During my trip to France last month I stopped at the city of Troyes which is located in the centre north of France, on the Seine river and at about 150 km south-east of Paris. It’s also the capital of the department of Aube and this area is known as the Champagne region of Northern France.
The city is famous for its old town, stained glass, sausages (andouillettes), knitwear industry and factory shops.
Troyes history!
Troyes has a long history starting from the Roman area. In medieval time, it was an important trading town.
At the end of the ninth century, Troyes was the capital of the Province of Champagne until the Revolution.
In the centre of the city is the “Old Troyes” with many half-timbered houses (mainly of the 16th century) which survived over centuries.
Not having suffered from the last wars, Troyes has a high density of old religious buildings grouped close to the city centre and for most of them classified as Monument Historique.
– Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul Cathedral
– Saint-Nizier Church, in Gothic and Renaissance style, with remarkable sculptures.
– The Gothic Saint-Urbain Basilica (thirteenth century).
– Sainte-Madeleine Church. Very early Gothic, with east end rebuilt around 1500.
– Saint-Jean-au-Marché Church, with a Renaissance chancel.
– The Gothic Saint-Nicolas Church, dating to the beginning of the sixteenth century.
– Saint-Pantaléon Church, with numerous statuary from the sixteenth century.
– Saint Remy Church.
– Church of Saint-Martin-ès-Vignes.
Saint-Urbain Basilica:
Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul Cathedral:
Saint-Jean-au-Marché Church:
There are also several museums.
For more information, visit the tourism office website of Troyes: https://en.tourisme-troyes.com/
Shopping!
If you are visiting Troyes by car and if you are a fashion or clothes addict, then you have to visit Troyes Designer Outlet which is the first of McArthurGlen’s discount outlet malls in France.
It’s not surprising that McArthurGlen chose this city as the location for their designer outlet as Troyes’ association with textile manufacture and knitting go back to the 12th century. The Marque Avenue and Marques City outlets are also located in the area.
You’ll find more than 100 top fashion stores, including Armani, Guess, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Kenzo, Lancel, Polo Ralph Lauren, Daniel Hechter, Desigual, Lacoste, … but also Asics, Converse, Columbia, Salomon, New Balance, Nike and many more.
There are 7 restaurants and a very big and free parking place which is surrounded by all those shops.
Prices are very interesting, especially during the summer or winter sales. You will get very good deals.
For more information: https://www.mcarthurglen.com/en/outlets/fr/designer-outlet-troyes/
(Use Ctrl + scroll or CMD + scroll to zoom the map)
Where to stay?
There are lots of hotels and you can find very good deals here. But my choice went to the 4-star “Hôtel Relais St Jean” located directly in the old town, on a walking street.
Booking.com
They have a private underground parking place (10 € per 24 hours) on a parallel street with direct access to the reception. It’s very convenient and safe for your car.
The hotel was very nice and quiet. After our checking the receptionist gave us a map of the old town and showed us the interesting places to visit.
We booked a comfort room which was on the second floor and on the street side. It was very calm and because of the double windows, we didn’t listen to any noise at all.
Inside the room, there was air-conditioning, an LCD TV, a minibar, a kettle with tea and coffee facilities, a safe, a small bathroom with a shower inside a bathtub and a separate toilet.
There was free Wi-Fi but in the evening and from the bedroom it was very slow and often disconnecting.
The breakfast which is not included in the price of the room (15 € per person) was excellent. There was a buffet with a large choice of fresh and quality food. Bio orange and apple juices, hams, dry and fresh fruits, fresh pastries, yoghurts, several types of jams, cheeses, cereals, fresh traditional bread and on-demand eggs (fried, omelette, scrambled or boiled).
You can even get your breakfast in your room without any extra.
The hotel doesn’t have a restaurant but it’s not a problem, just walk outside, there are a lot.
There was a very cosy bar just in front of the reception and the hotel also has a Jacuzzi, a relaxation room and a library and a fitness room but we didn’t have time to visit them.
