Day itineraries
We invite you to come and explore Auxerre and its region on a thematic day based around culture, gastronomy or leisure. These days can of course be adapted and we can organise a programme combining various options at your request. These itineraries are not exhaustive and you can find the full list in the Groups brochure.
Vézelay, Pontigny Abbey, Château de Saint-Fargeau, the village of Noyers sur Serein, the mediaeval site of Guédelon, Nivernais Canal, not to mention the Chablis and Auxerrois vineyards... ... so many names and sites, treasures of yesterday and today just waiting to be discovered for a day or several days, setting out from our beautiful town of Auxerre. All the itineraries presented in our brochure can be adapted as you wish, making your holiday in Auxerre and the Yonne département one to enjoy. Below, you'll see descriptions of some of our itineraries, presented in our downloadable brochure, or we can simply send you one on request.
Gastronomic Thematic : "An exceptional Day"
Option 1
Morning : pedestrian visit of the old town including the visit of St Etienne’s Cathedral, indisputably the most important religious building in Auxerre, and of the pedestrian area, second largest protected zone in Burgundy.End of guide’s services.
Departure for Saint-Père-sous-Vézelay.
Lunch at Marc Meneau’s Restaurant “l’Espérance” in Saint-Père-sous-Vézelay. Self-educated cook, he has been elected « the French Better Cook of the year » and he has won 3 stars in Guide Michelin and 19/20 in the Gault et Millau guide.
Here is an example of menu (*) to taste his refined cook:
- Appetizer,
- Lobster, tomatoes and zucchinis
- Trout fillet to the juice of sorrel believed,
- Chicken way Père Lathuile, artichoke and potatoes
- Crunching raspberries and dragees, basil sorbet
- Petits fours
Drinks included : Vézelay (1/2 bottle per person), coffee
(*) other suggestions are available. Thanks to contact us
Departure for Vézelay. Meeting point with your guide Place du Champs de Foire in Vezelay. Guided visit of the mediaeval borough, surrounded by fortifications, at the top of the “eternal hill” and of Saint Magdalene Basilica (12th century), part of the UNESCO World Heritage. End of our services.
Distance : 50 Km
Price : from 137 €
Availability : All year, everyday except on Sundays, religious days and some public holidays
Option 2
Morning : pedestrian visit of the old town including the visit of St Etienne’s Cathedral, indisputably the most important religious building in Auxerre, and of the pedestrian area, second largest protected zone in Burgundy.End of guide’s services.
Departure for Joigny.
Lunch at Jean-Michel Lorrain’s Restaurant “la Côte Saint Jacques” in Joigny. With 3 stars in Guide Michelin, the restaurant is an unavoidable gastronomic place. The cook Jean Michel Lorrain proposes a refined and creative cook. An eclectic menu with lots of savours to discover in his restaurant with a magnificent view on the Yonne river.
Here is an example of menu (*) to taste his inventive cook :
- Amusette,
- Duck foie gras cooked with the cloth,
- Taboulé de Boulgour with dates, small salads and tart cream
- Back of cod frying pan to the miler, as osf Smoothing iron, Christes-marines, Japan pearls and new onions crystallized, light emulsion with the coral of sea urchin,
- French cheeses,
- Skewer of mango and pineapple to pepper, granitée, light cream with soft white cheese and green lemon,
Drinks included Cocktail, Bourgogne Chardonnay Cuvée de Printemps 2009 Michel Lorain, Irancy 2007 Domaine Colinot
(1 bottle for 3 persons), mineral waters and coffee
(*) other suggestions are available. Thanks to contact us
Departure for a pedestrian visit of Joigny, which is part of the network “Cities of Art and History”. Panoramic discovering of this mediaeval city situated on a hill overhanging the Yonne river: prestigious churches, Renaissance castle which belonged to the Gondi Family and where Saint Vincent de Paul lived, lots of carved wood houses. End of our services
Distance : 30 Km
Price : from 148 €
Availability : All year, everyday except on Sundays, religious days and some public holidays
Culture Thematic : "Auxerre the beautiful, Vezelay the eternal"
Morning : Departure for a pedestrian visit of the old town including :
visit of St Etienne’s Cathedral: Tour of St Etienne's Cathedral : indisputably the most important religious building in Auxerre and occupying an important place in the history of art. Fine crypts (11th c.) ornamented with wall paintings, including the famous "Christ on Horseback" (end 11th c.). The Cathedral treasury contains lots of illuminated manuscripts, ivories, wood carvings, gold and silver vessels and a fine collection of Limoges enamel reliquaries (13th c.).
