Help planning itinerary

Hi, I need some help planning an itinerary in Burgundy. I will be in France in June and will be spending two nights in the Loire Valley. I will have a car and will then drive to Burgundy, where I will spend four nights. I am trying to figure out the best itinerary and places to stay. We want to go to Burgundy to visit wine country--I think we would be most interested in merlots and Beaujolais.

We aren%26#39;t sure how we should split our four days. Would it be best to spend two days in one area and two days in another? We were looking at a hotel in Saint Amour Bellevue--would this be a good area to stay for two nights, or would another area make more sense?

Any and all recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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2 days in Beaune and 2 days in Beaujolais. For accomodation, it depends on your budget but you will be able to find some BB in Beaujolais area quite easily.

For your information, if you want to drink merlot, you should avoid Burgundy!

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Spliting it 2 + 2 is probably the easiest option although it is only 55 mins on the autoroute between the two regions. Depends how much driving you enjoy.

We love this hotel/restaurant just south from Beaune. – great place to stay.

http://www.auberge-cheval-blanc.net/

This also puts you slightly nearer Beaujolais if you just want one base.

I assume you are looking at Auberge Paradis in Saint Amour. I have a review on TA.

Superb place - would highly recommend it!

Ideal location for touring Beaujolais.

No, Merlot is not the grape of choicei n Burgundy - Don%26#39;t let that put you off though , it is a wonderful region with great wines. Just make sure you don%26#39;t pay over the odds - look at the smaller villages for value in restaurants etc..

Neal

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Thank you both SO MUCH for your advice! I meant pinot noir, not merlot! This is what happens when I post late at night. :)

Nealrover, we are looking at the Auberge Paradis. I wasn%26#39;t sure how that location would work for everything we wanted to do, but I am happy that you say it is a great location for touring Beaujolais. That makes me feel MUCH better.

Do either of you (or anyone else) have any recommendations of specific wineries that we might want to contact? I have heard that contacting the wineries in advance is a good idea in Burgundy because most of the wine producers are smaller.

Would anyone recommend spending any time in Lyon? Thanks again for your help!

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Final question first:

Lyon is a great city, but it is very hard to get in and out of by car, lots of traffic, so you would need to devote a day to visiting, losing you a day in the vineyards!

You will really appreciate staying up near Beaune for one or two nights because this is real fine Burgundy country and Beaune is a beautiful small town, which is worth visiting. There are several other good hotels/B%26amp;B there or nearby that you will find already mentioned in the Beaune forum - much depends on your budget.

St-Amour is not only a good base for Beaujolais but also for the ever-improving Mâconnais area, which has a good Maison du Vin in Mâcon, worth a quick visit to learn about the area, get some advice and is even good for lunch. www.maison-des-vins.com

There are so many wineries that one could recommend, here are some other generic sites to get you started (again there are some previous recommendations on this forum if you search Beaune particularly):

www.beaujolais.com

www.bourgogne-wines.com

Enjoy the Pinot Noirs and the Chardonnays (nothing like California or Australia Chardonnay - usually much more subtle, mineral food wines) and of course the fruity Gamay reds in Beaujolais %26amp; Mâconnais.

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Macon wines are certainly worth a try now - can be excellent and great value.

Will back up the Lyon comment also - well worth a visit but often a nightmare to get in and out of (can vouch for that from being there last week!) - save it for another trip.

I have sent a message and hope you can pick the bones out of it - I must stress that we visit to buy and so our requirements and expectations will not be the same as yours - so please consider that when looking at the info.

Regards

Neal

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Thank you all for being so helpful. I have another question about Lyon. I can arrange my trip so that I begin in Lyon via trian, spend a day and night there (without a car) and then rent my car the next morning on my way out of the city and go to the Auberge du Paradis. We could then spend the night there, then move onto Beune for two nights, then to the Loire.

Would this be a good idea, or is seeing Lyon not worth it?

Also, does anyone have an opinion on which drive is prettier, scenery-wise? Tours-Lyon or Beune-Tours?

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Sounds like you%26#39;ve hit on the right way around to do things - it does make sense.

Whichever you drive Lyon-Tours or Beaune-Tours, you will probably choose to do much on motorways as it%26#39;s very, very slow otherwise, so scenery will be a little far away - but the Beaune-Tours drive will be a much easier one and give you time to do part off motorway and perhaps stop somewhere nice for lunch (Orléans or take a diversion to Bourges or even Sancerre?).

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www.france-wine-routes.com will issue you with an itinerary

at $ 50 per day to set up one visit in the morning,tasting lunch at lunch time ,two visits in the afternoon ,dinner and accommodation and the issue of access/routes maps,it is bargain

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one tasting lunch should be at:

www.maison-olivierleflaive.com in puligny montrachet

the other day at:

www.domainesenard.com in aloxe corton

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Hello Peppy. Look at my new recommendation in the Forum about tour guide Collett Barbier...G GERALD G GLOVER masterggg@sbcglobal.net