The central part of Troyes between the station and the cathedral is dotted with some lovely churches, of which 4 really stand out. The St Pantaléon on the rue Vauluisant, is a sumptuous church, almost like a museum of sculpture; the elegant Gothic Basilique St Urbain on place Vernier; the St Jean au Marché, between rues Emile Zola and Champeaux, historically important as the church where Henry V of England married Catherine of France, and Sainte Madeleine as indicated below.
Cathédrale St Pierre et St Paul.
This fine Gothic cathedral has 1500m² of stained glass dating from between the 13th to the 19th centuries. The Tower houses an interesting treasury.
Sainte Madeleine Church
This 12th century church, the oldest in the city, was considerably remodelled in the 16th century when the delicate stonework rood screen (jubé) – used to keep the priest separate from the congregation – was added; it’s one of the few remaining in France. Also worth viewing is the statue of St Martha, a typical example of Troyes 16th century art.
Rue de la Madeleine
Further Afield
The area of "Les Grandes Lacs" which lies to the east of Troyes is especially popular with the locals. This is a vast nature park containing the Forest of Orient and three huge lakes offering a whole range of water sports - swimming, sailing, canoeing, wind surfing, fishing and boat trips. Nature lovers can also hike, bike and horse ride in the Forest while some may prefer to drive to some of the beautiful old villages in this region. Several of these villages have medieval covered market buildings and unique half-timbered churches dating from the 14th century. Inside, beams are often decorated with monster faces reminding worshippers that the devil is always present, ready to swallow sinners!
There are many opportunities in Champagne-Ardenne region to travel through time with over 150 châteaux, manor houses and historical residences to visit.
At Cirey-sur-Blaise you can follow in the footsteps of the writer and philosopher Voltaire who wrote many of his works whilst living here.
La Motte-Tilly château, dating back to the 18th century, still bears witness to the grandeur of its former resident - the Marquise de Maillé.
With its impressive moat and turrets, the château de Montmort is well worth a visit – maybe in combination with a trip through the Côte des Blancs vineyards. Whilst the fortified château at Sedan is undoubtedly the most important fortress in Europe.
Epernay, south of Reims, is located in the heart of Champagne countryside surrounded by vineyards. Town itself is vibrant and prosperous with wide tree lined streets and several champagne houses including Moët & Chandon and Mercier. There is a Champagne Museum housed in the 19th century Château Perrier. Local markets are held in the Halle Saint-Thibault on Wednesday and Saturday, the Place Auban-Moët on Sunday, and in the Place Hugues Plomb on Tuesday and Thursday. In August the majority of the champagne houses close for the summer holidays.
On the river Marne is Châlons en Champagne, set among the fields. Its 12th century gothic Notre Dame en Vaux cathedral is impressive and the municipal museum has archaeology and sculpture from the 12th to the 15th centuries.
The Jard park was laid out in the 18th century on the banks of the Nau on former grazing land and is a good place for a picnic with the view of the Château d'Eau with its 16th century turret. South east, Saint Dizier has the romantic remains of a 13th Cistercian abbey.
Sézanne in the west of the area is an ancient town and an important market centre.
