Sorry didn’t mean to start a protest chant. :-). I’m in France for 6 weeks, working east coast US hours so I have mornings free to go tasting. What’s a good base for exploring Beaujolais? Will I need a car while there? I’m probably heading there from Paris by train but not up to speed on those logistics yet, looks like TGV to Lyon then a local might be my best bet?
thanks,
jim
You can consider staying in or around Macon. Less than 30 min to say Fleurie. Either way, it will be difficult without a car.
Yes, I would think it depends on your personal preferences for where to stay. Lyon is just to the south, Mâcon is on the northern end, and lots of smaller villages inbetween. The region is not so huge, so if you’re there for 6 weeks, I don’t think you need to worry too much about maximum efficiency in location within those parameters.
Clearly a car will give you the most flexibility and freedom.
On my most recent trip I flew into CDG, took a train to Lyon, then rented a car and drove through Beaujolais to Beaune for the last leg. Really recommend it, you can take country roads that aren’t too difficult to manage and it really puts into perspective the close proximity of each Cru. Plus, it’s beautiful. Can’t imagine doing it differently.
~2hr drive from Lyon to Beaune that we did over the course of the entire day with stops through Beaujolais in towns for meals and tastings at domaines and caves throughout. Wish we’d added an overnight but if we did it would have been fairly rustic. Oingt was a fun find that skews slightly touristy and is ~15 mins to Morgon and another ~30 mins to Fleurie
Thanks all. I never heard back from place #1 (La Maison des Vignes in Charentay, which looked perfect, of course) so I grabbed one of the 2 AirBnbs left, in Saint-Étienne-des-Oullières, just north of Villefranche, for a week.
jim