Another France travel question...must see city between Paris and Courchevel/La Tania

[Wayne77]

Hello

I'll be flying into Paris next month for a bike tour. Landing on Sat. We're renting a car to drive down to La Tania where we are staying. Rather than doing the 6 hr drive in one shot we want to do part of the drive on Sat and part on Sunday, staying somewhere interesting Sat eve.

Any recommended cities/towns to stay in? We'll have a few hours both days to walk around.

I've heard mention of Auxerre, Chablis, and Tonnerre.

Would love to hear suggestions & first hand experiences. Thanks!

[Louis]

This appears to be about half-way:

https://www.butterfield.com/blog/201...e-restaurants/

[Mr. Pink]

Spent a few days in Lyon this March. Awesome food.

[TurboNate]

Beaune would be a good little place to stay and have a wander around. In a few hours, you can cover the better part of the entire circular city. Plenty of good places to eat and stay, and good riding in every direction.

Dijon is also a good place, but much bigger. There is an easy self-guided "Owl" walk through the old town. Food scene, markets, bakeries, you name it.

Vezelay/Saint Peré is outside of Avallon and has plenty of little things to see. There are a couple Chateaux's in the area, local vineyards, brewery, ruins, history, and food.

We stayed a cool Airbnb once that was in an old loch house along the canal in Fluery-sur Ouche, not much around in the sense of must see's, but we rode in every direction and found more hidden gems than I can recall.

Somewhere in the West Bourgogne region would be my recommendation, somewhere south of Auxerre and north of Beaune.

[Dino Suegiù]

It depends of course on which roads you take. I think I replied in your other thread that Orleans and Bourges are beautiful, but that is not the most direct route.

If you are taking the A6, I agree with above that Beaune (wine, great city) and Vezelay (incredible church, great scale) are wonderful.

If you like religious architecture (but these are tiny villages) you could make a really special visit and see first the ancient Cluny Abbey, near Mâcon (Lyons) (the many original, ancient, buildings are almost all gone, but the place is still beautiful and significant) and then a bit further down the road the much more modern (Le Corbusier) Couvent de Sainte Marie de La Tourette, near Eveux (Lyons).

https://www.couventdelatourette.fr/home.html

The great thing about La Tourette is that while it is still a working priory, one can visit and even stay there overnight, but only with reservations made in advance, (and only one person per cell), and eat (modestly). It is incredibly inexpensive, and a truly wonderful experience.

NB: Again, though, it is a working Dominican priory, so silence, respect, etc. obtain 24/7; the few remaining monks are not part of the "scenery". That said, it is an incredibly beautiful, quiet, spiritual place. The chapel, the church and the rooftop "walking garden" are fantastic.

[Wayne77]

So many great options to choose from! Thanks everyone for your feedback - sincerely appreciated!

Any thoughts on Auxerre?

[Elefantino]

Dijon is a gorgeous architectural city.

Besancon is a beautiful little town on the Doubs River that is probably about an hour off the A6 but worth a day and overnight stay.

[tony_mm]

Originally Posted by Wayne77

So many great options to choose from! Thanks everyone for your feedback - sincerely appreciated!



Any thoughts on Auxerre?

There is nothing to see or do in Auxerre...skip it.

[herb5998]

2nd the Dijon recommendation, did an overnight there a few years ago, great food, beautiful city, and some nice riding if you're on a cycling trip