I’ve been itching to take a road trip through France, and especially to explore some of the lesser-known wine regions. I looked at Beaune and Arbois as two possible separate road trips — and then realized they’re only an hour apart by car! So, I’ve melded the two itineraries into one 8-day mega French wine exploring itinerary extraordinaire! To be fair, this itinerary isn’t *all* wine tasting. There is also a heavy dose of picturesque-village exploring, rustic B&B staying, and beautiful scenery enjoying.
Arbois (3 Nights)
Vineyards are located on the outskirts of town going South towards Poligny or north to Montigny les Arsures. The tourist offices in Arbois and Poligny can assist with information on where to find wine and riverbank walks plus accurate information on which vineyards are open/available to visit etc.
DAY 1: Explore Arbois
- Arrive
- 2 Accommodation Options:
- 1) AirBnb in Arbois – or–
- 2) Les Jardins sur Glantines in Poligny — Winemaker’s B&B in the Jura — Ludwig Bindernagel and his partner Nathalie (finalist in the French version of MasterChef) have a rambling mansion, You can taste Ludwig’s wines or ask Nathalie to prepare a wine-pairing dinner.
- Morning: Explore Area
- Walk around Arbois
- Visit Pupillin – 3 km from town of Arbois, Pupillin and its outskirts are a historic wine-growing village area with restored houses decorated with floral decorations.
- Afternoon: Wine Tasting
- Visit Poligny – A busy crossroads village surrounded by vineyards, and the starting point for vineyard walks.
- Evening: Dinner in Arbois:
- La Finette Taverne d’Arbois – resembles a rustic hunting chalet and serves traditional hearty regional fare.
DAY 2: Must see all the picturesque villages!
- Morning: Visit Baume Les Messieurs –Called the one must-see village in all of the Jura
- Afternoon: Visit Chateau Chalon – A short drive from Arbois is the medieval village of Chateau Chalon located on a rocky cliff high above local vineyards. Great place for lunch time stop to explore wine shops and vineyard walks, enjoy the views and grab lunch at a restaurant.
- Domaine Salvadori – If you call before, Monsieur Salvadori can arrange an tasting of his wines accompanied by home-baked patisseries. To compare with a more modern wine-maker, who focuses on producing organic wines, it is suggested to pop across the road to the cellar of Jean-Claude Credoz.
Rue des Chevres, Château-Chalon (+33 3 84 44 62 86)
- Domaine Salvadori – If you call before, Monsieur Salvadori can arrange an tasting of his wines accompanied by home-baked patisseries. To compare with a more modern wine-maker, who focuses on producing organic wines, it is suggested to pop across the road to the cellar of Jean-Claude Credoz.
DAY 3: Must drink all the French wine!
- Visit vineyards around Poligny
Beaune (4 Nights)
DAY 4: Explore Beaune
- Morning: Drive 1 hour from Arbois to Beaune
- Late Morning: Explore Beaune
- 1-2 hours is enough to see most of Beaune
- Farmer’s Market on Wednesday and Saturdays (Saturday is the bigger one)
- Within Beaune is Patriarche Winery and you can visit their cellars and do a tasting
- Afternoon: Vineyard and Village Bicycle Ride Tour
- Option 1: 1/2 Day Bicycle Tour with Burgundy Cycling Holidays
- For a (easy, they say!?) 7-9 mile bicycling circuit in the very heart of Burgundy, join a 1.2 day bicycle tour. This tour rides past past châteaux and through picturesque villages. You get to visit a local winery and enjoy a tasting of three or four wines. 39 euro. (They also have a full day option)
- Option 2: Vineyard and Village Bicycle Ride on your own
- From Beaune, ride up the D18 and in about 10 minutes you’ll be riding by vineyards. It’s supposed to be nice flat terrain. As you pass wine tasting rooms, stop and duck in for a taste. As you ride through Pernand-Vergelesses, make a right in the center of town and up the hill for a beautiful view and picnic spot. Visit Savigny les Beaune and Chorey les Beaune, etc.
- Option 1: 1/2 Day Bicycle Tour with Burgundy Cycling Holidays
- Evening: Dinner in Beaune
- Recommendations I’ve found:
DAY 5: A day visiting Cote de Beaune Vineyards
- All Day: Drive the Route Tourisitque des Grands Crus de Bourgogne. Stop in the village of Aloxe-Corton (and Le Cassissium if there is time)
- Wine tasting at Château de Corton André in Aloxe-Corton
DAY 6: Explore the countryside
- Chateau de la Rochepot
- 20 minute drive from Beaune
- Castle and Countryside around Chateauneuf-en-Auxois
- Chateauneuf is a beautiful village with fairytale turreted towers that date back to the 12th century.
- Visit Chateau de Commarin which is open for tours
- A chateaux privately owned by the same family for seven centuries, it survived the Revolution and WWII
- Visit the lake (Reservoir de Panthier) in neighboring village of Vandenesse en Auxois.
- Flavigny-sur-Ozerain – Backdrop for the 2000 film Chocolat and named one of the prettiest villages in France. Charming narrow streets, medieval and renaissance houses, and known for the anis-flavored candy that is made here.
- Overnight in Beaune
DAY 7: Continue on to Vezelay, Overnight in Beaune
- On the way to Vezelay, stop along the way:
- L’Abbaye de Fontenay – this site has been preserved intact and lets you see what life was like in a Cistercian Abbey.
- Noyers
- A town that has been designated as one of the most beautiful in France. It is full of half-timbered houses and cobbled lanes and retains its medieval appearance.
- Outside the fortified walls of the city, take a walk along the river bank and view the remnants of the old castle.
- Arrive Vezelay
- Explore Vezelay
- Just beyond Vezelay is the archaeological site of Les Fontaines-Salees, a settlement based around mineral springs which are still present and bubbly.
- As you explore the area, the bridge at Domecy-sur-Cure is a beautiful place to have a picnic
- Chateau de Bazoches – An 800 year old restored chateau that is open for tours.
- Return to Beaune for the night (1.5 hour drive from Vezelay)
DAY 8: Head Home
- Drive 40 minutes from Beaune to Dijon to head home
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
LOGISTICS:
- TIME OF YEAR: Research suggests that autumn is the best time to visit this region. GETTING HERE:
- One possible way to get here would be to fly into Paris and take a 1.5 hour high speed train from Paris to Dijon, followed by a 40 minute drive in your rental car from Dijon to Beaune if you want to start there, or a 1 hour drive from Dijon to Arbois if you’d like to start there.
- Beaune is a stop on the TGV train line from Paris to Nice so a direct train ride is an option.
ADDITIONAL THINGS TO DO:
If you’d like to add on an additional day, consider the Morvan Park Region:
DAY ?: Day in Morvan Park Region
- Saulieu – Best on a Saturday morning for its open air farmer’s market on the square
- Lac Des Settons – Have lunch at a lakeside terrace restaurant.
- La Morvandelle, Les Settons, 58230 Montsauche-les-Settons, France
- Autun – Situated at the edge of the Morvan Park and surrounded by open countryside.
- Nolay –
- Options for enjoying Nolay
bikesandbordeaux.com 