la petite maison

If you feel like a day of culture, terraces, good food and shopping, there are nice, beautiful cities and towns in the area. Auxerre, Autun and Dijon, all at about 1 hour drive, are a bit bigger and offer nice museums, beautiful churches, nice terraces and good restaurants. Avallon, Saulieu, Vezelay and Semur-en-Auxois are slightly smaller and all at a maximum of 20-30 minutes drive. Semur is a beautiful medieval town that is completely walled off and Vezelay is really worth a visit for its beautiful basilica (Unesco World Heritage). Also worth visiting is the adobe of Fontenay at about an hour's drive from our house (good to combine with a visit to Semur).
You are in France and also in the Morvan are plenty of castles to visit. Visit the Chateau de Bazoches where Vauban, the man our village is named after, has lived and worked, or Chateau de Chastellux. Chateau de Epoisses has a beautiful terrain to visit, but we didn't find the tour worthwhile. Do not forget to visit fromagerie Berthaut, where the famous Epoisses (cheese) comes from.
Morvan is very green and therefore also very suitable for a lovely walk. You can start directly from our house for fine walks through the area. But if you take the car, there is a whole world of hiking at your feet. In every village there is actually an information board with walks and the routes are actually always well marked. We have in the house some booklets / maps with routes available. Short and long, something for everyone so. Certainly in low season, take a knapsack with provisions, because the eateries are sparse along the way.
Morvan is super green and so super suitable for mountain biking. Also directly from the house, but if you take the car, you can from many places (eg Saint Brisson) several routes. In Saint Brisson is also the possibility to rent bikes (location vtt). Especially in the low season, take a knapsack with provisions, because the eateries are sparse along the way.
The Morvan is rich in lakes, but you can't swim everywhere because they are reservoirs. The nearest swimming lake is Lac de Saint Agnan, a 10-15 minute drive away. The water is quite clear, but it is handy to bring water shoes. For (small) children Lac de Settons, at 50 minutes driving distance, is really ideal. There are wider beaches and the lake slopes gently. There is also a kind of beach bar and aqua park. Quite touristy for Morvan standards, but not comparable with the French south coast :-). Other option is Lac de Chaumeçon or a small river (the Serein) at Angely. All lakes are good for canoeing, at Lac de Settons you can rent them, at Lac Saint-Agnan there are no possibilities. We have not been to the last two yet. In Epoisses there is an outdoor swimming pool that is open in July and August and Avallon has an indoor swimming pool that was renovated in 2020 and is open all year round.
In addition to the above activities, you can go horse riding, canoeing, rafting, climbing, etc: it is all possible in the area. We have collected a lot of information in the information folder that you will receive when you book. But if you are looking for an active holiday, you have certainly come to the right place! Are you a child on holiday? Nearby is a beautiful zoo with swimming pools, about which we hear many enthusiastic stories, a climbing forest and an Ecomuseum focused on the Middle Ages (suitable from primary school upwards). So nobody needs to be bored!