A near-perfectly preserved 14th-century town wrapped in a lazy meander of the Serein river — half-timbered houses, 19 defense towers, an arcaded market square, and Chablis vineyards close enough for a proper splurge dinner.
Noyers-sur-Serein is one of France's officially ranked "Plus Beaux Villages" — and unlike some that trade on a single postcard street, this one is a genuinely intact medieval town. The Serein river loops almost all the way around it, 19 (partially ruined, partially intact) defense towers still punctuate the old ramparts, and the streets are lined with leaning, carved half-timbered houses, pinnacles and stone colonnettes on every façade. It's a living village — free to wander at any hour — with a gothic church (Notre-Dame, built 1491–1515), hidden art galleries behind old wooden gateway doors, and wine cellars tucked into the hillside recalling its history as a viticulture town. Chablis itself is a 25–30 minute drive away for the splurge dinner, and the Auxerre Supercharger sits right on the A6 route in, so the whole trip is comfortably within range even accounting for real-world (not WLTP) numbers on a 97% SOH Model Y Premium.
Head south on the A6 toward Auxerre, then cut east via the Nitry exit onto the D956/D49 into Noyers — the last stretch is small departmental roads through open Burgundy farmland, about 10 km from the A6 to the village itself. A Model Y Premium at 97% SOH realistically has 330–370 km of usable range, so 210 km one-way is comfortably a single-charge drive with no stop required. If you'd rather arrive with extra cushion for the Chablis dinner run and the way home, a 15–20 minute optional top-up is available: the Auxerre Supercharger is at Appoigny, just off the A6 — a large 30+ stall V4 site that opened in 2024, directly on the route in.
Arrive early afternoon and spend the rest of the day on foot: walk the ramparts circuit to see the surviving defense towers, follow the half-timbered houses along the Serein, duck through the old wooden gateway doors into small art galleries, and see the gothic Notre-Dame church. The old town itself is completely free to explore — it's a living village, not a paid heritage site. The one small paid attraction is the Musée des Arts Naïfs et Populaires, a modest folk-art museum, if you want an hour indoors.
Morning: walk or bike out past the Porte Peinte, cross the bridge, and follow the riverside path (~800m/15 minutes) to the Aire de Noyers-sur-Serein — a simple riverside recreation area with picnic tables, a barbecue spot, and a stretch of the Serein calm enough for a casual dip (bring water shoes, it's a natural riverbed, not a supervised beach). If you want a proper supervised swimming spot instead, Vermenton's leisure area is about 25 minutes away and open July–August.
Afternoon: drive to Chablis (~25–30 min) to walk the vineyards and have the one splurge meal — Les Trois Bourgeons, a Bib Gourmand address known for Burgundy classics: escargots à la bourguignonne, œuf en meurette, and boeuf bourguignon (joue de bœuf) around €21, with lunch menus at €23–28. If you'd rather eat back in Noyers, look for gougères (the cheese choux pastry invented locally in Flogny-la-Chapelle) and Soumaintrain, the washed-rind IGP cheese of the Yonne, at a village épicerie or the truffle-season market if your dates land right.
Evening: second night at the same free Pré de l'Échelle spot (or the municipal aire if you arrived in time to get the key). Early departure Monday, retracing the route via Auxerre with a top-up charge if needed before the run back to Meudon.
The D49/D956 approach roads and the flat valley around Noyers are easy, low-traffic riding — good for an evening spin once you've parked up. The wider Yonne network includes the long-distance Tour de Bourgogne à Vélo route and the GRP Restif de la Bretonne waymarked path, both passing through the region, so there's scope for a proper half-day loop if you want more than a village amble. Bike loaded inside per the Car Camping & Bike Guide — no rack, no range penalty.
| Category | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tolls (A6 péage, round trip) | ≈ €20–25 |
| Charging (Auxerre Supercharger, partial top-up x2) | ≈ €8–12 |
| Lodging (free Pré de l'Échelle, or municipal aire fallback ~€12–16/night) | €0–32 |
| Musée des Arts Naïfs et Populaires (optional) | ≈ €4–5 |
| Splurge dinner in Chablis (Les Trois Bourgeons, set menu) | ≈ €23–28 |
| Food (self-cooked, rest of trip) | ≈ €15–20 |
| Total | €65–100 |