Châtillon-sur-Seine

Châtillon-sur-Seine is in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Châtillon has the label ville fleurie (city of flowers) at the "two flowers" level (out of four). It has also been named one of the "most beautiful detours in France". In addition to the advantages of the city, the churches of the 12th century, the charm of nearby villages as "la route du crémant" winds through the vineyards of the Châtillonnais North with two local museums vines and wine in Chaumont-le-Bois and Massingy.

Understand

Châtillon is in the heart of a region rich in archeology (Celtic civilization of Mont Lassois, Gallo-Roman period of Vertillum, vestiges of numerous abbeys and castles).

Get in

By car

The city is at the heart of a major road junction and benefits from its proximity to the A5 and A6 motorways. It is:

• 234 km from Paris (2 hr 45 min)
• 83 km from Dijon (1 hr 15 min) and 68 km from Troyes (1 hr) by the RD 971
• 58 km from Chaumont (1 hr), 83 km from Auxerre (1 hr 15 min) and 49 km from Tonnerre (Yonne) (40 min) by the RD 965
• 75 km from Langres (1 hr) via the RD 928
• 33 km from Montbard (30 min) by the RD 980

By train

Mobigo provides shuttles from train stations in Dijon, Montbard and Troyes. You can arrive from Paris in 1 hour 50 minutes by the Montbard TGV station and the Châtillon-sur-Seine - Montbard bus.

By plane

The closest airports are those of Auxerre-Branches at 78 km and Dijon Bourgogne-Longvic at 79 km. The Châtillon-sur-Seine aerodrome is on the edge of the city of Châtillon and is used by the Aéroclub du Châtillonnais.

See

Musée du Pays Châtillonnais

• 1 Musée du Pays Châtillonnais, 14 rue de la Liberation, ☏ +33 3 80 91 24 67. The museum houses a collection of artefacts discovered in the region, including the famous Vix crater and the complete furnishings of a chariot tomb from the First Iron Age era. (updated Aug 2021)

The churches of Saint-Vorles, Saint-Nicolas and Saint-Pierre are classified as historical monuments, as are the building of the current municipal library, the Philandrier house, the menhir of Châtillon - in the park of the town hall - and the ruins of the castle the Dukes of Burgundy (12th century), in which is a cemetery. Sixteen other monuments are listed in the inventory.

Among the most emblematic places are:

• the Chateau Marmont (holiday house of Master Achilles descendants, great personality of Châtillon the 19th century).

Saint Vorles church overlooking the Seine

• 2 Saint Vorles church (Eglise Saint-Vorles), rue Saint Vorles (on a hill overlooking the town). The church dates from the 10th and 12th centuries. It is the original location of the city, occupied since Antiquity.  
• Not far away are the ruins of the castle of the Dukes of Burgundy. It has a remarkable entombment T14 and in its crypt oratory dated 4th century L24.
• the source of the Douix (at the foot of a cliff). A karst exsurgence and a place of worship since Celtic times where the divinity Divona was honoured in particular. 
• 3 Church of St. Nicolas, rue Saint-Nicolas. Built at the end of 12th century, it has remarkable classified windows and a statue.  
• 4 Abbey of Notre-Dame. Dating from the 12th century whose convent buildings house the new museum; the old abbey, today the church of Saint-Pierre , is still used for worship.  
• the Hôtel Philandrier, a Renaissance-style mansion, which housed the old archaeological museum before welcoming the tourist office; this mansion was never inhabited by Guillaume Philandrier who lived several centuries before its construction;
• 5 Saint-Jean-Baptiste church. Built in the early 17th century.  
• 6 Cordeliers convent (Couvent des Cordeliers), avenue Edouard-Herriot. It was rebuilt in 1630, butvretains an older cloister. It is there that the main headquarters of General Joffre is held during the first battle of the Marne.  
• 7 Congress hotel (Hôtel du Congrès), mansion of the 17th century that hosted the Congress of Chatillon;. A mansion of the 17th century that hosted the Congress of Chatillon. It is a private residence.  
• the war memorial of 1914-1918 by sculptor Raoul Josset.

Remains of walls unified and strengthened in the 17th century still exist in some places:

• in the district of Bourg, the Porte Dijonnaise which gave access to the road to Dijon is private property as well as the Tour Saint-Christophe (or Tour Royale), a bastion with its watchtower remains at the corner of the clos Lanson and a watchtower from the 17th century to the end of the street south of Bourg-to-Mont;
• in the Chaumont district, the Cérilly tower, transformed around 1790 into a dwelling, is private property.
• 8 Petit-Haut bastion and its watchtower (Chaumont district). Also private property.  
• There remains a section of the wall of the Porte Saint-Antoine with the niche of a statue destroyed in 1884, the remains of bastions included in the properties of the rue Marmont and a horseshoe tower in the park of the castle.

Also to see:

• Chapelle Saint-Thibault (from roads Montbard and Dijon, at the southern exit of the town). Vestige of a Commandery Knights Templar of the 12th century passed to the Hospitallers after 1312. 
• in the Ursulines district, several arches, vestiges of the old school of Châtillon, victim of a fire in 1992. This establishment, which dates from the Middle Ages, has been associated with a hospital since 1670 by Father Guiotte. If the hospital was transferred to the former Notre-Dame abbey in 1806, the school remained on this site until 1970.
• 9 Château de Vannaire, Impasse du Château (in the village of Vannaire, 7.5 km north of Châtillon, off the D971 Highway). A 15th-century fortified house, this chateau welcomes many visitors to its large rooms overlooking 2 hectares of the park and offers many nearby activities. Free wi-fi is available. 

Do

• 1 La Combe du Grand Prieur. A natural area of ​​ecological, faunistic and floristic interest. Its forest is one of the largest state forests in Burgundy with 8,875 ha, and is part of the second largest French national park and the after the Parc amazonien de Guyane in French Guiana. (updated Aug 2021)

Festivals and events

• 2 Tape chaudron. Each year, the 3rd Saturday of March, the city organizes a kind of local carnival during which a parade of floats accompanied residents banging on pots. This tradition dates back to the 5th century; it was intended to chase away the winter. The villagers took to the streets in “doggy” clothes: long nightgowns and nightcaps. The sound of the cauldrons was supposed to drive out winter.  
• The Estival of the “Compagnie des Gens” (summer festival). For 5 weeks between the last week of June and the premiere of August, the Compagnie des Gens theater troupe has been offering a new artistic creation mixing professional actors and volunteers, in the green setting of the Kiki room in Montparnasse.
• First weekend of June: patronal feast of Saint-Vorles followed by “Châtillonnaises Days” dedicated to crafts and local breeding on the esplanade of Cours Labbé.
• Third weekend in June: fun fair;
• Last week of August: musical week of Saint-Vorles and Châtillonnais; Miss Côte d'Or elections.

Eat

Sixteen restaurants are listed on the territory of the municipality.

Sleep

Four hotels with a total capacity of around 70 rooms are listed on the territory of the municipality.