Car Hire Avallon - Mini guide to Avallon

Avallon, 52kms south of Auxerre, is best known for its exemplary cuisine and is also a place of historical interest. The town is set behind its ancient ramparts, where you can take a leisurely stroll and enjoy the medieval atmosphere that still lingers throughout the streets.

Avallon is the home of some noteworthy architecture, and at the town gate on Grande Rue Aristide-Briand is a clock tower that dates back to 1460. The 12th century Romanesque Eglise St-Lazare is said to have been the recipient of the head of St. Lazarus in 1000, thus making Avallon a pilgrimage sight.

Take some time just to stroll around the town’s quiet, shaded avenues. Many of the town’s occupied houses date back to the 15th and 16th centuries. You’ll find cafes and restaurants along the way, where you can stop for a coffee.

Avallon is renowned for its delicious food and quality restaurants. Les Capucins, on 89200 Rue Avallon, is probably the town’s best eatery. The chef is revered all over the city for his unique and fabulous dishes.

A great day trip from Avallon would be a trek six miles east to the hamlet of Vézelay – There you will find the quintessential Romanesque church. Start at the foot of the village and climb the cobblestone main street to the church. L'Espérance, at the base of the hill, on St-Père-sous-Vezelay, is said to be one of the best restaurants in the world.

You can arrive by air in Paris, and drive the remaining part of the journey. Easily accessible from Paris by car, Avallon is reached by travelling south along the A6 to Auxerre; from Auxerre, take the N6 south to Avallon. Ten trains arrive daily from Paris, and eight from Dijon daily. Buses run from the railway junction of Montbard (a stop on the TGV lines from Paris' Gare de Lyon) for Avallon.