A great trip for food and wine buffs, with walking that is gentle to start with and progressing to moderate grade as the week unfolds. Burgundy's natural riches and its complex history bear testimony to its fine heritage. It is a beautiful and fertile land where farmers, foresters, and above all wine growers skills have nurtured the landscape for more than a thousand years. The reputation of Burgundy's cuisine has travelled the world and the very word Burgundy is synonymous with the finest wines. Burgundy is a multifaceted landscape just waiting to be explored, and, as elsewhere in France, the best way to savour it, is to explore on foot its peaceful lanes and byways. Travellers will discover a fabled land of mediaeval chateaux, ancient monasteries and fragrant breezes where the art of living is pursued to near perfection at a gentle unhurried pace.

Beaune is the hub of Burgundy’s wine industry, at the heart of a cluster of prestigious vineyards such as the Cote d’Or, Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits and is the obvious place to start our trip. The first walking day is just 3 hours on foot to Meursault; a gentle start allowing time to visit the sights in Beaune and sample some wine in the village of Pommard on route. Don’t miss the imposing mansion of the Dukes of Burgundy, the basilica of Notre Dame and the most famous of all the sights in Beaune, the steep pitched patterned roofs of the Hotel Dieu. A circular walk to Saint Romain includes a ruined chateau and a 12th century church as well as some beautiful scenery and a great restaurant for lunch. A steady climb from Meursault, to join the ‘Grande Randonnee’ paths, takes in mature oak forests before descending to the village and stunning chateau of La Rochepot. A visit to the chateau is a must before walking on to Nolay, a village of fine mediaeval buildings, narrow streets and half-timbered houses. The second half of the week is a little more taxing and involves walking an average of just over 18km per day and ascents of about 500m climbing onto the escarpment and hilltops for glorious views as far as the Alps. There is still time however to enjoy the delights of Rully, the ancient Chateau of Montaigu, the produce of the Cotes Chalonnaises and many more sleepy hamlets and villages. The landscape is a mix of vineyards on the lower slopes, woodlands on the edge of the plateau, and pastures and arable land above 380m on the plateau. Conditions underfoot are good with many of the tracks through the vineyards surfaced even though there is little or no traffic; lightweight boots are all you will need. 

Travel Information

Duration: 7 nights/8 days 

Season: April to late October; March is also possible but cold wetter weather is more likely.

Arrival: Afternoon/early evening on Day 1.

First hotel: In Beaune the hotel is a 10-minute walk or short taxi ride from the railway station. There is a regular train service from Paris including TGV connections from Paris Gare de Lyon. Please check times before travelling and note that for TGV trains it is compulsory to book seat reservations before your journey. You will receive up-to-date train times for your date of travel, or alternatively you can visit the French railways website at www.sncf.com. 

Travel options from Britain: 

1. Direct morning flights from Heathrow, Gatwick and many regional airports to Paris (Charles de Gaulle), followed then by RER/metro suburban train into Paris and TGV train from Gare de Lyon to Beaune. There is also a TGV station at Charles de Gaulle airport (about 4 hours). 

2. Le Shuttle or ferry to Calais and then 600km drive to Beaune. The hotel has a garage where you can leave your car. There may be a modest fee to pay.

3. Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris (Nord) then RER/metro to Gare de Lyon and train to Beaune. 

End of Tour: The tour ends on the morning of day 8 in Beaune. Train to Paris and onward flight to London.

General information

Baths: it is not the norm for your room to have a bath, the main reason being that it takes up a lot of space. Most rooms have showers.

Breakfast: in countries such as France usually consists of coffee and toast/croissant, if you want more for breakfast then we would suggest you purchase some food the night before. 

Special Dietary Requirements: It is important for you to tell us if you have any dietary requirements when you book your holiday so that we can inform everyone that you are staying with.

Single Supplements: are payable on most of our tours. The single supplement guarantees the privacy of your own room, however, rooms can at times be small and in some places may not enjoy the same facilities as double/twin rooms. If you are travelling alone you are not just paying a supplement on the room but you are also paying the luggage transfer costs in full. The cost of moving 1 bag or 2 bags etc remains the same. 

Language: Note that you will not necessarily come across people speaking English. Remember you have left home to find things different, bring a phrase book and try to learn a bit of French!

Luggage: At the hotels your luggage may have been taken to you room awaiting your arrival. However don’t be surprised if your luggage is waiting at reception for you to take it up to your room. Please politely ask someone if you need assistance

Accommodation & Meals

All of the hotels normally used on this itinerary are run by families who have lived in the area for generations. 2 nights are in 3* hotels and the remaining 5 nights in good 2* hotels. All rooms have en suite facilities. Accommodation on four nights is on a half board basis, breakfast and evening meals, which are tasty typical Burgundy dishes. On three nights bed and breakfast only is included; on these nights there is a good choice of restaurants nearby. Picnic lunches are not included in the tour cost but are usually available from hotels at a cost of approx. 8-10 Euros. Alternatively picnic materials can be obtained cheaply from local shops. We indicate in our route notes where there are suitable restaurants or cafes for lunch stops, or recommend you carry food if there are none convenient. Burgundy wines may be perceived as expensive, the best certainly are, but there are many good local wines available in all restaurants at a reasonable price.

q  Nights 1 & 7: The first and last nights are spent in a very old and comfortable 3* hotel in the historical part of Beaune. Situated just a couple of hundred metres from the town centre in a quiet back street this hotel incorporates the old city walls in its structure. Rooms are well presented and there is a breakfast room and pleasant courtyard where you can sit and relax with a refreshing drink. These two nights are arranged on a Bed and Breakfast basis, as there is a wide selection of restaurants close by.

q  Nights 2 & 3: For two nights unpack and make this yourself at home in this comfortable 2* hotel on the main square of the pretty village of Meursault. It is reputedly the centre of the best chardonnay production in Burgundy (not to say France) and is therefore the best place to do a little tasting to introduce yourself to the produce of the land!

