A fortified medieval town wrapped almost entirely by a hairpin bend of the Armançon river, four 13th-century towers on a granite spur, free streets to wander for a full day, and a genuine swimming lake 3km away — with real Époisses cheese country next door.
Semur-en-Auxois sits on a granite promontory that the Armançon river almost entirely encircles — from the Pont Joly or the Promenade des Remparts you get a genuinely dramatic view of the old town rising straight out of the rock. The town is a "site patrimonial remarquable" (190 hectares of protected medieval fabric): fortified gates, half-timbered houses, cobbled lanes, and a quartet of 13th-century towers that once formed the ducal keep. Almost everything is free to walk through — you pay only if you want to climb a tower or go inside the small municipal museum. Add a supervised swimming beach on the nearby Lac de Pont, and Époisses cheese country a short drive south, and it's a very complete, cheap Burgundy weekend.
Semur-en-Auxois is about 235 km from Meudon-la-Forêt, roughly 2h40 by car via the A6 (Autoroute du Soleil) to the Bierre-lès-Semur interchange (exit 23), then 9 km of local road into town — confirmed by the town hall's own "how to get here" page, which names that exact exit. For reference, SNCF's Paris–Montbard TER covers 243 km in about 2h15, which tracks closely with the road distance.
On a 97%-SOH Model Y Premium with a realistic ~330–370 km of usable range, the 235 km outbound leg is do-able on one charge from home with margin to spare — but there's no way to do the round trip (470+ km) without topping up somewhere. The Auxerre Supercharger (Rue du Fossé du Bois, Appoigny 89380 — 36 stalls, up to 250 kW, open 24/7) sits directly on the A6 route, about two-thirds of the way there. Plan a 15–20 minute top-up on the way down (or on the way back, whichever fits your stomach/bladder break better) — it's not a detour, just a stop you'd probably want anyway.
Drive down via the A6, topping up at the Auxerre Supercharger in Appoigny along the way. Arrive by early afternoon and set up camp first (see below), then walk into the old town — it's genuinely a full afternoon of wandering: start at the Barbacane and 15th-century Porte Sauvigny, the fortified entrance to the city, then follow rue Buffon into the historic core. The Collégiale Notre-Dame (13th–14th century Burgundian Gothic, free entry, open daily) dominates the skyline with its 56m octagonal crossing tower — inside, look for the 15th-century "mise au tombeau" and the stained glass restored by Viollet-le-Duc.
From there, walk to the donjon: four 13th-century towers — Tour de l'Orle d'Or (44m, cracked since Henri IV had the connecting curtain walls demolished in 1602, open to climb only a few weeks each summer), Tour Margot (now a theatre dressing room), Tour de la Géhenne, and the Tour de la Prison (used historically as jail and salt store). Finish on the Promenade des Remparts and walk down the 141-step "Escalier du Fourneau" (built shallow enough for pack animals) toward the Pont Pinard for the classic reflection shot of the towers over the river — all completely free.
Morning swim at the Lac de Pont (Lac de Pont-et-Massène), a supervised bathing lake about 3km from town with fine sand, lifeguards in season, picnic tables, and volleyball/beach-football courts — water quality is rated very good, and a local sailing club rents kayaks, paddleboards, pedal boats and windsurfing gear if you want to spend more than the price of a swim. Free parking and picnic area; toilets open April–October.
Then drive roughly 30 km south to the village of Époisses, birthplace of the AOP cheese of the same name. Skip the château's group cheese tasting (minimum 12 people, €10/person on top of the entry ticket — not practical solo); instead visit the village's Fromagerie Berthaut direct-sales shop, the historic producer that revived Époisses cheese after the world wars. A 250g box of the real AOP wheel runs about €8.45 at retail (confirmed via Carrefour's own listing) — buy one, eat it back at camp with bread and a cheap Bourgogne Aligoté, and call it the trip's one splurge.
Back in Semur by mid-afternoon: if you skipped the museum on day 1, the small Musée de Semur-en-Auxois (3 rue Jean-Jacques Collenot, €4 adult, free under 26/students/job seekers) is a genuine cabinet of curiosities with three Corot paintings among its geology, archaeology and sculpture collections.
A slow final morning: coffee by the river, one more loop of the ramparts, then the drive home. If your charge is tight after two days of local driving, top up again at Auxerre on the way back — same 15–20 minute stop as the way down.
The Voie Verte du Canal de Bourgogne greenway passes close to the Lac de Pont campsite, giving an easy flat ride option along the old towpath if you want a break from walking cobbles. The town itself is compact and hilly (granite spur), so the bike is more useful for the lake loop and canal towpath than for the old town. Bike loaded inside per the Car Camping & Bike Guide — no rack, no range penalty.
| Category | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tolls (A6, one-way share) | ≈ €15–20 |
| Charging (Auxerre Supercharger top-up) | ≈ €10–15 |
| Lodging (free municipal aire + water/electric, or ~€15–24/night Lac de Pont campsite) | €0–48 |
| Musée de Semur-en-Auxois entry | ≈ €4 |
| Époisses cheese splurge (250g AOP box) | ≈ €8.45 |
| Food (self-cooked, rest of trip) | ≈ €20–25 |
| Total | €70–110 |