Alsace / Burgundy / Champagne · Aug 29 – Sep 2
Aug 29 – Sep 2 · Five days, three wine regions

Alsace → Burgundy → Champagne

Land at CDG, run the route farthest-first, roll back to the airport for Corsica. Each day has one owner: use the suggestions below or find better — you book it, you own it. Workers are always at home base by 3–4pm.
Checkmarks last for this session.
Calendar alert: Aug 30 is a Sunday — most Alsace domaines close Sundays (Dopff au Moulin is open) and Restaurant Girardin is closed Sun/Mon. So the Michelin dinner happens Saturday arrival night and Sunday goes casual. Already reflected below.

Arrival · CDG → Colmar

Sat, Aug 29 · TGV from inside CDG Terminal 2 — no Paris transfer, ~2.5h door to door. No car needed today; Colmar is fully walkable.
MMartin
Day owner

The plan

  • MorningLand CDG → TGV station inside Terminal 2CDG → Strasbourg direct (~1h50), easy connection to Colmar (~30 min). Book on SNCF Connect; first class is worth it for the workers (tables + outlets).
  • ~2:30 PMCheck in, Colmar old townWorkers online by 3–4 with buffer. Everyone else: wander La Petite Venise and the covered market.
  • 7:00 PMFancy dinner: Restaurant Girardin (Michelin ★)Tonight is the ONLY night it’s open during our stay (closed Sun/Mon). Book the second you own this day.

Stay (2 nights)

La Maison des TêtesFancy
Relais & Châteaux, dead center of old town; Girardin is inside it — dinner is a staircase away after a travel day. ~€250–350/rm · +33 3 89 24 43 43 · maisondestetes.com
James Boutique HôtelModerate
4.7★, modern, excellent AC, short walk to old town. ~€150–200/rm · +33 3 89 21 93 70
Airbnb alternative
A 3–4BR house in Riquewihr or Eguisheim (15 min out) for both nights — shared table for evening bottles. Requires moving car pickup to tonight.

Eat

Restaurant GirardinFancy
One Michelin star, ~10-course tasting, superb pairing. Seats 7:00–8:30pm only, tiny room. · +33 3 89 24 43 43
Backup: Lucas & Chris
4.8★ creative bistro if Girardin is full — book it instead, don’t wing a Saturday. · +33 3 89 73 92 86

Martin’s booking list

Alsace Wine Route

Sun, Aug 30 · Workers stay in Colmar; everyone else loops the fairy-tale villages: Eguisheim → Kaysersberg → Riquewihr. Back by 6.
AAlanna
Day owner

The plan

  • 9:00 AMPick up rental car, Colmar station
  • 10:00 AMEguisheimConcentric medieval village, 10 min away — coffee and a lap.
  • 11:30 AMKaysersberg + lunchWalk up to the castle ruin for the vineyard view; lunch on the main street.
  • 2:30 PMDopff au Moulin tasting, RiquewihrPremium tasting + cellar tour; crémant specialists. Open Sunday 10–7 — the reliable Sunday pick.
  • 4:00 PMStroll RiquewihrArguably the prettiest village on the route.
  • 7:30 PMCasual dinner: Wistub BrennerCanal-side in Petite Venise. Pork knuckle + Riesling. Open Sunday.

Wine

Dopff au Moulin (Riquewihr)
Confirmed open Sunday. Book the premium tasting with cellar tour for the group. · +33 3 89 49 09 69 · dopff-au-moulin.fr
Second tastingHeads up
Paul Blanck, Agapé, and André Blanck all close Sundays. Call around or ask the hotel — some domaines open Sunday by appointment, and late August is harvest season energy.

Eat

Wistub BrennerLocal
The classic winstub: foie gras, choucroute, canal-side tables. Books out on weekends. · +33 3 89 41 42 33 · wistub-brenner.fr
Lunch in Kaysersberg
Owner’s choice — plenty of winstubs and tarte flambée terraces on the main street.

Alanna’s booking list

Colmar → Beaune · +1 arrives

Mon, Aug 31 · 3h drive; leave by 9, on the ground by 12:30. Easiest meetup day of the trip: our +1 takes TGV Paris → Dijon (1h35) + 20-min local train to Beaune. Zero car needed.
KKiki
Day owner

The plan

  • 9:00 AMRoll out of ColmarCoffee + kouglof for the road.
  • 12:30 PMCheck in, BeauneWorkers online by 1pm with buffer.
  • 3:00 PMCaves de l’Abbaye tastingIntimate cellar, 5 wines side by side — the best Burgundy 101 in town. Walkable: nobody drives.
  • 5:00 PMHospices de Beaune + ramparts walkThe glazed-tile roof is the postcard.
  • 7:30 PMDinner: Au Coq Bleu or Soul KitchenBoth open Mondays. Both need booking.

