We are returning to Burgundy for the third time next May, and will have 2 weeks in the area. We've previously stayed in Beaune and near Vezelay: this time, we're looking for two separate stays, one in the area near Auxerre and one, perhaps, not far from Dijon. Our preference is for villages or very small towns. Would you recommend Saint Sauveur en Puisaye for our north-western Burgundian base? We'd really appreciate any advice about a base in the east or south-east of Burgundy. We'll have a car.

While this may not be your preferred location, we LOVED Auberge du Bon Laboureur in Chenonceaux which featured a lovely dining room onsite. But staying in Dijon has its appeal too.

While we have had several stays in Burgundy, the closest we have been to Saint Sauveur en Puisaye is a stay in Varzy in 2010. We do regularly stay in places such as this if it is a good base for what we want to do. So if it is easy to go where you want eg Guadelon, perhaps Saint Fargeau and whatever else you could stay there . It is about 40kms to Auxerre.
You mentioned staying near Dijon. It is a long time since we were in that part of Burgundy. We have spent time more recently further south in the Maconnais area which we really enjoy. Most people visit the Dijon/Beaune area, Vezelay, Semur en Auxois and then move on. .We prefer staying in small places , sometimes hamlets with no commerce or gites in the countryside, and we stay at least a week, sometimes two. These are probably not what a lot want from a trip to France. I will link you to my reports on our stays, which may open up new areas in Burgundy, perhaps not for this trip but maybe for later trips .

In 2014 we stayed in two places, the first a small hamlet near Cormatin, and then in Villeneuve sur Yonne in the northern part of Burgundy. I neglected to label the areas and it was at the end of our trip. Scroll through to the post dated July 18 2014.
On the road again - another country roads tour of France.

In 2016 we stayed in Charolles in the southern part of Burgundy. Scroll to Saone et Loire.
Country Roads in Autumn. Ten weeks in country France.

In 2018 we stayed back in the Maconnais area just outside the small village of Lugny. Once again, at the end and in the Saone et Loire.
Our autumn tour of country France

burgundy is one of our favourite regions and we are hoping to return next year. We were back in France in 2023, but not in Burgundy other than a drive into the lower part to dip our toes. So next year, fingers crossed, we will return.

Bon voyage.

You could try staying in Nuits-Saint-George. It's a nice little town, and in the heart of the Pinot Noir growing area.

Thank you, aliced.

Thank you everyone, much appreciated. rhon, your posts are invaluable - this is exactly the kind of travel that we love, and I've been looking at the Brionnais area with interest.

NSG is a good slot as Cabby says
Further north the little villages between Chabli and Auxerre are pretty nice as well

A few of our favorite lovely small villages in this region to check out:

Santenay
Tournus
Dole

And for a slightly larger town, we absolutely love Chalon sur Saone. We stayed there for 4 weeks in 2022 and it was a great base to explore the region. Excellent Burgundian restaurants and not nearly the amount of tourists as in Dijon or Beaune.

Our favorite spot to stay in in Burgundy is the village of Bouilland, not far from Beaune but years away in feel.

Thank you all very much for these suggestions. We've ended up booking our 'northern' Burgundy stay in the beautiful village of Semur-en-Auxois. To get us a little closer to our destination once we leave Burgundy (the Ecrins National Park), I think our 'southern' base might need to be further south than Bouilland, for example. Would Cluny or the environs be a good choice? We don't know that area at all.

Chenonceaux in the Loire valley? Not very close to Burgundy.

For a town not too far from Auxerre, there's Tonnerre with a nice covered market:

Semur, Tonnerre both nice
Cluny is a bit quiet also pretty
Ligny is pretty

If you go to Saint Sauveur en Puisaye, the childhood home of Colette is a wonderful house museum. It's worth a drive for its period charm and its well-done restoration. As with everything in France, it's best to check current open days and hours before you go.

Thank you all so much. I'd like to hear more about the area around Auxerre: we have 6 days sitting 'empty' within our itinerary which we could spend in that area, but I'm not certain whether it would reward such a long stay.

Let me make you a present of my wish list, which may move to May or June as this fall isn't possible.
-Guédelon, a castle under construction using all medieval methods
- Faulin castle, with a small exhibit of medieval technology
- Arcy-sur-Cure, where it is possible to see original (not replica) cave paintings in the Grande Grotte. Also nice hikes in the area
- fine chateaux in Tanlay and Ancy le Franc
-Abbaye de Fontenay
-Museoparc Alésia, illustrating life in the time of Vercingetorix, as well as a Gallo-Roman villa in Alise Ste Reine
-Vezelay basilica

From Auxerre you could visit the abbey at Pontigny, go up to Joigny. The eglise at St Florentin has wonderful stained glass windows. We got the key from the Tourist office. If you like lavoirs, the one at Brienon sur Armancon is interesting. We visited these from our base at Villeneuve sur Yonne ( my 2014 report ). We did not go to Auxerre that trip, but did visit in 2010. From Semur you can visit Epoisses, home of the delicious cheese.
If you have read my reports you will see that we enjoy the southern part of Burgundy and, while we have not stayed in Cluny itself, we have visited a few times and we used to go to the supermarket there. Yes, it is quiet and not as visited as the Beaune area , but there is plenty to see. It is lovely country and there are some pretty towns and villages. It depends on what you want. You can visit the places in the Macon villages region, down into the Beaujolais, across to Charolles, Paray le Monial, Berze le chatel, le Roche de Solutre.

Bon voyage.

Thank you again, rhon, and thanks to everyone else as well for your great suggestions. Our trip is shaping up nicely now and I'm grateful, as always, to all the knowledgeable and generous people on these forums: always my go-to place for expert travel advice!