Chatillonnais information

Price and property availabilities in the Chatillonnais
The Châtillonnais area is relatively undiscovered; offering very attractive prices for those seeking an active retirement, or a easy-to -reach second home. It offers historic and medieval towns and villages, associated with nature. Endless unspoilt forests and fast running rivers provide an ideal location for walking, fishing, cycling and hunting whilst some of Burgundy’s finest, yet lesser well-known, Châteaux provide the perfect back drop to a picture postcard landscape. The area benefits from its proximity and numerous access points to the auto network making it ideal for property owners travelling from the Benelux, Paris and the UK.

Discover our properties in the area.

Accessibility
At the crossroads of Champagne and Burgundy, Châtillon-sur-Seine has excellent road connections. The N71 passes through from Troyes to Dijon and the A5 is within easy reach. Paris and Lyon are 2 hrs way; the Channel ports, 5 hrs drive and Amsterdam, 7 hrs. By air, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Lyon airports are equi-distant, just over 2hrs drive. By train, the Châtillonnais is served by the TGV station at Montbard. Journey time to London via Lille is 5 hrs and to Paris 1hr 30.

Châtillon sur Seine
The river Seine has only just got going along its path to Paris when it reaches Châtillon, from its source south of Baigneux-le-Juifs. Running right through the centre of the town, the church of St-Vorles and the remains of the castle on the hillside make for a majestic backdrop. Little is left of the old Châtillon – it was largely rebuilt after the terrible ravages of the two world wars, but you can get the essence of its past by taking a route past the museum, through the Quartier St-Vorles to the Source of the Douix, a glorious picnic spot minutes from the centre of town.

Amazing Discoveries
The Treasures of Vix are the prize trophy of the region. In 1953 archaeologists discovered the most amazing tomb of a young princess below Mount Lassois at Vix, just to the north west of Châtillon. This stash of bronze and gold jewellery was a find indeed, but there were more treasures in store nearby. An enormous bronze vase was discovered – a container large enough to hold 1,100 litres of liquid, decorated with Gorgons’ heads and serpents. It is worth going to the museum in the centre of Châtillon to see this if nothing else.

Crémant de Bourgogne
Being so close to the Champagne region, the soil to the north of the town provides excellent conditions for sparkling wine, made in the Champagne method and based around the villages of Belan-sur-Ource, Chaumont-le-Bois, Charrey-sur-Seine, Massingy and Molesmes. This is Crémant de Bourgogne. It may not have the prestigious label, but the product is excellent and much kinder on the wallet. Each year on the third weekend of March, the Fête du Crémant is celebrated in Châtillon to much fanfare.

South of Châtillon
Forest alternates with agricultural land in this area of great natural beauty, the Châtillonais. With 45% of the area forested, the livelihood for many of the locals depends on the logging, charcoal production and furniture making. The gently undulating areas around the town of Laignes, Aigny-le-Duc and Baigneux-les-Juifs are given to cereal production, interspersed with cattle, and there is a long tradition of sheep rearing for wool and meat too.

Into the heart of the Châtillonnais
Here in this country environment, the artisans are still at work making honey and mead and grinding the flour in the traditional way at Moulin Maurice. The chickens and ducks are free range and the vegetables taste as vegetables should from the markets of Châtillon, Laignes and Recey-sur-Ource. With so much open countryside, ponds, rivers and lakes, the area is a haven for nature lovers and country pursuits, particularly fishing, walking, riding and hunting. The area around Recey-sur-Ource has marshlands with interesting flora and fauna to discover.

Interesting Archaeology
Lovers of archaeology can have a field day here. As with all of the Burgundian region, there is much to explore. Evidence dates back to prehistoric times in the limestone caves of the Grotte de la Baume at Balot; then there was Vix; in Celtic times it was a major trade route from the Seine to the Mediterranean and the Source of the Seine and the Source of the Douix were considered sacred. Utilizing the high quality stone from the area, monasteries such as the Abbaye de Molesme and numerous Romanesque churches were built. Today this stone is quarried and supplied for bridges, churches, staircases and sculptures all over France

Crossing Borders
Gentle and calm, unpolluted and uncrowded the Châtillonais can provide a good quality of life. And, when you need a break, cross borders to the very different feel of the Champagne region and Troyes, and journey to other European countries; Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg which are all within easy driving distance.