Rural France

We will be making a whirlwind visit to Europe this summer and unfortunately will be in France for only 2+ days - not enough time to visit Paris. We will be spending 1 day in Burgundy, overnighting in a town called Semur-en-Auxois, and 1 day/night in Chenonceaux in the Loire Valley. We will have a car so we plan to travel through smalltown, rural France for this brief period. There%26#39;s a town called Noyers near Auxerre that%26#39;s supposed to be quaint and lovely. I%26#39;m sure there are others people might recommend.

Is anyone familiar with these areas? Will there be boulangerie and patisserie in less populated areas for us to obtain fresh foods for picnics? Are there any specific towns or villages in rural Burgundy or Loire Valley known for their scenic beauty or having other features we should try to visit?

Thanks in advance for feedback or advice from more seasoned travelers to France!

Andrew

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You will not have any worries about finding food for picnics. Every village of any size will have at least one boulangerie. The larger villages and small towns will have small shops or a small supermarket for charcuterie, fruit, wine and the rest. The route you propose has few really sparsely populated areas.

Your start and finish points will let you visit a couple of very worthwhile places along the (more or less) direct route. Vezelay, which is a pituresque village on the edge of the Morvan, not far from Semur, has a magnificent 12th century basilica.

At about half way on the trip, Bourges with its splendid cathedral and Palais Jacques-Coeur should definitely not be missed.

From Bourges the direct route would take you along the valley of the Cher to Chenonceau. A more interesting route would be to take a fairly short detour via Valencay and Loches, both of which are worth a visit.

www.via.michelin will give you various route options. Try plugging in the %26quot;avoiding tolls%26quot; option if you want the non-Autoroute route.

You probably should get Michelin maps 243 and 238 to avoid getting lost - or to help you find yourself when you do!

And remember that shops in most of France outside Paris are usually closed for a couple of hours from about noon.

Bonne route!

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Thanks for your feedback and suggestions. I have been using Michelin map #724 (national France Nord) , but am relieved to know there are other maps which offer greater detail - and perhaps route numbers in larger print. I will look for those maps.

I am really looking forward to checking out the villages you recommend. Thanks again!

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Where are these detailed maps available from? Can they bought in Paris?

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Yes, they are readily available all over France. Off the top of my head I do not recall specifically where you can buy them in Paris, but if you ask in any ordinary bookstore they should know, if they do not have them.

The most useful for most purposes are the 1:200 000 scale, which is the scale of the maps I mentioned. They are available in regional maps of which there are sixteen covering all of France (#230 to #245, and a special Rhone valley map, #246). Smaller local maps are available in the same scale, with perhaps 90 maps covering the country.

There are some regions, for example the Cote d%26#39;Azur (#195) and Provence (#114), which are covered by 1:100 000 scale maps, handy if you are doing a lot of exploring. And for the area immediately surrounding Paris there is a 1:50 000 map (#101), which is very useful if you are driving near the capital.

The most convenient of all is the Michelin atlas, which is in 1:200 000 scale and covers the whole country in a large spiral bound book.

There are other maps available in larger scale, such as the IGN series, some of which are particularly useful for hiking, but the Michelin maps are the ones I prefer for driving.

Bonne route!

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Hi Andrew, we live in semur en Auxois and you are in for a treat as it is a lovely town. Very medieval. Nearby is the village of Flavigny sur Ozerain where they filmed the movie Chocolate with Johnny Depp and in the other direction are the towns of Avallon and the pilgrimage village of Vezelay (wonderful). Noyers sur Serein is very poretty but there is not much going on there. Post if you need any more info. Hope this helps.

Keith

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Keith,

I%26#39;m glad we%26#39;ve chosen a scenic place to stay! I%26#39;m aware there is not much to see or do in some of the smaller towns, but hopefully we will be charmed anyway. The slower pace will be a nice break after our rush to France from Holland/Germany/Austria/Switzerland.

In the towns/villages you mention - Semur-en-Auxois or some of the others - can you recommend a particular restaurant or cafe? Nothing too expensive, but with good cuisine? It seems we would have better choices in a place such as Beaune or Dijon, but I am hoping we can find a nice restaurant outside those larger towns.

Thank you!