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Are you planning an extended weekend journey to France and on the lookout for concepts? On this weblog submit, I’ll share our itinerary for 3 days in Burgundy, visiting stunning villages and tasting wonderful wine.
In case you are new to this weblog, hello, my title is Liza! I like planning complicated journey itineraries and escaping London no less than as soon as a month. If you happen to’re additionally working full-time and don’t have an excessive amount of annual depart, you’ll find plenty of activity-packed itineraries on Tripsget!
Every time a financial institution vacation approaches, I panic. As somebody who runs a journey weblog, I really feel immense stress to journey at each alternative. Isn’t a financial institution vacation an ideal alternative for a weekend journey? Generally, I handle to grab actually well-priced tickets, and my accomplice simply flies off to a brand new vacation spot. Extra continuously, particularly in summer time, flights value like a brand new kidney, so we attempt to search for new locations round us. That’s precisely how the thought of spending 3 days in Burgundy was born!
Whereas Burgundy just isn’t across the nook from London, it’s undoubtedly reachable with an in a single day keep someplace on the way in which, for instance, on the outskirts of Paris.
Right here is the quick overview of our 3-day itinerary for Burgundy:
Day 0: Departing London after work at 4pm, taking Eurotunnel to Calais, evening in Greatest Western Paris Sud
Day 1: Driving to Dijon within the morning. Wine tasting close to Beaune at Santenay citadel, evening in Beaune at La Maison de Maurice
Day 2: Chateauneuf-en-Auxois, Semur-en-Auxois, evening at Noyers-sur-Serein at Cote Serein
Day 3: Chablis + Wine tasting, a cease in Troyes (Champagne), drive again to London
Overview of hyperlinks for the journey to Burgundy
I’m usually requested to summarise all of the really useful lodging and excursions in a single place so it’s simpler to search out them, so I began including them to the beginning of the article.
Accommodations for this journey: La Maison de Maurice, Cote Serein in Noyers-sur-Serein
Excursions: tour of Maison Champy cellar,
Wine tastings: Santenay Citadel Tasting close to Beaune, Maison Regnard in Chablis
Do you want a automotive for exploring Burgundy?
By the way in which, in case you’re questioning whether or not you want a automotive for exploring Burgundy, the reply is sure. Sadly, it’s very troublesome to get to most of those locations with out a automotive. If you happen to don’t have a automotive, I like to recommend both taking a Eurostar to Paris and hiring one there (we at all times use Rentalcars.com) or hiring a automotive in London and taking this route. Nevertheless, remember that not all automotive rental companies enable for automobiles to be taken outdoors the UK.
Our excellent itinerary for 3 days in Burgundy
Day 0: Driving to France
As we didn’t take any break day and simply departed London after work on Friday, I included at the present time as a day 0. Site visitors to the Folkestone Eurotunnel terminal was average. Relying on the place you might be primarily based, it could possibly take from 45 minutes to 2.5 hours to get to Folkestone from London, and also you additionally have to arrive no less than 50 minutes earlier than the departure time indicated in your ticket.
It takes round 3 hours to drive to Paris from Calais within the night when the site visitors isn’t too unhealthy anymore. Since driving all the way in which to Dijon would have been too tiring and we might have arrived too late at evening, we determined to cease in a single day simply outdoors Paris. Some of the handy lodges could be Greatest Western Paris Sud.
Day 1: Dijon. Wine tasting at Santenay citadel, Beaune
Dijon is situated greater than 3 hours away from Paris; nonetheless, staying outdoors Paris reduces this time to 2.5-2.45 hours, which is a lot better. There are tolls on the way in which to Dijon, and I keep in mind paying one thing like 15 euros for them (this may be a bit inaccurate, nevertheless it undoubtedly wasn’t low-cost).
Dijon
Dijon gives an ideal mix of historical past, meals, and tradition – it’s the largest metropolis in Burgundy and doubtless probably the most touristy one. Dijon has an extended and storied historical past relationship again to Roman instances when it was referred to as Divio. It later turned the capital of the Duchy of Burgundy within the Center Ages. Due to that, town is fairly wealthy and has loads of spectacular architectural landmarks.
Even in case you’re not very accustomed to French cities, the title “Dijon” at all times rings a bell due to the mustard. Dijon is known for its mustard, which is famend for its sharp and tangy taste, and you should purchase it just about all over the place world wide.
Additionally, Dijon is surrounded by vineyards! Nevertheless, Beaune is a greater metropolis to go to for wine tastings, and our subsequent vacation spot on this journey was Beaune, really!
