2 weeks in France-5-26 to 6/8/2022

2 Days in Troyes, France-6/5/2022 to 6/6/2022

 Day 1-Troyes, Old town-6/5/2022

Today we are going to Troyes to visit my brother Charlot and his wife Xinh in Troyes.  Troyes is located in the center North of France, on the Seine River and about 93 miles from South-East of Paris.

It is also the capital of the department of Aube and this area is known as the Champagne region of Northern France.

The top sights to see in Troyes is old town with romantic, narrow alleys lined by half-timbered buildings and Gothic churches with some of the best stained-glass windows in all of France. Troyes was an important commercial town during the Middle Ages as is reflected by the size of its historic houses and the high artistic value of its church windows. In recent years, Troyes has become famous for having some of the largest and best factory outlet shopping malls in France.

Grabbing breakfast before heading to the train station.

A typical French breakfast with croissants and coffee.

Gare de L'Est

Gare the L'Est entrance foyer.

Waiting for our train to arrive.

Troyes

We just arrived in Troyes and my brother Charlot and his wife Xinh are taking us to the Old town.

We are now entering the old town.

We are now in the old town, historic quarter of Troyes.

In medieval time, Troyes was an important trading town.  At the end of the 9th century, Troyes was the capital of the Province of Champagne until the Revolution of 1789

The old town is an amazing medieval city, with winding, narrow streets, and charming old buildings.

The best thing to do is to wander through the streets in the old town.

There was a great fire in 1524 that destroyed much of the city and burnt over 1000 houses to the ground. 

However, the towns folk of Troyes were wealthy and soon rebuilt the lost buildings in the contemporary Renaissance styles.

People eating outside on a nice day.

Pretty much all the seating on the streets are full of people.

The famous Ruelle des chats (Cat Alley).

La Ruelle des chats is a v very narrow alley, it gives an idea of ​​the cobbled medieval streets with a central channel for the flow of water. Rebuilt after the great fire of 1524 , the half-timbered and gravity defying houses widen in height. This alley owes its name to the fact that cats can jump from roof to roof as the distance is so narrow.

The facades touch from the top, and are held by wooden props. It was reconstructed after the Great Fire of 1524.

The stones along the base of the walls were designed to give pedestrians a place to stand when horses clattered by.

Quaint and narrow cobbled stones street.

Half timbered building.

There are a lot of plazas with outside tables overlooking the pretty streets in the old town.

Many half timbered houses (maisons a colombages in French) dating mostly from the late 15th to the early 19th centuries can be found throughout France.

Most of the half timbered houses in Troyes are from the 16th century after the devastating fire in 1524.

Pastel timbered houses on Rue Emile Zola

A dog looking out of the window on the right.

Place Alexandre Israel.

Street leading to Saint Nizier Church.

L'hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) of Troyes.

 The central façade has blue marble columns and a niche with a helmeted Minerva, which replaced a statue of Louis XIV that was destroyed during the French Revolution.

Rue de la Republique

NEXT.... Day 2-Troyes Cathedral