Cathédrale St-Pierre et St-Paul

Top choice in Troyes


All at once imposing and delicate with its filigree stonework, Troyes' cathedral is a stellar example of champenoise Gothic architecture. The flamboyant west façade dates from the mid-1500s, while the 114m-long interior is illuminated by a spectacular series of 180 stained-glass windows (13th to 17th centuries) that shine like jewels when it’s sunny. Also notable is the fantastical Baroque organ (1730s) sporting musical putti (cherubs), and a tiny treasury with enamels from the Meuse Valley.

Back in 1429, Joan of Arc and Charles VII stopped off here on their way to his coronation in Reims.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Troyes attractions

1. Musée d’Art Moderne

0.05 MILES

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2. Hôtel du Chaudron

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One of the founders of the Canadian city of Montréal, Paul Chomeday de Maisonneuve (1612–76), once lived in the Hôtel du Chaudron.

3. La Cité du Vitrail

0.17 MILES

Housed in the barn of the 18th-century Hôtel-Dieu-le-Comte, this free museum dazzles with 25 works of stained glass reaching from the 12th to the 21st…

5. Basilique St-Urbain

0.28 MILES

Begun in 1262 by the Troyes-born Pope Urban IV, whose father’s shoemaker shop once stood on this spot, this church is exuberantly Gothic both inside and…

6. WWII Memorial

0.43 MILES

This memorial pays homage to those who fought and died in WWII.

7. 16th-Century Troyes

0.47 MILES

Half-timbered houses – some with lurching walls and floors that aren’t quite level – line many streets in the old city, rebuilt after a devastating fire…

8. Ruelle des Chats

0.5 MILES

Off rue Champeaux (between Nos 30 and 32), a stroll along tiny ruelle des Chats (Alley of the Cats), as dark and narrow as it was four centuries ago – the…