France – Troyes (En)

Troyes is a town in the Grand Est region of northeastern France. It is a city with a great historical and cultural history which has many well-preserved medieval and renaissance buildings. Its medieval old town features narrow, cobbled streets lined with colourful, half-timbered houses, mostly dating from the 16th century.

We stayed at the motorhome area (48.310981, 4.097105 lat, long), a new area which opened last May, with grass and shade, electricity and facilities for filling and emptying water. 15 euros per day, located outside the city centre with a supermarket in the door. We really recommend it to visit Troyes one of our favorite cities in France.

We went walking with Asha to visit the city and the first thing we saw was the St Nizier Church. The present church dates from the 16th century and its square tower was completed around 1619. The remarkable roof of glazed tiles is reminiscent of the Burgundy style. The area surrounding the church was refurbished in 2001 as a pedestrian zone and three bronze statues were installed. Pretty impressive church.

Then we visit the Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul Cathedral, known as the Troyes Cathedral. It was built in the 9th century, but it was destroyed and rebuilt several times, due to different invasions, fires, hurricanes and even because of the unstable terrain. It has a Gothic style and is considered unfinished since it has only one tower. It has an organ that is almost 300 years old and is one of the largest in Europe.

The next thing we saw was the Hotel-Dieu-le-Comte, previously the general hospital, built in the 12th century. It was rebuilt in the 18th century and its garden is surrounded on three sides by buildings with beautiful classic facades, and is closed off by a magnificent Louis XV gate made in 1760 and listed as a historic monument.

After that, we were walking by the Canal du Trevois where we were able to see some of the city’s historic buildings and enjoy the statues that have been installed in recent years on the most important bridges that cross the canal. From the channel, we walked to the city centre where you will find the St Urbain Basilica, a Gothic church dedicated to St Urbano, the saint patron of the viticulturists. Built between the 13th and 15th centuries and famous for its impressive rose window and its high altar in the Italian Renaissance style.

The historic centre of Troyes is one of the most beautiful in France. We loved the old half-timbered houses and facades painted in different colours, making Troyes one of our favourite cities in France!

We also saw the Sainte-Madeleine Church, a 12th-century church that is perhaps the oldest in the city and one of the first examples of the Gothic style in the region. La Maison de l’Outil et de la Pensée Ouvrière is a one-of-a-kind museum, dedicated to the history of tools and the lives of manual workers through the centuries. The Museum Vauluisant is one of the rare stone buildings in the city dating from the middle of the 16th century, with a facade typical of Renaissance architecture. And Saint-Pantaleon Church, where after the revolution, 16th-century sculptures rescued were brought there, transforming it into a museum of Champagne religious statuary.

We finished our visit to Troyes in the Town Hall Square surrounded by bars and restaurants, colourful buildings and a carousel in the middle of the square.

We really recommend coming to see Troyes, it is magnificent, so after this great city we went to Saint Quentin, a city in northern France, which has been identified as the Augusta Veromanduorum of antiquity and which you can see in the next post!