In Dijon, we walked across the metropolis centre, purchased a set of miniature mustard jars with totally different flavours and took plenty of pictures. We additionally had late breakfast in Dijon – a typical French breakfast is a pastry (croissant or pan au chocolat); nonetheless, in Burgundy, you can too attempt a well-known native savoury bun referred to as gougers. It has a pleasant tacky flavour, and it’s really empty inside! Its texture jogged my memory of profiteroles.
Wine tasting on the Santenay citadel close to Beaune
Our subsequent vacation spot was simply outdoors Beaune – it took us round 1 hour to drive there from Dijon. We determined to have a wine tasting in a shocking Santenay Citadel that belongs to the Philippe Le Hardi group. You possibly can discover extra particulars concerning the citadel & the tasting right here – whereas it was completely empty after we visited, I nonetheless advocate reserving it upfront as there may be massive teams arriving.
In whole, we tried 3 totally different wines, 2 purple wines and one white wine and all of them have been pretty! The tasting was additionally very reasonably priced – simply 10 EUR per individual! There may be additionally slightly store on the citadel the place you should purchase the wines you tried (in addition to another wines they produce) and we really purchased a bottle there.
Beaune
After tasting wonderful wine, it was lastly time to move to Beaune. Beaune might be the second hottest metropolis in Burgundy and the primary vacation spot for winery excursions and tastings of purple wine. Beaune is specialising in producing famend wines similar to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Town itself can also be very fairly. Its predominant landmark and probably the most well-known and iconic constructing is the Hôtel-Dieu Museum – Hospices de Beaune. It was based in 1443 as a hospital for the poor and it appears to be like completely beautiful – the tile-glazed roofs are distinctive to this area of Burgundy and are prominently featured on Resort Dieu. After we visited Beaune, the doorway payment there was 12 EUR, nevertheless it may need modified since then.
Beaune gives quite a few alternatives for wine tasting and cellar excursions. Many wineries and wine retailers have cellars on the town the place you possibly can pattern and buy Burgundy wines.
Some wine cellars are situated within the coronary heart of Beaune. In case you are eager to attempt extra wines and be taught extra about wine manufacturing in Burgundy, I like to recommend this tour of Maison Champy cellar.
Beaune can also be the place I like to recommend staying in a single day – these two lodges are the most effective choices: La Maison de Maurice or Resort Belle Epoque.
Day 2: Chateauneuf-en-Auxois, Semur-en-Auxois, Noyers-sur-Serein
Our second day of this 3-day journey round Burgundy was jam-packed with stunning cities. Our first cease was only a quick, 40-minute drive away from Beaune.
Chateauneuf-en-Auxois
Chateauneuf-en-Auxois is a really small superbly preserved medieval village situated on high of a hill surrounded by stunning surroundings. It’s recognized for its Twelfth-century hilltop château providing beautiful views. It’s open to guests as a museum. In addition to the château, there are many stunning cobblestone streets, photogenic homes and good boutiques.
Chateauneuf, surprisingly, had a pretty big car parking zone simply outdoors the village centre, and we didn’t have any difficulties discovering a spot. Nevertheless, it’s at all times higher to reach early because the possibilities of discovering a parking spot are greater!
Semur-en-Auxois
Our subsequent cease, stunning Semur-en-Auxois, was situated one other 40-minute drive away. Semur-en-Auxois appears to be like very spectacular from far-off if you end up approaching the city. Just like Châteauneuf-en-Auxois, it’s famend for its well-preserved historic structure. Nevertheless, the principle distinction between these two cities is that Semur is way bigger, and there’s additionally a wonderful river, Armançon, that flows by way of town. Semur can also be very hilly – the picture-perfect views of the city will be seen from the bottom level of Semur, simply subsequent to the river.
Semur additionally has an fascinating historical past. Like many medieval cities in France, Semur-en-Auxois noticed its justifiable share of battle throughout the Hundred Years’ Struggle between England and France. The village confronted a number of sieges and battles throughout this time, with the fortress (Thirteenth-century Château de Semur-en-Auxois) enjoying a essential function within the city’s defence.
Total, we felt like each nook in Semur was completely beautiful, and it was undoubtedly one in all our favorite locations on this journey.
If you happen to’re hungry and eager on grabbing one thing for lunch, take into account visiting the restaurant referred to as La Parenthese within the coronary heart of Semur. That’s the place we ate and liked the expertise! The whole lot was very reasonably priced and it was additionally the friendliest service we had on this journey!
Noyers-sur-Serein
Our remaining cease for immediately was in one other charming city, Noyers-sur-Serein. Noyers is totally different from Chateauneuf-en-Auxois and Semur-en-Auxois, because it appears to be like like a film set of The Magnificence and the Beast. After we arrived in Noyers-sur-Serein, we couldn’t consider how fairly the city was!
