Domaine de Chaligny

Nights spent in the branches not enough? Pass days doing Tarzan impressions at Arbr’acadabra, a treetop adventure course 25 minutes’ drive from base. If spending hours on solid ground is preferable, opt instead for wanders to the nearby Château-Chinon (five minutes), where visitors have a costume museum and a museum dedicated to Président François Mitterand to explore. Within 10 minutes of base are the village of Moulins-Engilbert, its museums dedicated to the famed Charolais cow, and its château. Sticking with the urban theme, make the 40-minute journey to the town of Autun to clamber about the ruined temple, visit the (not ruined) Roman theatre, get an education in the museums, or shop for bargains at the weekly markets. Go bigger, then, with a trip to the city of Nevers (55 minutes) and its cathedral, palace, aqueduct, and museums of education and archaeology, or keep it simpler (while still focusing on the past) at Bibracte (30 minutes), the site of famed chieftain Vercingetorix’s last stand against the Romans. Days out in nature ought to be spent at Dragne waterfall (30 minutes) or Lac de Pannecière (20 minutes), on hikes at Haut-Folin (30 minutes) or Mont Beuvray (35 minutes), or – during snowier seasons – skiing at Haut-Folin.