3 days in (and near) Burgundy, France

Summary

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France is one of my favorite destinations for its diversity of available outdoor activities, a beautiful countryside that's well connected to the rest of the country, and good food throughout.

Day 1 & 2: Biking in Burgundy; arrive in Beaune via train from Paris

Today’s main activity is a beautiful 22km (13mi) bike ride through Burgundy, from Beaune to Santenay, the final segment on the 72km Voie des Vignes.  The bike network in the area is extensive and can last multiple days, with overnight stays in the villages. We would bike ride one-way and take the train back.  You could certainly bike more in one day, although we had limited time, wanting to arrive from Paris and return the bikes on the same day. 

To get to Beaune I took a high speed train from Paris to Dijon and then a local train from Dijon to Beaune.

There are multiple train services from Paris to Dijon, and comfort varies significantly.  I recommend the TGV Lyria trains that continue to Switzerland.  Ouigo was bad.

The local TER train from Dijon to Beaune was charmingly vintage (I think they are former Corail coaches), and I had an entire compartment to myself. As charming as the train is, it may be more practical to rent a car now and drive to Beaune. As a rental car is required for day 2-3, I had to return to Dijon to rent the car on day 2, which was a time-sink.

After arriving in Beaune I picked up provisions to assemble lunch during the bike ride, then checked into my hotel, then rented the bikes and started the ride. Beaune is small enough to walk everywhere, but large enough that some walks are 20+ minutes. So be intentional how you plan your route.

Lunch would be DIY sandwiches.  I bought baguettes somewhere in the central plaza after strolling around and deciding what looked good.  It was around noon so there were slim pickings. I bought cheese and pate at Alain Hess and other provisions at a small grocery. 

I checked into Hotel Henry to drop my bags and assemble the sandwiches.  The hotel was a bit of a walk from the train station, but it was a great value, very clean, friendly staff.

I rented a bike from Bourgogne Evasion, close to the trailhead.  They had standard and electric pedal-assist bikes.  The trail is moderately hilly.  If you ride a bike at least irregularly, you will probably be ok with the standard bike. If you haven’t ridden a bike in months, or are unsure, get a pedal-assist. I regularly ride around the city as needed (not for sport, just to get around) and was totally fine with the standard; my travel partner took the pedal-assist.

The bike ride was so enjoyable. The pathway is advertised as a bike trail but also practically used as a service road for the vineyards.  It is beautiful and must be one of the best bike trails in the world.  It’s easy to see how you can spend days biking through the full the trail, riding through gently rolling hills and vineyards. 

It’s an idyllic scene and it couldn’t be easier to manage logistically.  Every 45-60mins you pass by a village, which could be an opportunity to eat/sleep/wine taste.

We quickly reached Santenay. The final part of our ride would be along a not-scenic canal from Santenay to Chagny, to ride the train back to Beaune.  The conductor told us that bike reservations were required (there are bike racks that get full), but he let it slide as our journey was just one stop and 10mins.  So be warned without a bike reservation, you can technically be refused boarding or kicked out on a longer journey.

For dinner in Beaune, it’s best to plan reservations in advance.  It’s a small tourist town, and the better restaurants have only a few tables.  We went somewhere without reservations, and while the food was acceptable (it is France), it was tourist food, like what you’d get on a good cruise.  So not that good.

What was good was after-dinner drinks at Le Bout du Monde. They had an extensive local wine list, lots of wines by-the-glass, and a really nice patio.

Day 2: Beaune and chateau stay

Today is a relaxing day, strolling in Beaune and driving to a chateau deeper in the countryside to spend the night. 

We spent the morning in Beaune. For breakfast, we ate viennoiserie in the central plaza. We did gift shopping around town (this store was good), walked in the gothic cathedral, and had excellent drip coffee.  The historic core of Beaune is very pleasant for strolling.

I highly recommend buying Fallot mustard to take home.  I bought some on a whim from a small grocery store – as a mustard fan, who could go near Dijon and not buy mustard  – and I loved it. I use Fallot’s standard Dijon mustard multiple times a week now; no Dijon mustard on US shelves even gets close. Fallot has a factory (tours offered with store) in Beaune – I wish I would have gone! 

