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A Full Day or More
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provincial town, boring on Sundays, little night life
In a nutshell
a typical French charming provincial town in the "France profonde"
Beausoleil Says: Gargoyles are cute and they get great press but they are there for a purpose. We were visiting St. Etienne in Bourges one dark gloomy day and suddenly it sounded as though a river was running past the church. There is no river beside the church so all of us headed to the...
Visit the Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Beausoleil Says: St. Etienne is one of the outstanding cathedrals in Europe. One of the interesting things to me was that the cathedral does not dominate the Bourges skyline the way Chartres does. We drove into town and were trying to navigate the narrow streets when I looked down one tiny...
Eglise St. Pierre is worth a visit too.
Beausoleil Says: We were following P signs to find public parking and ended up parked beside Eglise St. Pierre. One goes to Bourges to visit St. Etienne but St. Pierre is also worth a visit. It is on the Route de Compostela and well cared for. There are lovely stained glass windows and some...
Study the West Facade Central Portal
hquittner Says: The tympanum of the central door of the West front is a 13C masterpiece, featuring the Last Judgement. The lowest level (the lintel) depicts the dead rising from their coffins. Above them St. Michael is weighing the souls and dividing them as saved or damned to his right and...
The Cathedral Chapels Have Old Stained Glass
hquittner Says: There are 5 apsidial chapels (the central one is the Lady Chapel). All have stained glass of the 1215-25 period with blue and red colors predominating. Unfortunately we no longer can identify the religious scenes portrayed. Each window (as at Chartres) is embedded in a...
hquittner Says: In walking the town , there are many old buildings. We walked past the 15 C church of St.-Pierre -le-Guillard and the timbered Tithe Barn next to the cathedral. In that area there was an Archbishop’s Palace (17C) with a garden behind it said to be laid out by Le Notre.
hquittner Says: The private chapel is approached through a gallery with an inverted ship-keel wooden ceiling. The chapel doorways are accoladed and the vaulted ceiling is painted with Angels carrying swirling scrolls. The ceiling ribs descend to finely sculpted corbels.
Home Comforts of Jacques Coeur
hquittner Says: Many of the rooms have finely worked mantelpieces. Instead of coats of arms or allegorical subjects, the decorations contain windows or houses with the occupants looking out (as on the palace entry). Over one doorway is an exquisite bas-relief of a large galley, the sort of...
hquittner Says: The great hall is large enough to exhibit several treasures such as the remaining pieces of the destroyed tomb of the Duc de Berry created by Jean de Cambrai after 1422. His work is fine but not as great as its prototype by Claus Sluter in Dijon for his brother. (The...
Best Western Hotel D'angleterre
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Le Grand Argentier: Fine Food (and a Place to Stay?)
hquittner Says: Le Grand Argentier has long been considered by locals as one of the finest restaurants in Bourges and we agree. Long ago we dined there on two consecutive evenings. In those days, it also had nice bedrooms in this 15C house, to rent upstairs for the night, but I cannot find...
Le Jardin Gourmand: One of the best restaurants in town
Jeannette1 Says: The restaurant is located inside an older "bourgeois" home.The menu for 30Euros is superb. There is a cheaper menu but this one is the best value for your money.The presentation is beautiful. Each plate looks like a piece of artwork. Check out the website for a list of...
Palais de Jacques Coeur: Summer Evening Concerts
hquittner Says: During the summer tourist season, there is a continuous series of musical events in the evenings at Bourges. Most of these are presented outdoors in venues that have other uses during the day. The tourist office web site lists these and they can be discovered in Bourges at...
M.E.R.V Says: Ask me but in this little town, theres hardly any life after 6pm! Lol! Once the shops are shut, and the sky gets dark, the people disappear too. Hahaha!Having a stroll after dinner through the medieval streets of Bourges is just about one of the best things you can do. This...
There are trains departing almost every hour from Paris Austerlitz to Bourges. The train station in Paris is very user friendly, you can either get your tickets from the automachines or from the counters. Tickets are usually 35euros return on the very comfortable SNCF trains. The journey takes about 2 1/2hours normally and you might have to change trains. When you arrive in Bourges, the station is so small you wont have to worry about losing your way. The main street in town is about 20minutes walking and a map isnt really necessary.
Updated Apr 5, 2003
M.E.R.V Says: The pace of life here in Bourges is really slow and people seem to take it really easy. The people here are so nice they treat you like part of their family. I hardly saw any tourists here, I thought we were the only ones who ever came here cos everyone was giving us a weird...
Jeannette1 Says: If you go to a nice restaurant, they will bring you the 'plateau de fromages' (cheese tray) and you will be asked to select what cheese you want. The general rule of thumb is to select no more than 3 small pieces(the waiter will cut them for you)...you just point or ask for...
black_mimi99 Says: When I arrived this town at nite, its feel like we are in middle age year... all the house still in the same style, and with the cathedral in the middle.... very nice view city... and its not far from Bourges city.
Jeannette1 Says: Check out the Boulangerie/Patisserie shops in all towns and villages and you will find a wonderful assortment of pastries. Delicious...light and not as sweet as american pastries. I love them all....
hquittner Says: Very little remains to celebrate Bourges most famous ruler. Jean, Duc du Berry, was the brother of King Charles V and was the richest and most cultured member of his family. His father Jean II (le Bon) was of similar nature. The son was exchanged as a hostage to the English...
hquittner Says: The statue brings up memories of the history of Jacques Coeur. He was born in Bourges (1394-1456), and was a financier and merchant who became master of the mint (Grand Argentier) under Charles V, where he unified the coinage of the country. He prospered by his development...
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Bourges is a town and commune in central France that is located on the Yèvre river. The name of the city is either derived from, the Bituriges; the name of the original inhabitants; or from the...
A Class Cathedral and A Rich Man's Palace
Bourges (pop. 71K) is 106 km south of Orleans and 238 km (150 miles) south of Paris. It is in the southeast part of Centre in the department of Cher (18). The last of the famous chateaux are at Gien...
Always, Architecture is intertwined with politics. This great Cathedral is no exception. It was the first Cathedral in the French Royal Style (a.k.a. Gothic) to be constructed south of the Loire....
I'm sure you've heard that gargoyles are decorative ways to move water off the roof of a cathedral so it won't damage the inside of the walls. I believed it but never saw it in action until Bourges....
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