Stay (1 night)

Hôtel Le CepFancy
Historic, dead central, secure parking, spa. Book 3 rooms now; add a 4th later if our maybe-guest confirms. ~€250–400/rm · +33 3 80 22 35 48 · hotel-cep-beaune.com
Hôtel de la PosteModerate
Solid, central, garage parking. ~€150–220/rm · +33 3 80 22 08 11

Wine

Caves de l’Abbaye
4.9★ private-feeling cellar tasting, brilliant host, 2-min walk from Le Cep. · +33 3 80 21 52 98 · caves-abbaye-beaune.com

Eat

Au Coq BleuFancy
4.9★, legendary coq au vin + escargots. Open Mon 7–9pm. · +33 3 45 63 58 98
Soul KitchenLocal
14 seats, one-man show, €34 three-course menu that outclasses places at triple the price. Open Mon. · +33 3 80 24 15 32

Kiki’s booking list

Grands Crus → Champagne splurge

Tue, Sep 1 · Morning drive up the Route des Grands Crus (Pommard → Vosne-Romanée → Gevrey-Chambertin), then autoroute north. At the splurge hotel by 2pm.
SSarah
Day owner

The plan

  • 9:00 AMRoute des Grands CrusPhoto stop at the Romanée-Conti cross in Vosne-Romanée — hallowed ground.
  • 10:30 AMCoffee in Gevrey-Chambertin, then autoroute~3h to Champagne.
  • 2:00 PMCheck in — the special nightWorkers online by 2:30.
  • 4:30 PMNon-workers: grower tasting in Avize or HautvillersAsk the hotel to arrange — they are brilliant at it.
  • 8:00 PMThe grand-finale dinnerAt the hotel restaurant. Champagne pairing, obviously.

Stay — the one special night (~$500 target)

Les Avisés, AvizeThe pick
The 10-room guesthouse of Domaine Jacques Selosse — the most cult grower in Champagne. Each room booked comes with an allowance of Selosse you cannot buy at retail. Spa + destination restaurant. ~€400–500/rm · +33 3 26 57 70 06 · selosse-lesavises.com
Le 25bis by Leclerc Briant, ÉpernayValue sleeper
~€300–400, ON the Avenue de Champagne, run by a biodynamic house, half-bottle waiting in the room. Budget left over = upgrade dinner. · +33 3 26 56 40 70
Château de Sacy
~€300–450, alone in the vines with outdoor soaking tubs. Best view of the three, most mixed service reviews. · +33 3 26 07 60 38
Airbnb wildcardHeads up
A vineyard house in Hautvillers or Aÿ (3–4BR) can beat three hotel rooms on price — but most have 2-night minimums, so it likely fails for this single night. Check Airbnb + Gîtes de France anyway; share a stunner in the chat before booking.

Eat

Les Avisés restaurantFancy
Stunning dining room, and the wine list is the reason you came to France. · +33 3 26 57 70 06
La Grillade Gourmande, ÉpernayLocal
4.7★ open-fire cooking, superb champagne list — the move if we stay at 25bis. · +33 3 26 55 44 22

Sarah’s booking list

Taittinger → CDG → Corsica

Wed, Sep 2 · One last pop before the airport. Reims is 25–30 min from the hotel; CDG is ~1h30 from Reims.
AAlanna
Day owner

The plan

  • 10:00 AMTaittinger cellar tour, ReimsUNESCO chalk crayères 20m underground. Advance booking required — take the earliest slot.
  • 11:45 AMRoad sandwiches, hit the A4Or a quick look at Reims cathedral if the flight allows.
  • 1:30 PMCDG — return car, fly to CorsicaBudget 30 min for the rental-return shuttle.

Wine

Champagne Taittinger, Reims
Family-owned giant, gorgeous newly renovated visitor experience, generous pours after. · +33 3 26 85 84 33 · book-a-visit.taittinger.fr

Alanna’s booking list

Built as a starting point — owners have full license to improve on it.