The Best Burgundy Day Trips and Activities from Domaine de Cromey
Plan Your Itinerary With These Burgundy Day Trips
Nestled in amongst the vines in the heart of Burgundy lies the Domaine de Cromey – the home of Elden Selections in Burgundy – and we hope the location of your Burgundy vacation of a lifetime! There are so many reasons that it’s the perfect base from which to explore Burgundy, and we can’t wait to show you when you come. But for now, we’ve put together this article to showcase some of the incredible things you can expect.
As well as discovering the charm and history of Cromey — in the extensive grounds, pool area, kitchens, salon, tasting room and luxury accommodation — you’ll have the rest of Burgundy right on your doorstep! You can follow the plethora of paths, cycle trails and canals nearby, each leading to a different unforgettable experience. Maybe you’ll meet some of our favourite winemakers, enjoy the stunning vista from a Burgundy hilltop, and taste wines on the ground they were grown on. Most are a short walk, cycle or drive from our place, and we’ll be on hand with the local knowledge and know-how to turn each of your Burgundy day trips into stress-free memories that last a lifetime. Welcome to wine country!
Visiting Beaune – Burgundy’s Capital
Hôtel-Dieu, Hofgebäude, Beaune
Towards the top of a map of Burgundy sits the capital of the region, the enchanting city of Beaune – and just half an hour’s drive from our home at Domaine de Cromey. It is more northerly than the regions of Côte D’or, Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâcon region, but below the Côte de Nuits.
It’s the centre of the Burgundy wine region in both spirit and presence – and at the heart of it all is the famous Hospices de Beaune, which should form part of any traveller’s itinerary. It's a building with magnificently-glazed roof tiles, which has become a symbol of its powerful but compassionate founders, the Dukes of Burgundy. Initially known as the Hôtel-Dieu, now it is the setting for a world-famous annual wine event. Every year on the third Sunday of November, they hold a wine auction here to raise money for local good causes. In fact, it’s something Elden Selections attends too, and you can read about how you can take part too in a Hospices auction here. Dennis Sherman and the Elden team have bought many great barrels in recent years... follow this link to see Hospice de Beaune wines from Elden Selections here.
There are many reasons the wines of this region are some of the best, not just in France but the world. It offers seven out of the eight white Burgundy Grand Crus, and one of the reds (Corton). The region also boasts 42 Premier Cru plots (known as climats), and quality abounds everywhere. That said, it’s still important to use some local knowledge when making a purchase — the relationships that we’ve built up with producers and their families can help any wine lover make an informed choice and get the very best.
For a more detailed list of upcoming events in Beaune and how to book Burgundy day trips here, visit the Beaune Tourism website.
A Trip to Mâcon – White Wine Country
Another city well worth a visit for any wine enthusiast is the eponymous capital of the Mâconnais wine region – Mâcon. It’s fair to say that no other area of Burgundy has seen such investment and interest in recent years than here.
Sights to include on your list begin at the ancient Cathedral of Saint-Vincent (there is also another, newer cathedral to be discovered too). Then there are the rocks of Solutré and Vergisson, offering views as far as the Alps on a clear day; a marina of some 15 hectares, and great cycle paths along the river. And only 30 minutes away in the car is the nearby town of Cluny with its well-known Abbey. And if music and culture is your thing, then each year from June til August there is a free celebration of music and art called the Été Frappé festival.
We love the Mâconnais region because it’s such a well-kept secret – not too touristy or expensive, and filled with high-quality, smaller appellation wine producers who make really distinctive wines. Thanks to the producers in flagship areas like Saint-Véran and Pouilly-Fuissé, quality is rising as quickly as renown. This is a region and a city on the move, and it’s likely to be the place to go for affordable Burgundy for the foreseeable future. Visit this link to browse Elden Selections wines from Mâconnais producers here.
Discovering Auxerre – on Burgundy’s Famous Waterways
Charles Lepere Square, Auxerre
About 150km southeast of Paris lies the department of Yonne, and the city of Auxerre (pronounced “Ausserre”). It’s also just 20 km from another famous wine city – that of Chablis. Auxerre is a city built around famous waterways, like the Canal de Nivernais which was instrumental to the growth of the city’s industry. Today it also provides a nice, sedate way of exploring the city on one of its many boat trips. Boat cruises make ideal Burgundy day trips and are a great way to see the timeless sights go by, such as the Abbaye de Saint-Germain and Auxerre Cathedral.
In terms of wine, the vineyards around Auxerre line the Yonne river and are great examples of terroir-driven wines. If you’re looking for wines that are reflections of the place they come from, then you’ve found them here. Look at where the vines grow; they’re on rocks formed more than 100 million years ago, which are rich in tiny seashells, from oysters and other shellfish, dating back to the time this rock used to be an ocean floor. When people say Chablis ‘tastes of the sea’, it’s not just a figure of speech. You can find some of the best wines from Chablis-Auxerrois here, from producers that Elden Selections have known and loved for years, like the Domaine Oudin, and Jean Dauvissat.
