Not safe. for you or others on the road.

For your stay on the Côte d'Azur, how about an inland town? Valbonne is very nice, as is Tourettes-sur-Loup (the latter up in the hills). For Nice/near the airport, you have many choices--the airport isn't far from the western edge of the city. I wouldn't choose a hotel right by the airport, since you can get there fairly quickly from the main part of Nice. We liked the Westminster Hotel last year; junior suites are large, with small balconies looking across the road to the sea.

Not to miss in Beaune: the Hospice, especially the magnificent painting by Roger van der Weyden in an alcove off the main room. If time allows, drive up to Autun to see the Roman theater and Gothic cathedral--there are fine carvings by Ghisilbertus, a master of stonework.

Are you looking for another base? Along the sea or further inland? CdA or do you want to stay in Provence? The best reds are to the southern Rhone, with your Gigondas and Chateuaneufs. I actually prefer the Luberon towns to St. Remy, although both are beautiful.

I agree with the above; there choice of hotel airports is rather thin in Nice. You might consider one last night in St. Paul de Vence or Vence, as both are just inland from the airport area. You could even base here if you want to stay on the CdA. Tourettes-sur-Loup is also very nice, as is Mougins. Even Antibes could be a choice. Or simply stay downtown and drive in the morning; traffic down the Promenade is lesser in the morning (but the boardwalk renovation work going on in the western end right now causes a pinch down in the lanes -- We have a place in central Nice)

Day. 1. Arrive Paris from Atlanta and take train to Dijon. Rent car in Dijon and drive to hotel in Beaune -- either Hotel de Luxe le Cep or Villa Louise.
Day 2. Will be a Saturday so will enjoy the market day in Beaune. Walk around the town. RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATION?
Day 3. WOULD LOVE SUGGESTIONS ON THIS FREE DAY. WE WILL VISIT A WINERY OR TWO. RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATION?
Day 4. Drive to Gordes, Stay at the La Bastide de Gordes -- valley view. RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATION? WOULD WE DRIVE ROUTE DES GRANDS CRUZ THIS DAY?
Day 5 & 6. VISIT AND EAT PROVENCE. DRIVE AND EATING RECOMMENDATIONS?
Day 7. Drive to some place on/near the Riviera. Still researching best hotel to stay so will have nice views and some convenience to train station. ANY THOUGHTS ON SAYING IN ST. TROPEZ OR CANNES? I presume train station back to Paris will be in Nice. The suggestion for .Bormes les mimosas looks good.
Day 8. Tour and take PM train from ? to CDG. Will stay at the Sheraton Paris Roissy. Have 9am flight next morning back to ATL. Will take the train into Paris for final meal of this short trip.
Day 9. Since Delta has tripled the miles required for business class, we plan on using their new Premium Select. ANY EXPERIENCES WITH THIS RELATIVELY NEW PRODUCT?

Thanks Philip

Underhill provides excellent advice! There's mounting evidence that driving after crossing time zones is not safe, no matter your previous experience. The risk seems to be due to microsleeps that you might not even notice, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to prevent them other than allow your body to adjust.

First of all, thanks to underhill and kja for their caution about driving after traveling to Europe for 24 hours.. I agree -- and that is why we changed from driving to taking a train from CDG to Dijon. We now plan on renting a car in Dijon and only drive the short distance from Dijon to Beaune.

TRAIN QUESTIONS --- we plan on taking a train from CDG to Dijon and then from Nice Ville or the Nice airport to CDG. We would like to buy first class seats.
1. HOW FAR IN ADVANCE CAN WE PURCHASE THOSE TICKETS? KEPT TRYING DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS WITHOUT SEEING THE ANSWER.
2. DO WE GET SEAT ASSIGNMENTS AT THAT SAME TIME WE PURCHASE TICKETS?
3. WHAT IS THE EASIEST WEBSITE TO USE -- WE DON'T MIND PAYING MORE FOR SIMPLICITY SAKE!
4. WITH JUST THESE TWO TRAIN TRIPS, DOES IT MAKE ANY SENSE TO PURCHASE A RAIL PASS?
5. ASSUMING WE HAVE A CHOICE, IT IS EASIER TO TRAVEL FROM NICE VILLE OR NICE AIRPORT -- WE WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO RETURN THE RENTAL CAR JUST BEFORE BOARDING?
I have spent about 2 hours trying to educate myself but not great success.

Thanks Philip