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Auxerre
At Auxerre, the
traveler has two route choices for both
cruising barges and self-drive boats.
First, there is the
Yonne, a river of 292 kilometers
(181
miles)
that flows into the Seine at Montereau-Fault-Yonne. The headwaters are
in the Departement of Nièvre near the commune of
Château
Chinon. From Clemency northward the river is sufficiently deep for
cruising barges, so from Auxerre they can to either north toward Paris
and eventually Normandy,
or south toward Clemency. From there southward the Canal du Nivernais
is the
only option, and taking it boat and ship traffic can join with the
Canal Latéral à la Loire in the direction of Briare. The
Canal du Nivernais ends at Auxerre, so all traffic northward is on
the Yonne.
Cruises from Auxerre
southward follow the canal route
through the Yonne countryside past small villages and communes (as
towns are known in France). Bailly is famous for its wine cellars
located in caves, and others of note along the way are Irancy, Cravant,
Mailly-la-Ville, Mailly-le-Château, Châtel-Censoir
and Coulanges-sur-Yonne. Pictured below are the Rochers du Saussois,
50 meter (164') -high limestone cliffs, which are very popular with
rock
climbers.
The Nivernais route
involves a significant rise in
elevation and thus lots of locks. Nearing the summit, there are 28 in a
stretch of only 12 kilometers, literally a lock every 400 meters or so.
The
Tourist Office of Auxerrois is
located at 1 and 2 quai de la
République on the banks of the Yonne river (in the same
place as the regional tourist office for Yonne), with an
additional location in the town center on rue des
Fourbisseurs d’Epées. Tourist information on the
cultural, historic and natural heritage of Auxerre is provided in
French, German and English. A variety of other services include
currency exchange, ticket sales, lodging, rentals of electric boats and
bicycles, wine tasting tours, etc.
There are a half
dozen offices of LaPoste in Auxerre, with the
central one located at 11 rue des Hospitaliers.
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Auxerre
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