Auxerre is an historical city in the French region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, at the heart of one of the country's largest wine-producing areas.
Get in
By car
Auxerre is located half way between Paris (170 km) and Dijon (150 km) on the A6 autoroute, at the junction of the proposed A26 Troyes-Bourges autoroute. The city is a good base for discovering northern Burgundy.
Auxerre is 15 km from Chablis, famous for its white wines, 20 km from Pontigny Abbey, 45 km from St Fargeau Castle, 60 km from Vézelay and 78 km from Troyes.
By train
Trains to 1 Gare d'Auxerre-Saint-Gervais are a wonderfully cheap option if you are coming from Paris or Dijon. Trains usually run every hour. You might have to make a connection at Larroche-Migennes. You can easily walk from the station to the old part of town in 10-15 minutes.
By bus
Cheaper than the train, several buses run each day between Paris and Auxerre. Ouibus and Flixbus buses depart from "Gare de bercy" in Paris and drop you 2 hours later near the city center of Auxerre.
Get around
On foot
Auxerre is small, so walking is strongly recommended for most purposes and is a pleasant thing to do in the old city.
By bus
There are free mini buses that circle the periphery of the old town and a bus system that serves suburbs (for the suburb bus, tickets are €1.75).
See
- Old Abbey of St. Germain. No longer in use as an abbey, contains an important crypt with frescoes dating from the time of Charlemagne. The entrance is free, including the museum of archaeology, the temporary exhibitions and the church.
- 1 [formerly dead link]Cathédrale Saint-Étienne d'Auxerre (Auxerre Cathedral). A splendid Gothic cathedral whose flamboyant façade gives its exterior an unusual appearance.
- Tour de l'Horloge. A clock tower from the 15th century, with a golden façade and needles depicting the sun and moon.
Do
- Walk across the pedestrian bridge that spans the river as it gives a nice postcard view of the city.
- If you visit for the whole day, or more, you can plan to rent a bike at "la maison du vélo" and bike south along the Yonne river for a marvelous ride. The bicycle path goes almost 200 km south and passes by beautiful villages and sceneries. Bikes cost €3 for 1 hour, €5 for 2 hours and €10 for half a day (2017 prices). For half a day, you can easily reach "Vincelles" village.
- Rent a kayak and paddle around the river next to the Parc des arbres secs.
- A.J. Auxerre, Stade de l'Abbé Deschamps, Route de Vaux, ☏ 33 3 86 72 32 32. The city of Auxerre is home to the football team, A.J. Auxerre. It's worth a visit to their stadium to see them take on a rival team for a home game. The season is usually from August until mid-May. It is about as interesting to watch the game as it is to watch the supporters. A.J. Auxerre.
Buy
You can buy quality wines from the Yonne region for cheap. There are also antique stores and workshops both downtown and along the river.
Eat
If you want, to cook your own food or buy food for a picnic, Leclerc is the giant supermarket that has most of what you need, located on the northeast side of the river (14 Avenue Jean Jaurès). As you are in France, avoid buying baguettes, wine or cheese in a large commercial store; try buying those kinds of products in a local boulangerie, cave à vin or fromagerie: the charm of these such stores is the reason that you came to France and something that you cannot get at a chain store.
- Le Bistro du Palais, 65 rue de Paris. A former one-screen cinema, this is now a charming bar and restaurant with authentic Burgundy cuisine. They also have a wonderful local wine selection, and a piano.
- Le Schaeffer, 14 Place Charles Lepere, ☏ 33 3 86 52 16 17. 8am-6pm Tuesday to Saturday. The local brasserie, where you can have lunch and enjoy some French and local speciality. The croque monsieur sandwich is a popular cheap eat.
Drink
Auxerre is surprisingly quiet at night, but if you fancy some drinks and bumping music, head to the Place des Cordeliers in the centre, where you will find a couple of bars: Les Brimborions and Le Copacabana.
- Le Pub, 3 rue Camille Desmoulins. 5PM to late. A classic night out for the young (and even older) crowd but the atmosphere stays relaxed. The bar has a huge range of beer and is also specialised in rum. Can get crowded on the weekend
Sleep
There is a row of hotels, including some budget hotels, on a ring road on the outskirts of the city that is part of National Route 151. Part of the road is called Boulevard Vauban. The location is not bad as the city is small enough that a walk from that ring road to the old city and its sights is only a few minutes.
Go next
Trains run almost every hour to Dijon and Paris.
If driving toward Dijon, Vézelay and Avallon are worth a stop.