Un bijou caché. A hidden jewel of a French town. Can there be any of these left, in a small country with over 100 million visitors a year? Yes, if you know where to look—and the gorgeous countryside of La Bourgogne is a great place to start.
The Recent Unpleasantness (the southern euphemism for any major disaster) in France may have made you re-think your travel plans. Everyone here is of course sad, angry, and frustrated with what seems to be a situation without a solution (and the problem is not unique to France). But if you’re traveling, you should be aware that these particular protests and riots are an urban thing, not a rural one, at least for the moment. So it’s a great time to exit the autoroute and discover la France profonde.
Here’s a bijou caché to start with: the city of Autun. We went for the day recently with friends to check out a great antique store—which was closed when we arrived (“fermature exceptionelle”). But there was the town to visit, which wowed us, and of course there was Lunch.
We weren’t really prepared for a proper tour of Autun, we just strolled and then visited its centerpiece, Le Cathédrale de Saint Lazare (who is said to be the brother of Mary Magdalene, and friend of Jesus), built in 1125. It was built as a stop on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, and to house relics of the saint. We also saw the impressive Roman gates, but we will have to go back to see the Roman theatre.
Lunch was a find—a fanciful fish restaurant in land-locked Autun, with the amusing name of Le Monde de Don Cabillaud (The World of Don Cod).
If by chance you are ditching Paris for la campagne, the route between Paris and Beaune dazzles with these glowing jewels, which are blessedly quiet even in the crazy European vacation season. Your first stop will be no doubt be Vézulay, but it’s quite famous and doesn’t fall into the bijou caché category. For that I recommend Semur-en-Auxois, Flavigny sur Ozerain, Auxerre, Chateauneuf-en-Auxois, and our recent destination, Autun. And don’t miss the lovely Abbey de Fontenay, nearby. Here is a little map with a proposed route. Bon voyage!
Favorite READS: Loyal reader Chris likes The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. And our own French book critic, Natalia, loves Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture—challenging because she’s reading it in French, but she says it’s worth it.
And speaking of reading in French, I mentioned that a fried suggested YA novels, for easier reading. He’s loaned me a series, by Annie Jay, the first one is called Complot à Versailles. Not as easy for me as I hoped, but it’s an engaging read.
8 thoughts on “Secret Jewels That Shine All Year”
Hey Lynn,
Do you know this is the town I grew up in?? I went to the Lycee Bonaparte which is a High School now but when I grew up it would go from Elementary to High School so I studied there more than 10 years!.
Also the town is famous for Napoleon and his brother who went to school there for a few months hence the name. Talleyrand who lived a long time there, was also bishop or Archbishop of Autun and a minister of Napoleon.
The town is also famous for its Roman ruins that are very well preserved.
Maybe it is a jewel now but at the time in the 50s and 60s there was no swimming pool so it was a pretty boring town.
Vezelay is a charming town also as the start of the Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle.
Very happy to see Autun featured in your blog. We went there last time we were in Burgundy and we saw most of the places you mentioned including the Roman ruins. We also shopped Emmaus which is located in the town on Charles de Gaulle Avenue. It is indeed a treasure!
Great post, Lynn! I’m so glad you encouraged people to look beyond the problems in the cities. It is such a beautiful country! We just spent 16 days in the South, driving just 3 hours from our home in Burgundy, in various places in Provence from the mountains to the coast. We left the day the riots began and never saw any sign of trouble. Though we live in France 6 months of the year and go to the south multiple times a year everything on this trip was new and fresh and extremely exciting. If we had traveled half way around the world to do these things we would have been thrilled. France never fails to amaze and I can say this after 25 years as a part time resident.
On our first family trip (with younger two sons) to France in 1998, we stopped in Semur-en-Auxois and greatly admired the stained glass windows in the cathedral. At the end of that trip on the way to the airport, we made a stop for a bite to eat and our car was broken into and three backpacks stolen–said backpacks having included all the exposed film from five weeks of exploring. Since then, we have returned to Semur-en-Auxois twice to again see and capture on film (or phone) those stained glass windows. Alas, each time, the church has been inaccessible–once for a wedding party and once for a funeral. On one of those occasions, we stopped nearby and I enjoyed an extraordinary Crepe Suzette. It was memorable. I highly recommend the windows which depict local trades. They are really special.
Our dear Lynn,
ALL of your posts are wonderful,but today’s,with those gorgeous pictures and your super descriptive commentary,is absolutely fabulous!! Bijou cache,(understatement!);ones that just capture our imaginations!! Oh my gosh!! And especially appreciated by us ( now )arm chair travelers,drooling with both eye candy pour nos yeux et! aussi, for the MIAM!!! factors! THANK YOU!!!
My book suggestion is a biography,Bridgitte Bardot,Icon of a Century,by David Bret.I got more interested in her life after reading about her in another book suggestion of mine,A History of France in 21 Women,and realized what a more complex life she led than I had thought.This is interesting and entertaining.
Wonderful photos of this charming city, Lynn! Your suggestion to get out in the countryside is a good one – I’ve been wondering what things are like outside of Paris during the recent troubles.
It’s been a beautiful October on St. Simons – and no hurricanes! – but politics is roiling the country. Hopefully midterms will bring some sanity and lower the temperature.
Till we meet again, my best to you and Ron. You’re always missed. xoxo
There is so much joy and beauty to be found in rural France and I highly recommend a hike from village to village, staying in small hotels and inns, sometimes the homes of locals. Use a company that will help you with one of these “walking holidays”, booking your lodging and moving your luggage each day. I always take the self-guided hikes. Last summer my little band of hikers went to the Dordogne region to hike and what a most enjoyable time we all had. Our circular hike began and ended in Sarlat – we took a day off trail in Beynac to canoe the Dordogne River. I always add an extra day at the beginning and the end of the trip to relax from a long flight, explore and shop! There’s so much to experience all over France without finding yourself caught up in the middle of a riot!