Day Trip to Burgundy from Paris?
Headed to Paris for work but have a couple of days for fun. Is it realistic to rent a car and do a day trip to Burgundy, Auxerre countryside area? And if so, would you do it on a Sunday or Monday knowing traffic and if more restaurants/wineries are closed on Sundays or Mondays there. On top of logistics, any fab suggestions?
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These are all very nice, but it's about an 3 1/2 hour drive each way to Dijon, and that's really at the North end of the Burgundy wine country(unless you're only going to do Chablis).I'd plan an overnight if at all possible, especially if you're going to taste at wineries and drink with your meal( both highly reccommended).
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re: chazzerking
capeanne
Sep 20, 2008 05:40 PM
Are u recommending Dijon? We have never been and would like to go . It usually takes us an hour 15 - 30min to Auxerre and another 20 min to Chablis so if dcfan has only one day, Auxerre is the better bet . The old town is lovely and the cathedrals are magnificent but I cant speak to the food there....our best roams have been just driving down the A6 and getting off at an exit and exploring ..it is so beautiful
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re: capeanne
PhilD
Sep 21, 2008 12:53 AM
You must be a very fast driver. Paris to Auxerre is 150kms (93 miles), and given the the traffic congestion around Paris this is very good going.
Chablis is nice but if you want to get to the heart of Burgundy (and the reds) you really need to head to Beaune which is a 320km (200 mile) drive. We tended to average 4 hours to get down to Burgundy.
If driving I wouldn't do a day trip, far better to stay overnight.You best bet is to take the TGV train from Paris to Dijon as it only takes 1 hour 37 mins. You avoid the jams leaving paris and then hire a car in Dijon. The area between Dijon and Beaune is then great to drive through as you are in the prime Pinot Noir area (Nuits-Saint-Georges, Vosne-Romanee, Gevrey-Chambertin etc)
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re: dcfan
PhilD
Sep 21, 2008 09:41 AM
I think you may need to do individual research. It isn't simply a matter of what is open on Sunday/Monday but more an issue of what is open at all. French wineries are not the best at handling wine tourism and many simply don't cater for visitors. It is quite easy to drive into a village like Puligny-Monrachet and struggle to find more than two or three places to try wine (and they won't be "first growths"). I assume most of thes better vineyards sell "en-primeur" so don't need to pander to the humble tourist.
That said Burgundy is better than many and there are places that will be good to see - hence the need for research.
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re: dcfan
capeanne
Sep 21, 2008 09:41 AM
My experience is that there are more options on Monday but even on a Sunday you will have food choices as Sunday lunch is a tradition , Hotels need to accomodate their guests and brasseries are usually available in the center of even the smallest towns. Please report back..living vicariously through you !
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capeanne
Sep 20, 2008 01:27 PM
We have made many trips ( day and overnight) to Auxerre. We generally stay at Hostellerie des Clos in Chablis although I have stayed at a perfectly acceptable small hotel off Rue Vauban in Auxerre. Chablis is a lovely little town with an obviously incredible array of vineyards. The Hostellerie has an elegant if pricy ( though nothing compared to Paris) restaurant run by Chef Michael Vignaud. They also run a small bistrot around the corner that we enjoyed very much for lunch. If you can swing it I would go to Auxerre/Chablis on Sunday, have dinner at the Hotel restaurant , stay overnight and lunch at the Bistrot on Monday before the return to Paris ...I am not sure of days closed for the bistrot but I assume the restaurant is open Sunday due to Hotel guests..traffic is tough coming back into Paris on Sunday evenings. And beware that the most expensive part of your adventure may in fact be the price of the rental car !!!!! Enjoy , it is one of my favortie little spots of the world
