Discover Vitteaux

Vitteaux offers several concrete ways to plan a stay: historic buildings, archaeological traces, marked trails and recurring events. Depending on your interests, you can get to know the town through its architectural history, a hike, viewpoints or a festival. The following topics give you an overview of the destination’s different facets.

Historic buildings and archaeological traces

The covered market halls of Vitteaux were listed as a Monument historique by decree on 28 February 1964. Nine monuments in Vitteaux are listed as Monuments historiques. The Église Saint-Germain also reflects the town’s architectural history: it was founded in the 11th century and rebuilt in 1180. Its twisted bell tower is a distinctive architectural feature. The church also houses an altarpiece painted by Nicolas de Hoey in 1592. One building therefore lets you distinguish chronologically between its foundation, rebuilding and a later work of art.

The Chapelle de la Trinité was also built in 1592, on the banks of the Brenne in ruelle Ferrand. Here, the same year marks a different event from the one associated with the altarpiece: the construction of the chapel. The named buildings can therefore be distinguished not only by their dates, but also by their histories and locations.

Camp de Myard bears witness to significant human settlement from the 4th to the 9th millennium BC. Visible remains include a fortification with five towers. The site has been listed as a Monument historique since 22 January 2004. The period of settlement, the visible remains and the date of listing offer different ways to explore the site.

Trails, viewpoints and a nighttime artwork

The marked walking and hiking trails in Vitteaux take you through the local natural surroundings and landscape, with viewpoints overlooking the town. One option with a specified distance is the Circuit de Myard: this easy hiking trail is eight kilometres long and starts and finishes in Vitteaux. Its length, difficulty rating, start and finish points provide concrete details to help you choose a route.

A different experience is offered by Christian Boltanski’s nighttime shadow-and-light artwork. It disappears during the day and appears at nightfall along ruelle Ferrand, behind the tourist office, by the Brenne and on rue Portelle. The time of day is part of the work’s distinctive character: it appears differently between daylight and darkness.

Festivals and horse racing

At the annual Fête de la brioche, more than 1,000 brioches are baked in a large oven in front of visitors. The quantity and the fact that visitors can watch them being made make the baking itself an essential part of the festival.

Two major horse-racing events are held each year at the Hippodrome de Vitteaux. Each event features nine harness or flat races on a track approximately 1,200 metres long. The number of annual events, the types of races and the approximate track length give visitors concrete details about the programme. If you would like to plan your trip around a festival or race meeting, check the dates before making your plans.

Discover more destinations: Boncourt-le-Bois, Pont Royal, Corcelles-Les-Arts, Curtil-Vergy, Villeferry, Échevronne, Magny-lès-Aubigny, Saint-Apollinaire

For the wider travel overview: Cote-Dor.