This is another wonderful city to walk in my belle France. So many times in Bourges, and recently visited again. I have plenty written on it in my blog, so will do this one in my black and white series, no pictures. I take you up to Bourges. We came to Bourges, the majestic city that was for a short period the capital of the kingdom of France. It’s huge gothic cathedral, the wooden houses, mansions Renaissance style , the marshes are all sublime. Let me tell you my take on my walks of Bourges !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
You go to the Place Gordaine the old butchers’s market to meet up with the four pedestrians streets nice. The corner of this square with the rue Coursalon and the Palais Jacques-Coeur, you get into the passage Casse Cou to link upper and lower town, and the rue d’Auron, where on house palais d’Auron was born Jacques Coeur, This is Bourges.
You can’t missed the Cathedral Saint Etienne de Bourges bigger than ND de Paris ; when in 1195 the bishop Sully decided to rebuilt it, Its crypt built in the 12C keeps the remains of duke Jean de Berry. Be courageous and climb the 86 steps to the tour Nord, with beautiful views of the city. At its foot see the gardens of the city hall, French style of the 17C designed by a student of Le Nôtre, Follow up to the rue Moyenne, the most merchant of the city, take the street to your left you arrive at the Palais Jacques Coeur, the big house of the money men of king Charles VII and built between 1443 to 1451,
You descend the stairs to your left of the palace to come to rue des Arénes bordered by the courthouse and the Berry museum that took the building Hôtel Cujas built in the 16C, Passed by the place Planchat to link up with the place Gordaine by the rue Pelvoysin and rue Mirebeau,one of the prettiest with wooden houses and its terraces, You know Bourges has 430 wooden houses with the majority built in the last years of the 15C ! Worth the detour !
You can walk the Promenade des Remparts along the gallo Roman walls in parallel do not missed the rue Bourbonnoux with the Hôtel Lallemand a Renaissance building housing today the decorative arts museum. You are walking on pave brick streets ! Here in September you can see the night lights of Bourges event when all lights up coming into the night,
In city center Bourges you go to the Place Saint Bonnet then take the rue Edouard Vaillant to go to the avenue Marx-Dormoy, here you can access a unique land of another world, you are in the marshes of Bourges 130 hectares of green share in different parcels in the heart of the city. This swampy area serve as defense to the city for years and it was in the 13C that they were made into parcels for cultivation. Today there are about 1500 gardeners have replaced the pros market gardeners, There are several cabins that serves as housing, You keep going by a trail before you see a surprising bar on the chemin du Caraquis, a meeting place of gardeners, Here they regroup to go into the areas only accessible by boat, Instead you turn left into chaussée de Chappe until the railroad line that will bring you to the avenue Marx-Dormoy. Coming back you will have a great view of the Cathedral, Worth the walk and visit indeed ! To visit with the Association des Maraîchers berruyers with a guide contact webpage: https://amb-maraichers-bourges.fr/visiter/
To recap the best to see in Bourges. The city center or downtown is divided in two sections surrounded by boulevards that allows you to go around it as in a beltway. This city center has the main shopping street , rue Moyenne The things to see here are plenty and very nice; most written on already in my blog. These are the Cathédrale Saint Etienne ,Palais Jacques Coeur ,The marshes or marais de l’Yévre et de la Voiselle ,The ruins of the Gallo Roman ramparts. The monumental fountain and Gallo Roman porch under the palace of the Duke of Berry , Walk around the Place Gordaine and the wooden houses from the 14C, the Grange des Dîmes from the 12C at rue Moliére , The Episcopal Palace or palais Archiepiscopal from the 17C, old city hall and a French style garden done by Le Nôtre , this is the jardin de l’Archevêché, and the jardin des Pré-Fichaux, The Canal de Berry on the river Auron. Halle au Blé, Palais d’Auron, Church Saint Bonnet, Halles St Bonnet, Notre Dame Church , Church Saint-Pierre le Marché, Musée du Berry ( archeology, arts and popular traditions) in the Hôtel de Cujas mansion. Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle Gabriel Foucher, Musée Maurice Estève (dedicated to modernist painter Maurice Estève) in the Hôtel des Echevins mansion. Hôtel Lallemant mansion (Renaissance style) with a museum on decorative arts; Musée des Meilleurs ouvriers de France (best craftmans of France). The musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation du Cher (museum of the resistance and deportation of the Cher).
The city of Bourges on its heritage: https://www.ville-bourges.fr/site/ville-tourisme-patrimoine
The Bourges Tourist office on not to miss monuments: https://www.bourgesberrytourisme.com/destination-bourges/best-of/
The local Berry province tourist office on Bourges: https://www.berryprovince.com/ma-destination-le-berry/les-destinations-en-berry/bourges-et-ses-alentours/#
There you go folks, another dandy in my belle France! The sky is the limit so much to see all beautiful, and Bourges ranks up there with the best. Again, hope you enjoy this post on my walks of Bourges !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 