In a country full of picturesque villages, Noyers-sur-Serein is one of our favorites. Located in Burgundian farm country, it’s classed as one of the most beautiful villages in France and referred to as ‘La Cite Medieval’. And that it is! While many picturesque villages have responded to the tourist trade by doing up exteriors and painting in all sorts of appealing colors, Noyers looks like it’s in a time warp and just stepped out of the Middle Ages. Stone gates, city towers, sagging timber frame buildings, all with a look of decrepitude that harks of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Lying in a bend of the Serein river, the town was once an important stop on the salt and wine trade route. It also had a major castle with 23 towers overlooking it which was destroyed on the orders of Henri IV during the religious wars. A bit off the beaten track and below the radar, a busy day in Noyers may see 8-10 tourists just wandering its quiet streets while at night you’d be forgiven for believing you had stepped back in time under the yellow glow of the town’s streetlamps. We’ve been lucky enough to find a renovated home with private courtyard parking right on the church square to rent while visiting. The ringing of the church bells right through the night adds to the impression of a place out of time, but I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. More on other attractions in the area in my next post.
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