The beautiful, red-roofed medieval town of Semur-en-Auxois stands on a pink granite plateau in the department of Côte-d'Or, between Montbard and Saulieu, within a bend in the Armançon. With a rich heritage and history, the town has a conservation area that's a particularly nice place for an outing. Whether you take a self-guided or guided tour, the historic centre of Semur-en-Auxois welcomes you for a journey through time. Step through one of the fortified doors that used to protect the city in order to take a stroll along the picturesque streets and pretty squares dotted with mansions and half-timbered houses.
First stop: the keep with four towers, including the most imposing one, the Orle d'Or tower. It stands 44 metres tall and has 5 floors that are open to visitors, comprising a museum, a library, a technological collection and a conference room.
Then head to the Collegiate Church of Our Lady, built in the 13th and 14th centuries and restored by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century. Decorated with surprising little gargoyles, this Burgundian Flamboyant Gothic gem houses a painted altarpiece from the 16th century depicting the Tree of Jesse, some beautiful old stained glass windows with illustrations of the butchers' and drapers' corporations, a polychrome statue of the Entombment from the 15th century, and a pipe organ from the 18th century.
Located in the former 17th-century Jacobins' convent, Semur-en-Auxois' municipal museum houses archaeological, geological, natural history and Fine Art collections.
Other sights to see are the pleasant walk along the ramparts which overlooks the Armançon Valley, as well as the Joly and Pinard bridges, offering lovely views of the medieval town!
