We will drive from Paris to Creancey (outside Dijon)... estimated about 3 hours and would like to stop for lunch somewhere mid-way? Any suggestions for a village to view that would offer a lovely repast so we can stretch our legs and continue on to Creancey?

you have many choices but i would pick Sens on the A5. lovely gothic church with a beautiful plaza and eateries to choose .

Thanks Pedmar. I'm working up the mileage using viaMichelin and Sens is about 1.5 hours out of Paris, which is perfect. The route described uses A4/E50 then E54. Can you tell me about this route? Scenic? Commercial?
On the other hand, the direct shot from Paris to Creancey describes using A6/E15 then A38 for a total highway trip. (What is the stretch of highway like? Scenic?) Thanks so much!

Hi Joywriter...

I can't suggest a stopping place, but I'm delighted that you're going to be staying at the Chateau de Creancey. We had a wonderful week there two years ago. Will you be in the B&B or the cottage?

Enjoy your stay at this very special place.

Kathy

you get on the A4 out of paris then A104 (francilienne) to connect to A5 to Sens and then connect A19 to A6 to Dijon or take A5 all the way changes to A31 near langres to Dijon. or the A38 to Creancy. The E designation is for european road systems in France we use A;many times is the same route (european and french);but just keep the direction towards the city you are going and you have no problems.
These roads are expressways(turnpikes like in US) so not much scenic at all until you reach the towns.

quote:

Originally posted by joywriter:
Thanks Pedmar. I'm working up the mileage using viaMichelin and Sens is about 1.5 hours out of Paris, which is perfect. The route described uses A4/E50 then E54. Can you tell me about this route? Scenic? Commercial?
On the other hand, the direct shot from Paris to Creancey describes using A6/E15 then A38 for a total highway trip. (What is the stretch of highway like? Scenic?) Thanks so much!

Thanks Pedmar for the insight on the road designations. Interesting. I love understanding things like that!
And Kathy, you'll be interested to know it IS because of your blog and trip report that we plan to stay there in Henri's bedroom ... and celebrate my 60th birthday!
The day after we arrive our plans may include visiting Vezelay and Flavigny-sur-Ozerain (Plus Belle Villages) and Dijon. Does this sound like a good itinerary? Would you recommend something different for that day? We don't want to drive willy-nilly but take it slow and visit cafes and beautiful rural/village scenery.
The next day we drive to Colmar and may stop in Beaune or Besconcon or Montbeliard or Belfort or Mulhouse before Colmar. We won't visit every one ... just the ones that strike our fancy on our travels to Colmar.

Happy soon-to-be-birthday, Joywriter! I do hope you enjoy Creancey as much as we did.

I'm not so sure about your plans for the day after you arrive. Dijon is to the east, just about half an hour if you go on the autoroute. But then Vezelay is an hour to the northwest... kind of in the opposite direction. You would end up doubling back. I'd probably plan to head in one direction or the other and explore from there. Dijon is a big place (a city really) with a lot to see and do-- you could spend a whole day there. And you would be just on the edge of the beautiful Cote d'Or wine region that stretches up to Beaune and could spend a day just in the wine villages. And you could meander back to Creancey a different way on smaller back roads.

Don't overlook the village of Chateauneuf en Auxois, which is just a couple miles from Creancey. It is also one of the "most beautiful villages." We really enjoyed the castle there.

Did you read Amy's blog about her recent travels in Burgundy? I know she spent some time in Semur en Auxois, which would be on the way to Vezelay. (We found it very quiet on a Monday...)

We love Colmar too-- sounds like you have a wonderful birthday trip planned!

Kathy

Thanks again Pedmar! We drove from Marseille to St. Laurent des Arbres last year and those highways were fine, scenic in a different way ... but get you where you're going! I just wondered if our proposed plan would be different! Thanks so much!

Thanks for the info Kathy. I'll strike Vezelay in favor of Chateauneuf-en-Auxois. I think between the three sites: Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, Dijon and Chateauneuf-en-Auxois we should be delighted. However, our love is for rural villages/countryside even over a city such as Dijon. Sooooo, do you suppose Dijon would be interesting or should we substitute another village? So many questions/possibilities!

What can you recommend along those lines for Colmar? (Do the questions ever stop?)

it is hard questions as i like them all in my opinion.
Beaune, Vezelay, Dijon and Colmar are all great stops. But as you said you like smaller villages only Vezelay can be call that.
have a good time.oh from Dijon, the road to Colmar is beautiful along the A36, the territory of Belfort is interesting (buffer from the war 1870 between France and Germany(Prussia) is not a department of France but a Territory.

quote:

... the territory of Belfort is interesting (buffer from the war 1870 between France and Germany(Prussia) is not a department of France but a Territory.

I didn't know that! Thanks again! I am always enlightened with all the good information available from Slow Trav travellers! Thanks again Pedmar!

Joywriter, if you love small, quaint villages, you will love the area around Colmar.

We spent one night in Colmar in December 1999, en route from Salzburg to Paris. The town is beautiful, set on a small river. We spent most of the next day driving up the Route du Vin to Strasbourg, passing through numerous small wine villages surrounded by vineyards. We enjoyed it so much that in 2003 we returned for a week-long walking tour in that same area. Even though you aren't walking, you might get some ideas from my trip report here and a short photo album here.

We especially liked the villages of Turckheim (just a few minutes from Colmar), Kaysersberg, Riquewihr, and Ribeauville. There are several castles just above in the mountains... some ruined and some restored.

Enjoy what sounds like a wonderful trip!

Kathy

Thanks Kathy for the photos and excerpts from your visit to Colmar. I did follow your walking tour blog, but didn't realize at the time that we would travel to Colmar so it is fun to see some of the surroundings. Especially like the comment that it hadn't been discovered yet perhaps by Americans. We'll see soon!
Thanks!