On both nights in Meursault, diner will be taken at the hotel as we believe it has just about the best restaurant in town. The restaurant does close for one day a week. If your stay coincides with this closure then the very friendly hoteliers will have booked a table for you elsewhere in the village.

He will also help you organise some wine tasting at a local ‘cave’.

q  Night 4: A 2* hotel on the old market square in Nolay provides a convenient nights stop on the route. Bed & breakfast. There are some restaurants nearby.

Nights 5&6: Please note that there is a change of accommodation for trips starting on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

For trips starting any day except Thursday, Friday and Saturday our hotel is on the main square, this time in the typical vineyard village of Rully. The owner has the strong local accent and is very proud of his roots. He is a fine host and changes the restaurant menu every day offering a variety of local dishes. Rully will be our base to explore what is called here the Côtes Challonaises. No doubt wine tasting will be a possibility!

For trips starting on Thursday, Friday or Saturday, nights 5& 6 are spent at the Auberge du Camp Romain in Chassey le Camp. This is approximately 4km from Rully and the walking itinerary is not significantly changed.

Level of Difficulty

This tour is graded Easy – Moderate.

Fitness: This walk should present no difficulties for anyone in reasonable condition and accustomed to day walks in undulating countryside.

Day stages: 10km to 20km (24km without use of taxi on last day) per day with altitude gains varying from very little to 500m. 3 to 6 hours walking per day. This itinerary is planned to allow time to visit historic sites and vineyards along the route. Entrance fees and wine tasting is not included.

Waymarking

The trails are reasonably well waymarked and easy to follow for most of the time. Much of the trail follows the GR7 and GR76 long-distance footpaths, which are, marked with the customary white/red/white 'GR' waymarkings.

Outline Itinerary

q  Day 1: Arrive Beaune.

q   Day 2: Morning to sightsee in Beaune and an afternoon to walk to Meursault. The village of Meursault is 10kms southwest of Beaune in the middle of the vineyards. The virtually flat walk is easily done in 4 hours including a stop over at the café in the famous village of Pommard. Here, we will also suggest a top wine tasting opportunity. We have designed this short first day in order to have time to visit at least the Hospices de Beaune and perhaps have an early lunch in Beaune before setting off to Meursault.

q   Day 3: A circular walk from Meursault. The standard walk from here is a 14 kms loop to the beautiful village of Saint Romain. The ruins of the chateau include Roman foundations and the XII century church was an old ‘prieuré’ or small monastery. The restaurant in the village provides the best lunch break. There is approx. 220m of ascent and descent during the day but nothing too steep or demanding; there is plenty of time to take the walking at a gentle pace.

q  Day 4: Meursault to Nolay. Today leave the vineyards and after a steady climb of 140m, we will meet the GR76 and walk in the shade of the typical oak forest of Burgundy. Coming out of the woods, see the village of La Rochepot with the stunning château of the same name. There is a good local restaurant in the village and the visit of the chateau is well worthwhile. From La Rochepot, follow the GR7 before descending to the old market town of Nolay. 16kms of walking with 380m of ascent and 300m of descent.

q  Day 5: Please note that there is a change of itinerary for trips starting on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

For trips starting any day except Thursday, Friday and Saturday; Nolay to Rully. During the first 6kms, we will gradually ascend 200m through lovely pastures shared with the Charolais cows, (of which Burgundy is very proud). Once on top of the ridge and before going down to the village of Santenay, there are wide reaching views of the Saone plain with the Alps in the distance. We then follow the GR7, walk across the Canal du Centre, walk up and down the Hermitage Mountain before descending through the vineyards of Rully. 18kms. 500m ascent and 580m descent. 

For trips starting on Thursday, Friday or Saturday; Nolay to Chassey le Camp. During the first 6kms, we will gradually ascend 200m through lovely pastures shared with the Charolais cows, (of which Burgundy is very proud). Once on top of the ridge and before going down to the village of Santenay, there are wide reaching views of the Saone plain with the Alps in the distance. We then follow the GR7, walk across the Canal du Centre and walk up to Chassey le Camp. 17kms. 500m ascent and 480m descent.

q   Day 6: Today, our target is the well-known village of Mercurey and the ancient chateau of Montaigu to the south. We will follow an undulating route between vineyards and woods along the côtes Chalonnaises. On the way back we will use the GR7 through the villages of Aluze and Nantoux. Approx. 18kms in total with 500m of ascent and descent.

q   Day 7: A long day northwards back to Beaune across undulating ground. We will cross the Canal du Centre at the village of Remigny and walk through the famous vineyards of Chassagne and Puligny Montrachet. We will walk on through the village of Volnay on the way back to Pommard. From here you can either retrace the route from day 2 for 4km back into Beaune or call for a taxi (not included). The full route is approx. 24kms with 500m of ascent and descent.

q   Day 8: Depart Beaune.