Noyers is understood for its half-timbered homes with vibrant facades. The city’s historical past dates again to the eleventh century, and there’s additionally an outdated chateau that, sadly, didn’t survive till our days, and all you possibly can see instead are the ruins of the outdated citadel. The citadel stands on a hill above Noyers, and in an effort to get to the ruins, it is advisable to exit the village, stroll for a couple of minutes and climb a small hill. There are many indicators indicating the place it is advisable to flip and begin mountain climbing, and there’s additionally loads of details about the historical past of Château and the city on the highest of the hill.
Regardless that Noyers-sur-Serein is tiny, you possibly can simply spend just a few hours within the city, particularly in case you resolve to hike as much as the chateau as effectively! I like to recommend staying in Noyers in a single day at a shocking resort referred to as Cote Serein – it actually appears to be like like a citadel!
For dinner, there should not that many choices, so your finest wager might be – Restaurant de la Vieille Tour. As with most eating places in France, I like to recommend reserving it upfront!
Day 3: Chablis + Wine tasting, a cease in Troyes (Champagne), drive again to London
Our remaining day in Burgundy began with a brief, 30-minute drive to Chablis.
Chablis
Chablis is a captivating city situated within the Northern a part of Burgundy, surrounded by a number of vineyards. It serves as the guts of the famend Chablis wine-producing area. The city itself can also be very fairly – it has a country appeal, totally different from all the opposite cities and locations on this journey. Chablis has wine estates and wine cellars round each nook – and it’s in all probability top-of-the-line locations on the earth to attempt white wine.
After all, everybody has totally different tastes in white wines, however to me, wines from Chablis are superior. Chablis has fairly distinctive soil – Kimmeridgian limestone, wealthy in marine fossils and minerals. It supplies wonderful drainage, imparts minerality to the grapes, and contributes to the wines’ distinctive flavours of flint and moist stones.
After I attempted an incredible wine from Chablis in a wine bar in London, I wished to come back to Chablis ever since and check out different wines. Actually, I ended up liking just about each white wine from Chablis that I attempted!
Sadly, on Sunday, a number of wine estates have been closed, however we managed to search out just a few that have been open and picked Maison Regnard for our wine tasting. The tasting was fairly reasonably priced, we paid 15 EUR per individual to attempt 5 totally different wines, together with a Gran Cru, which was wonderful!
Troyes
Our subsequent and remaining cease for the final day of this 3-day Burgundy highway journey was Troyes. Troyes just isn’t a part of Burgundy anymore; it’s really situated in Champagne, however we wished to cease some other place on the way in which to London, which appeared like a really stunning metropolis. Troyes is situated 1 hour away from Chablis and on the way in which again to the UK.
Troyes is a historic metropolis recognized for its well-preserved medieval structure and wealthy cultural heritage. Troyes appears to be like like outsized Noyers! I’ve by no means seen as many half-timbered homes in my life as I’ve seen in Troyes (not even in Colmar and Strasbourg)!
Troyes is commonly referred to as the “Metropolis of Artwork and Historical past” resulting from its quite a few medieval buildings and Gothic church buildings. Troyes performed a big function within the Center Ages as a buying and selling hub, and its charming outdated city displays this historical past. Moreover, Troyes is known for its manufacturing facility outlet shops (there are a few large shops), making it a well-liked procuring vacation spot.
Driving again to London
The drive from Troyes to Calais takes round 4 hours if there’s not a lot site visitors on the way in which, and it passes by way of Reims, the capital of Champagne. If you wish to break up the drive in two and you continue to have a little bit of time, you can too cease in Reims! Reims is known for its beautiful cathedral, which was the place of coronation for nearly all of the French monarchs for the reason that 14th century!
Town itself just isn’t as spectacular as different locations on this itinerary, nonetheless, Reims is surrounded by vineyards and you can too attempt some nice champagne there in case you nonetheless have time left!
The place I’d advocate for attempting champagne is Mailly! We had a beautiful expertise there.
Abstract of the 3-day itinerary for Burgundy
I hope you discovered this 3-day itinerary for Burgundy helpful and located some inspiration to your potential journey to France. After all, in case you can keep in Burgundy for longer than 3 days, I might completely advocate it, as there are extra wonderful locations which you could go to. Nevertheless, in case you’re trying to spend an extended weekend in Burgundy, this could possibly be simply the itinerary!
As I discussed earlier than, in case you don’t have a automotive or wouldn’t take pleasure in driving that a lot, you possibly can both take a Eurostar to Paris and rent a automotive there or, alternatively, you possibly can fly to Besancon and rent a automotive there!
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