Visit of St Germain’s Abbey : Its elegance can be seen from the banks of the River Yonne and takes the shape of an abbey church rebuilt in the 11th century and the Saint-Jean Tower, built in the 12th century. Come for a visit and you’ll not only marvel upon this exceptional church, but also a superb cloister (17th -18th century) and various 12th century chambers (monks’ room, sacristy and storeroom). Its crypts, built in the 9th century, present one of the most beautiful examples of the Carolingian Art in Europe.
Lunch in Auxerre
Departure for Vézelay. Guided visit of the mediaeval borough, surrounded by fortifications, at the top of the “eternal hill” and of Saint Magdalene Basilica (12th century), part of the UNESCO World Heritage. The basilica in Vézelay was built to house the relics of Mary-Magdalene and, until the end of the 13th century; it was one of Christianity’s most important places of pilgrimage. It is a masterpiece of romanesque art and a treasure of Western civilisation.
Wine tasting with commentary in a wine cellar in the region of Vézelay.
Return to Auxerre through the Cure Valley. End of guide’s services.
Distance : 100 Kms
Availability : all year, everyday except on Tuesday, Sunday and some public holidays.
Price : 37.50 € Based on 31 pers
Leisure thematic : "Guedelon's challenge"
Morning : Departure for a pedestrian visit of the old town including :
visit of St Etienne’s Cathedral: Tour of St Etienne's Cathedral: indisputably the most important religious building in Auxerre and occupying an important place in the history of art. Fine crypts (11th c.) ornamented with wall paintings, including the famous "Christ on Horseback" (end 11th c.). The Cathedral treasury contains lots of illuminated manuscripts, ivories, wood carvings, gold and silver vessels and a fine collection of Limoges enamel reliquaries (13th c.).
The pedestrian zone, second largest protected zone in Burgundy, (beautiful 16th century half-timbered houses), the Clock Tower (an elegant edifice with sun and moon dials), statue of the poetess Marie Noël
End of guide’s services.
Departure for Guedelon. Special Medieval Lunch served at the Restaurant “La Taverne de Guedelon”.
Visit the genuine mediaeval construction site, with 30 labourers who over the next 25 years, are going to build a life-size castle, using the methods of the 13th century: quarrymen, stone-cutters, sculptors, stonemasons, carpenters blacksmith, all working as was done 7 centuries ago. There are the woodcutters, preparing the framework of the castle, amazing mediaeval lifting devices, bulls or horses drawing the carts full of stones...
Visit to the Poterie de la Batisse in Moutiers. Discover the authentic atmosphere of an old pottery workshop in action, with the dowel lathe, pottery kick wheel and the earthenware kiln dating from the thirties, not to mention the large horizontal kiln from the 18th century used for cooking stoneware using salt and ashes.
End of our services
Distance : 60 Kms
Availability : From April to June and from September to October, every day except on Wednesday, Sunday, Monday and public holidays. July and August: every day except on Sunday, Monday and public holidays.
Price : 52.50 € Based on 31 pers
For information, quotations, suggestions ... your contacts
Approval no.AU 089-98-0001 Office open Monday to Saturday Hélène Chaumont Emmanuelle Pillaz Tel: +33 (0)3 86 52 85 72 Fax:+33 (0)3 86 51 23 27
Write to : groupe@ot-auxerre.fr
