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Voykit pocket guide · France
Avallon
Give Avallon one full day for the walled town, then add nights only for nearby trips: Vézelay is 17 km east, the Morvan and Arcy-sur-Cure need a car.
Avallon is a small Burgundy town on a granite outcrop at the northern gate of the Morvan Regional Natural Park, about 7,200 people inside the walls. Its draw is compact: a surviving stretch of rampart and gates, a 49 m bell tower from 1456, the church of Saint-Lazare with its Lazarus relic, and half-timbered lanes that are pedestrian-only. It works as a single overnight on the A6 corridor between Paris and Beaune, or as a two-night base for Vézelay, the Morvan and the caves at Arcy-sur-Cure. It is not a destination you build a week around.
- Country
- France
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (cold, many places shut), mid-August
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Contactless cards work in most shops, cafés and restaurants.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €100–150 excl. bed · High €180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Orange, SFR, Bouygues Télécom and Free sell prepaid SIMs in their shops and at tabacs; ID is required to register.
- Emergency
- European emergency number 112 · Ambulance (SAMU) 15 · Police 17 · Fire 18 · By text, for deaf callers 114
- Plugs
- Types C, E · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; type E sockets have an earth pin sticking out, so Schuko (type F) plugs need a C/E hybrid or an adapter.
- Tipping
- Café or bar: Leave small change, €0.20–1.; Restaurant: Service is included; leave 5–10% in cash for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro or two.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day, more for private guides.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere unless signed otherwise. Restaurants must serve a free carafe of tap water on request.
- Toilets
- Paris has free automatic public toilets (sanisettes); elsewhere use cafés (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €0.50–1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or a café crème | €1.50–3 |
| Light lunch with a glass of wine | €15–20 |
| Menu du jour, mid-range restaurant | €18–28 |
| Glass of Burgundy in a bar | €5–9 |
| Museum entry (costume museum, glass workshop) | €4–5 |
| Avallonnais museum | Free |
| Taxi, short hop in town | €10–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CDG · Paris Charles de Gaulle
- TGV or TER via Paris; about 3 h by car on the A6, exits 21–22
- ORY · Paris Orly
- Reach Paris by shuttle, then rail south; check connections
Typical fares
- Free shuttle, centre loop
- free, Wed 14:00–19:00 and Sat 09:00–12:45, about 25 min per loopfree, Wed 2:00 PM–7:00 PM and Sat 9:00 AM–12:45 PM, about 25 min per loop
- Avallon → Vézelay by taxi
- about €30–40, 30 min (check)
- TER Avallon → Auxerre
- about €10–12, roughly 1 h (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The historic centre is largely pedestrian, so you walk it: church, bell tower, ramparts and museums sit within about 15 minutes of each other. A free shuttle runs Wednesday 14:00–19:00 and Saturday 09:00–12:45 from Place des Odebert, with two loops of about 25 minutes each (centre–station–La Morlande and centre–Les Chaumes–Cousin). For Vézelay, the Morvan and Arcy-sur-Cure you need a car, a taxi or a seasonal bus; check current timetables locally.The historic centre is largely pedestrian, so you walk it: church, bell tower, ramparts and museums sit within about 15 minutes of each other. A free shuttle runs Wednesday 2:00 PM–7:00 PM and Saturday 9:00 AM–12:45 PM from Place des Odebert, with two loops of about 25 minutes each (centre–station–La Morlande and centre–Les Chaumes–Cousin). For Vézelay, the Morvan and Arcy-sur-Cure you need a car, a taxi or a seasonal bus; check current timetables locally.
See and do
Known for
- Ramparts, gates and the 1456 bell tower
- Saint-Lazare church and its Lazarus relic
- Northern gateway to the Morvan Regional Natural Park
- Vézelay, 17 km east
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Vézelay | Car or taxi east; 17 km (11 mi) from Avallon (route and time check)Car or taxi east; 11 mi (17 km) from Avallon (route and time check) | About 30 min by car (check) |
| Arcy-sur-Cure caves | Car north toward Auxerre, about 21 km (13 mi) (route check)Car north toward Auxerre, about 13 mi (21 km) (route check) | About 30 min by car (check) |
| Morvan Regional Natural Park | Car south; Avallon is the park's biggest town, trailheads beyond it (access time check) | Check |
| Auxerre | Car on the A6/D606, or the St Marc coach that links Auxerre and Dijon through Avallon | About 50 min by car (check) |
| Chablis | Car north-east, about 40 km (25 mi) (check)Car north-east, about 25 mi (40 km) (check) | About 45 min by car (check) |
Sleep
- Old town (inside the walls)
- Place Vauban and Grande Rue Aristide Briand: walk to everything, few rooms, book ahead.
- Rue de Paris / station side
- Hotels near the SNCF station and the A6 approach; walk time to the centre check.
- Pontaubert and the Cousin valley
- About 4 km (2.5 mi) west; quiet riverside stays if you have a car.About 2.5 mi (4 km) west; quiet riverside stays if you have a car.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Good day | Bonjourbon-ZHOOR |
| Thank you | Mercimair-SEE |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-SYON seel voo PLEH |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ?par-lay VOO on-GLEH |
| I would like a table for two | Je voudrais une table pour deuxzhuh voo-DREH ewn TAH-bluh poor DUH |
| Where is the station? | Où est la gare ?oo eh la GAR |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say 'bonjour madame/monsieur' on entering any shop, bus or office; avoid: Asking a question before saying bonjour — it is read as rude
- Cheek kisses (la bise): Follow the other person's lead; one to four kisses depending on region; avoid: Initiating la bise with strangers or in business
- Addressing people: Use 'vous' and titles until invited otherwise; avoid: First names and 'tu' with older people or staff
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated in restaurants; call the waiter 'monsieur' or 'madame'; avoid: 'Garçon', snapping fingers, asking for the bill before you are finished
- Conversation: Debate is a pleasure; food, politics and philosophy are fair game; avoid: Asking about salary or religion; loud voices on trains
- Dinner at a home: Bring flowers (not chrysanthemums), chocolates or a good bottle; arrive 10–15 minutes late; avoid: Cutting the tip off a cheese wedge or asking for ketchup
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders in churches; avoid: Beachwear in town centres
Scams and watch-outs
- Rail service is regional (TER) and thin: check times before you plan a day around a train.
- Many restaurants and the costume museum keep short hours and close one or two days a week; check before walking over.
- The tourist office is closed Sunday and Monday.
- Countryside buses are school-oriented and may not run in July and August.
A quiet small town; watch uneven cobbles and steps in the old lanes, and take a torch for the ramparts after dinner. Standard French emergency numbers apply.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Avallon yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Ramparts, gates and the 1456 bell tower
- Saint-Lazare church and its Lazarus relic
- Northern gateway to the Morvan Regional Natural Park
- Vézelay, 17 km east
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Avallon tourist office: www.avallon-tourisme.com/
- Ville d'Avallon: www.ville-avallon.fr/
- SNCF Connect (TER Bourgogne-Franche-Comté): www.sncf-connect.com/
- Morvan Regional Natural Park: www.parcdumorvan.org/
- Wikivoyage: Avallon, revision 5053294 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5053294
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Avallon
À cette adresse, s'il vous plaît
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Avallon; the US, UK, Canadian, Australian, Irish and New Zealand embassies are in Paris. For police matters, the gendarmerie is at 2 avenue Victor Hugo (check hours).
Tipping: service is included by law, so round up or leave 5–10% for good service.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/avallon). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.