Experience the best of Auxerre

Auxerre climbs from the Yonne to a hill crowned by the Cathedral of Saint-Étienne, a Gothic church built over several centuries. The crypt of the old abbey of Saint-Germain holds ninth-century wall paintings from the Carolingian age.

Pleasure boats moor along the Yonne, and the riverside promenade is busy in summer. The Tour de l'Horloge, a fifteenth-century clock tower, stands in the old town. The vineyards of Chablis lie about 20 kilometres to the east, and their white wines come from slopes of limestone and clay. Paris is under two hours away by train.

Burgundian food is rich: beef cooked in red wine, snails, gougères, small cheese puffs, and cheeses such as Époisses, a strong soft cheese washed in marc. Summers are warm, the autumn grape harvest is busy, and winters are cold and grey. Late spring and early September, when the vines are green or turning gold, are the most pleasant times.