It was going to take approximately 6 hours to get from Annecy, France to the the Charles de Gaulle Airport, so P and I planned two stops along the way. The first was in Beaune, and the second was in Auxerre. Both villages were so different from what we expected.
Beaune
Beaune was a random town that we chose to stop at because it was about 2.5 hours from Annecy. We didn’t do our research and didn’t realize that this town was the wine capital of Burgundy. It was a hot spot for wine lovers/connoisseurs and tourists. The town was much bigger than we expected and had quite a bit of history. The highlight of the town was the Hospices de Beaune, a beautifully designed hospital that cared for both the rich and the poor. In order to see the special decorated roofs, we had to buy a ticket into the museum. So, for 7 euros each, P and I went inside our first museum of the entire trip, and it was totally worth it. The architecture was amazing and the audio tours (which are free) were fantastically done. I learned a lot about the hospital, the town, and the people, and walked out of the museum with a much better understanding of Beaune’s history. Of course, after the museum, we had to have some local wine, considering this town was the wine capital of this region and all…
Auxerre
Our next stop was Auxerre, about 1.5 hours north of Beaune and 2 hours south of Paris. We had high expectations for this town because we had seen pictures of the beautiful cathedrals and architecture. When we arrived, it was already 6pm in the evening. As we walked through the town, there was no one in sight. We were able to visit a few cathedrals and admire the Swiss inspired houses. But, the town was pretty dead. As we walked towards the river, we finally started to hear people talking and glasses clinking. We approached a terraced restaurant where we had a small dinner outside with a view of the quai and the river. Then it was off to the Charles de Gaulle Airport back to Boston.
This trip was an amazing journey through almost 20 villages / cities in France! I’ll definitely miss the quaintness of the French villages and the wonderful people we met along the way. And of course, the cheese, bread, and wine! Au revoir, France! Till next time!
One response to “Quick Stop in Beaune & Auxerre, France”
[…] 2) Paris to Nice (well, we kind of cheated and flew here) to French Riviera (Menton, Eze, Villefranche-sur-mer) to Cassis to Montpellier (Palavas-les-Flots and Pic Saint Loup, beach fun and French BBQ) to Gorge du Verdon (rafting and canyoning) to Moustiers Saint Marie (beautiful village nestled in the Gorge du Verdon) to Avignon and Aigues Mortes to Montpellier (Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers, lake side organic dining experience) to Annecy to Beaune and Auxerre […]