Built from 1890 to 1896, the 662-m long Briare aqueduct carries the Canal Latéral à la Loire over the Loire River. The longest steel canal aqueduct in France, this magnificent piece of civil engineering charms sailors and walkers alike with its waterway lined with pavements, elegant lamp posts and beautiful view of the Loire River and its banks.

Nicknamed the Fishermen's Castle, the charming castle of La Bussière, surrounded by water, houses a collection of works of art on freshwater fishing.

The visit of the place also allows to discover marvelous gardens suitable for daydreaming: French park designed by Le Nôtre; vegetable garden xviiie plants, fruits and vegetables (labeled "remarkable garden"); walk on the edge of the pond... As for children, they are not left with the circuit of cabins, two labyrinths and giant wooden games!

Pottery in Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye is a secular tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. Several sites, open to the public, display this ancestral skill:

The Stoneware Museum, based in a Renaissance castle which is a listed Historic Monument, tells the story of pottery in Puisaye, through superb collections of utilitarian and decorative stoneware pieces from the Carriès school;

The Potters Memorial House has displays of traditional Puisaye pottery, telling the story of the life and work of the potters of yesteryear, and offers throwing demonstrations;

The Jacques-Jeanneney Ceramics Centre, a place for ceramicists to meet and exchange information, hosts exhibitions and courses.

As well as these places of discovery, you'll find artistic craft workshops whose diverse creations will delight ceramics lovers!

The old stoneware market on Easter weekend, the pottery market on Ascension weekend, and the contemporary stoneware market in August are highlights in the annual calendar of Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye.

Majestically overlooking the Loire River, the Château de Gien, made of brick and stone, is home to the International Hunting museum. This museum groups together collections dedicated to hunting and to animal art: paintings, ceramics, tapestries, trophies and hunting buttons are displayed there.

Famous for its earthenware tradition, Gien also has an earthenware factory museum, located in a former cellar, with magnificent china collections on display. This place also hosts temporary exhibitions.

Based in the old Augustine' convent in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire and its adjacent guard-house, the Loire Museum has a collection of old photographs, paintings, engravings, earthenware, models of boats, tools and everyday objects, telling the story of activities relating to the last great wild river in France, such as inland water shipping, sand-pulling and professional fishing. As well as this ethnographic collection is a remarkable collection of paintings by famous 20th-century artists, such as Chagall, Derain, Dufy, Utrillo, Vlaminck and Zingg.

At the heart of La Puisaye, this construction site is exceptional and unusual, to say the least. It is in open from March to November in the municipality of Treigny, on the site of a former sandstone quarry. Since 1997, quarry workers, stonecutters, masons, lumberjacks, carpenters, blacksmiths, tilers, basket-weavers, carters and rope-makers have been involved in building a castle fort in Burgundy, using medieval techniques and local raw materials : sand, stone, clay, earth and wood from the Guédelon Forest. This Herculean construction project is due to be completed in 25 years' time !

As well as self-guided tours, where you can watch the labourers working in period costume, there are guided tours along with children's workshops. Please note, the Guédelon construction site is not open all year, so check the dates before planning your trip to this unusual and fascinating place !

The 35-hectare National Arboretum of Barres in Nogent-sur-Vernisson is home to more than 2,500 species of trees and shrubs from all five continents of the globe. Three discovery footpaths take visitors on a tour of these remarkable collections.

On the left bank of the Loire River, the hilltop old town of Sancerre dominates the Sancerre region and its pretty hills covered in vines. Famous for its vineyards, Sancerre also boasts a medieval old town with its 15th-century Fiefs tower, period houses, and an early 16th-century belfry.

A genuine medieval fortress, complete with towers, keep, rampart walk and moats, the Château de Sully-sur-Loire built in the 14th century, is the former residence of the dukes of Sully. The interior has paintings and tapestries on display, as well as a magnificent roof structure dating from the 14th century.

Visitors can also walk around the pleasant tree-lined park surrounding the château.

Every third weekend in May, the château and park host a medieval festival called 'Les Heures Médiévales'.

This village is named after the Druyes springs, which abound in the municipality's territory. At the end of the 12th century, a castle fort built by the Counts of Nevers stood on a limestone promontory overlooking the valley.

From the imposing remains of Druyes-les-Belles-Fontaines Castle, which nowadays can be independently explored from Easter to the end of September on a discovery trail, you can enjoy a very beautiful view of the surrounding scenery. At the top of the 15th-century entrance postern, a superb view of La Puisaye and the edge of the Morvan awaits you! Formed of a residential palace backing onto a curtain wall, the castle was designed to a square plan: four round corner towers, a postern tower and two square side towers. The Romanesque gallery with arcatures and twin bays that can still be seen today is the only remaining part of the old seigniorial great hall.

Guided tours of the medieval fortress and village with typical houses are also available. During this commented walk, as well as seeing the castle, you can discover the Druyes springs, St. Roman's Cave, the 12th-century Romanesque church, the 19th-century washhouse or the old railway viaduct, where more daring visitors can go bungee jumping!

Surrounded by ramparts, the medieval town of La Charité-sur-Loire, standing by the Loire river, is famous for its Clunisian priory. Founded in 1059, this Benedictine monastery, part of the Order of Cluny, is a remarkable example of Burgundian Romanesque art, along with its church, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Way of St. James.

Many relics still remain from its past as a major monastic town: discover the Priory Church of Notre-Dame, a gem of Clunisian architecture from the 11th and 12th centuries, the Sainte-Croix bell tower, the convent buildings - chapter house, 18th-century cloister, monks' cellar, prior's lodge - as well as the Benedictines' garden, where the ruins of the old Church of Saint-Laurent are preserved.

Around the priory, enjoy a walk to admire the attractions of the historical quarter, such as the picturesque side streets, passages and flights of steps, medieval ramparts, and various shops devoted to the world of books. Bookshops, book dealers, calligraphers, illuminators and binders make La Charité-sur-Loire a real book town... An ideal destination for lovers of reading and collectors of old publications!

A number of book-related events take place every year in the town, including the festival of words in June, the old book and document fair in July, book night in August, and a book market on the third Sunday of each month between October and March.

A few kilometres east of La Charité-sur-Loire lies the verdant Bertranges Forest, a vast oak wood that's ideal for walking and relaxation...

The town of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire is renowned for its Benedictine abbey: the Fleury abbey, founded in the 7th century. Its basilica constitutes a remarkable example of Romanesque art. The bell tower-porch contains magnificent carved capitals that will delight fans of religious architecture. The church's Romanesque choir is also stunning. The crypt dating from the 11th century contains the relics of Saint-Benoît.

Monday: 09:30 AM – 11:30 AM, 03:00 PM – 05:30 PM
Tuesday: 09:30 AM – 11:30 AM, 03:00 PM – 05:30 PM
Wednesday: 09:30 AM – 11:30 AM, 03:00 PM – 05:30 PM
Thursday: 09:30 AM – 11:30 AM, 03:00 PM – 05:30 PM
Friday: 09:30 AM – 11:30 AM, 03:00 PM – 05:30 PM
Saturday: 09:30 AM – 11:30 AM, 03:00 PM – 05:30 PM
Sunday: 09:30 AM – 10:30 AM, 12:15 AM – 01:00 PM, 03:30 PM – 05:30 PM