Burgundy Day Trips to Autun - Town of Art and History
The list of great places to visit in Burgundy just keeps on getting better... next up, and only 30 minutes north-west from Rue du Château, (the address of Cromey in Saint-Sernin-du-Plain) is the city of Autun. This place really showcases some of the best culture in the region, like the historic show that happens at the start of August every year, held in a Roman Amphitheatre. Visitors gather around sunset to witness actors and volunteers act out a magical extravaganza of lights, sound and pyrotechnics. These sorts of events really connect present day Autun with its rich history, as they are both modern marvels and also unmissable journeys back in time. One other place to put on your list: the famous Cathédrale Saint-Lazare, with its quintessentially-Burgundian roof tiles, glazed in red and yellow.
If you’re wondering about wines in this region, then you’ll want to know that the city sits in the region of the ‘Couchois’. This is another very much undiscovered wine region, especially in the US where it is all but unknown. It’s a source of superb wines from great producers, if you know where to look. Our very own vineyards at Domaine de Cromey also sit in this appellation, in the arrondissement of Autun, so we feel a particular connection to it. Head to this link to browse some of the best Couchois wines from BurgundyWine.com.
Visiting the Château du Clos de Vougeot – Grand Cru Par Excellence
A Burgundy Day Trip To Clos Vougeot
The little River Vouge gives its name to Vougeot, a small village located in the Côte de Nuits region of Burgundy, a short drive north of Cromey. There’s an interesting paradox here; it’s the smallest commune in the region, but also the largest Grand Cru plot (or clos in French). And most of the very best wine comes from a single, outstanding vineyard called the Clos de Vougeot, where more than 50 producers tend to over 120 acres. This place is a must-see for anyone visiting Burgundy to experience wine; there’s a great Clos de Vougeot website which can help you plan and book your Burgundy day trips here. Wine tasting here is an absolute necessity. Sipping Burgundy wine, within the walls of such a great Chateau, amid the huge barrels, presses and hundreds of years of history, transforms the activity into one of the most remarkable pilgrimages a wine enthusiast can make in Europe.
But the importance of the Clos de Vougeot extends well beyond its walls, for it is also the home of a mysterious society of Burgundy wine enthusiasts, called La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin (the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Wine-Tasting Cup). It is their job to protect and promote the good name of Burgundy wine, and more than 12,000 members around the world carry out this important mission. They host convivial dinners, hearty meals and chances to sing and share your love of Burgundy. They make toasts and pay homage to wine as a gift from heaven (quite like what we do at one of our Domaine de Cromey House Parties!)
A Trip to the Morvan Natural Park - Burgundy’s Forest of Dreams
Morvan Regional Nature Park (known in French as the Parc Naturel Régional du Morvan) is only a 45-minute drive from our doorstep - an ideal Burgundy day trip - but many visitors here are not aware that a landscape of such beauty and significance exists so close by.
Some of the granite peaks in the park rise to heights of nearly a thousand meters, and those willing and able enough to ascend them are promised some of the best views around. The park itself covers more than 280,000 hectares, across all four ‘departments’ of Burgundy. You’ll be familiar with some of them for the superb wines that come from them - Saône-et-Loire, Yonne, Nièvre, and of course the Côte-d'Or.
Anyone with a love for sport or nature will find something for themselves here, whether it’s the Gouloux waterfall, a mountain biking trail, a horse riding expedition, or one of the sparkling lakes such as Panneciere or Chaumecon. There are more than 5000km of trails and paths waiting to be discovered.
Burgundy Biking Holidays - A Cyclist’s Dream
Cycling in Burgundy is a whole article topic in itself, but let’s just say that there are nearly 3,000km of amazing cycle routes to explore in Burgundy. No list of Burgundy day trips is complete without mentioning them. They can transport you to some of your favorite vineyards, along lazy canals, to picture-postcard cafes and restaurants and to historic castles and courtyards. Here at Domaine de Cromey, we often host cyclists and work with professional guides and climbers who help you create the itinerary that’s right for you and your group. There are also top-spec bikes available from our partners in the region for you to hire.
Using Cromey as the base for a cycling holiday means you’re ideally placed to tackle the best local routes. Our guests often laugh that the local village of Mercey is well-named – the hill up to Saint Sernin du Plain is a fairly demanding (but very rewarding) way to finish a trip. And when you have put the bikes away for the day, you can enjoy what Cromey has to offer. Maybe it’ll be a food and wine workshop, the sparkling pool, or the exceptional wine cellar, and at night – the luxurious accommodation to retire to. When you experience a cycling trip like this, in the words of one veteran cyclist: you have truly arrived at the greatest cycling experience you can find. To start the wheels turning on your Burgundy cycling adventure, contact us about your Burgundy cycling trip.
Don’t forget to join our Burgundy wine club for exclusive deals and wines you won’t see anywhere else. Head over to our BurgundyWine.com blog for more articles on the people and region of Burgundy, and check out the Domaine de Cromey blog too for more ideas of Burgundy day trips.