Before breakfast, I picked up a rental car at the Dijon train station and drove it back to Beaune. This burned a long time, with a lot of traffic leaving Dijon.  We made our way to the Chateau de Maillat (~2h), which was very memorable and pleasant.   The room and grounds were nice and kept in great condition with historic flair, especially considering the age of some furniture. Our room had huge windows that opened to the yard.

For dinner, we went to Montréal-la-Cluse, a little town a short drive away. There was a beautiful lake in the town, Lac de Nantuna, so we just relaxed at a park overlooking the lake for some time.  Plenty of locals were also out enjoying the park and there were recreational activities like paddleboating. Then we walked to a nearby Moroccan restaurant, Le Pacific, for dinner. The food was delicious; the chicken tagine was top-notch!!  It was like I was back in Morocco.  [It appears Le Pacific has closed. 😞]

After getting back to the chateau, we made tea and had a pleasant nighttime stroll.

Day 3: Hiking in the Jura Mountains, return to Paris

Today is a relaxing morning at the chateau, then hiking in the Jura Mountains (Réserve naturelle nationale de la Haute Chaîne du Jura) before returning to Paris via train.

The chateau provided a simple breakfast of bread, jam, granola, and milk, all executed perfectly.  Fresh bread was delivered at the time we requested in the morning.  It was a morning of simple pleasures – have delicious bread delivered, open the portes-fenêtres, eat breakfast by the open overlooking the grounds, feel the morning sun starting to stream in, and then walk down from the balcony for a morning stroll.  Sounds better than any hotel breakfast in Paris to me.

We stopped at Colletta bakery down the road to the chateau to pack lunch for the hike. Their products were also great.  I suspect they were the suppliers of the morning bread.

We drove to Lélex (~70min), where we’d enter the park.  It’s close to Geneva.  It’s a classic ski area with hiking in the summer. There are a lot of hiking trails at the top and along ridges, where there are great views of France and Switzerland. To get to the hiking access point at the top, you can take the gondola (running in summer) or hike.
My route was to hike from a Lélex parking lot, to Le Reculet, to Crêt de la Neige, to Grand Crêt, then the gondola back down.  This trailmap roughly follows my route, except I didn't hike down.

There was a small traffic jam along the trail - there is some farming in the area.

Once back in Lélex, we drove straight to Lyon (~2h), returned the car, and took a train from Lyon to Paris.

How to get here

• I visited in July 2023.
• Train - There is frequent high speed train train service between all major cities in France. 
• Air - It's possible to fly into Lyon; however you'll probably fly into Paris (CDG or ORY).
• How I traveled here - This was a segment of a longer France trip.  I used 40,000 Flying Blue miles + $231 USD for JFK-CDG-EWR in economy. Flying Blue miles can be a good deal in economy from New York to Paris: good availability, great frequency, and their economy product is better than average.  The flight can cost less with more advance planning; I booked with ~1 week notice. 
• In Paris - I enjoyed my stay at Hotel Le Daum.  If you are ok with small rooms and have little luggage, it’s an unbeatable value for the cleanliness, quality, and location. The lobby had complimentary coffee and cookies all day.  
• Click for packing and preparation tips.  I can also help you plan your trip.

How to get around and driving tips

• Rental car is the best way to get around rural France. The best price on a one-way car was actually booking through AMEX travel, so check OTAs for the best deal on rental cars especially one-way. It is possible to rely on trains and some taxis but train journeys can be long once off the TGV high speed network.
• In France, automatic transmission cars frequently sell out. Tolls are high. At least, tap-to-pay is available on all the tool booths now I think.
• The French highway system is very nice. The roads are in great condition, the views can be spectacular, and even the rest stops / service plazas are nice. 
• I found the highway driving on this trip a little scary. The speed limits are high, the pace of traffic is at the limit, and you’re constantly driving on curves at the edge of cliffs and through tunnels. That said you can take it a bit slower and the French drive very cooperatively – e.g., the far left lane is never used unless actively passing.
• Returning the car at the Lyon train station was confusing and hard. We had some trouble finding where we should return the car. Then the garage is very tight, and I had to go up 7 floors through a very tight helix.