The clock tower in Auxerre, France.

© Lucille Cottin/Shutterstock

Tour de l'Horloge

Yonne


In the heart of Auxerre's partly medieval commercial precinct, the golden, spire-topped Tour de l'Horloge was built in 1483 as part of the city's fortifications. On the beautiful 17th-century clock faces (there's one on each side), the sun-hand indicates the time of day; the moon-hand shows the day of the lunar month.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Yonne attractions

1. Hôtel de Ville

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Flanked by colourful half-timbered buildings, Auxerre's town hall forms the centrepiece of the medieval centre's most attractive square.

2. Église St-Eusèbe

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Presided over by a 12th-century bell tower, this church is a convenient landmark in Auxerre's medieval centre.

3. Cathédrale St-Étienne

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This vast Gothic cathedral and its stately 68m-high bell tower dominate Auxerre's skyline. The choir, ambulatory and some of the vivid stained-glass…

4. Église St-Pierre

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Marked by Gothic architectural elements, this church between the river and the medieval centre is a prominent Auxerre landmark.

5. Tour des Prisons

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The striking late-15th-century Tour des Prisons is the lone remaining tower from the original stone fortifications surrounding Auxerre's medieval Abbaye…

6. Abbaye St-Germain

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This ancient abbey with its dramatic flying buttresses began as a basilica above the tomb of St Germain, the 5th-century bishop who made Auxerre an…

7. Abbaye de Pontigny

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Founded in 1114, Abbaye de Pontigny rises from the lush mustard fields 15km north of Chablis. The spectacular abbatiale (abbey church) is one of the last…

8. Église St-Martin

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The 12th- and 13th-century Gothic Église St-Martin, first founded in the 9th century by monks fleeing the Norman attacks on Tours, is two short blocks…