Cities
If you fancy a day of culture, terraces, good food and shopping then there are nice, beautiful cities and towns in the area. Auxerre, Autun and Dijon, all about an hour’s drive away, are a bit bigger and offer nice museums, beautiful churches, fine terraces and good restaurants. Avallon, Saulieu, Vezelay and Semur-en-Auxois are slightly smaller and are all a maximum of 20-30 minutes’ drive away. Semur is a beautiful medieval town that is completely walled and Vezelay is really worth a visit because of the beautiful basilica (Unesco World Heritage) that stands here. Also worth a visit is the adbij of Fontenay about an hour’s drive from our house (good to combine with a visit to Semur).
Castles
You are in France and also in the Morvan there are plenty of castles to visit. Visit the Chateau de Bazoches where Vauban, the man our village is named after, has lived and worked, or Chateau de Chastellux. Chateau de Epoisses has nice grounds to visit, but we didn’t really think the tour was worth it, do you visit the village right? Don’t forget to stop by fromagerie Berthaut, where the famous Epoisses (cheese) comes from.
Markets
When you say France, you say markets. Of course, the same goes for the Morvan! On Sundays there is a small market with local producers from the area in Quarre-les-Tombes. There is also a large market in Avallon on Saturdays. We have included a (free) complete overview of all markets in the information folder that you receive from us when booking. Please note that most markets are only in the morning, so usually until 12:00. So get out of bed early!
Walking
Morvan is super green and therefore also super suitable for a wonderful walk. You can already take nice walks through the surroundings from our house. But if you take the car, there’s a whole walking world at your feet. In every village there is actually an information board with walks and the routes are always well signposted. We have some booklets/tickets with routes available in the cottage. Short and long, something for everyone. Be sure to bring a knapsack with provisions in low season, as the eateries are sparing along the way.
moutainbiking
Morvan is super green and therefore also super suitable for mountain biking. You can already make routes through the area from our house. But if you take the car, you can follow various routes from many places (Saint Brisson for example). In Saint Brisson there is also the possibility to rent bicycles (location vtt). Be sure to bring a knapsack with provisions in low season, as the eateries are sparing along the way.
Swimming
The Morvan is rich in lakes, but you can’t swim everywhere because they are reservoirs. Nearest swimming lake is Lac de Saint Agnan, a 10-15 minute drive away. The water is quite clear, it is useful to bring water shoes. For (small) children, the Lac de Settons, a 50-minute drive away, is really ideal. There are some wider beaches and the lake is gradually degrading. There is also a kind of beach bar and aquapark. By Morvan terms quite touristy, but not comparable to the French south coast :-). Another option is Lac de Chaumeçon or a small river (the Serein) near Angely. All lakes are good for canoeing, at Lac de Settons you can rent them, at Lac Saint-Agnan there are no possibilities for this. We haven’t been to the last two. In Epoisses there is an open air swimming pool that is open in July and August and Avallon has an indoor swimming pool renovated in 2020 that is open all year round. Overview of all swimming locations in the Yonne can be found here.
other activities
In addition to the above activities, you can still go horse riding, canoeing, rafting, climbing, etc: it is all possible nearby. In the information folder, which you receive with your booking, we have collected a lot of information. But if you are looking for an active holiday, then you have definitely come to the right place! Are you a child on vacation? Nearby is a beautiful zoo with swimming pools that we hear many enthusiastic stories about, a climbing forest and an Ecomuseum focused on the Middle Ages (suitable from upper primary school). So no one has to get bored!
Winegrowers
About a 20-minute drive from our house, the wine region around Avallon and Vezelay begins. There you can enjoy delicious white and red wines. An hour’s drive away, you can also score fine wines near Tonnerre or Auxerre (Irancy, Vermenton). Nice to taste and buy. Prices in these regions are approximately between 10 and 20 euros per bottle. It is less touristy here than at Beaune or Chalon-sur-Saone nearby, the tastings are therefore often free, but you are expected to leave with a few bottles. In the house are tickets from various winegrowers with which we have filled all our wine cellar ourselves.
Restaurants
In our village Saint-Léger-Vauban there is a pub and shop annex restaurant that is open almost every day for lunch and dinner in high season. It is small, so reservation is recommended. In the area there are several restaurants, we have tickets from the restaurants we have been to ourselves. We also collected some tips in the information folder.
Links
Of course, there is plenty of information about the Morvan on the internet. But we make it easy for you, we have already made a small selection which might be interesting for you.