Troyes

The old town of Troyes is outlined by boulevards on the line of the vanished walls, and the shape they draw is a champagne cork, which the city has adopted as a logo. Inside is one of the densest surviving concentrations of timber-framed houses in France, painted in ochre, red and blue, most rebuilt after a fire in 1524. The Ruelle des Chats is the famous one, an alley so narrow that the upper storeys nearly meet overhead and, so the saying goes, a cat can cross from roof to roof. Troyes was a capital of the Champagne fairs, and its churches hold an exceptional body of sixteenth-century stained glass and stone sculpture.

What you actually see

• The Ruelle des Chats - an alley where facing upper storeys nearly touch.
• The timber-framed streets - painted frames rebuilt after the 1524 fire.
• The stained glass - sixteenth-century windows across several churches.
• The cork-shaped plan - the old town outline that became the city emblem.

When to go

April to October; the old town is at its best on a clear evening when the frames are lit. Outlet shopping centres on the outskirts draw a different crowd year-round.

Honest expectations

Some frames are heavily restored and a few are modern pastiche. Churches keep irregular hours and several are closed for restoration at any time. The outlet malls have no bearing on the old town.

Nearby

Reims lies north; Lac du Der-Chantecoq is east.