Bourges: a weekend trip from Paris by train

Train: 2 h by train

See it on the map, with this weekend’s prices and weather

UNESCO-listed cathedral, half-timbered old town and boat rides in the marshes, 2 hours from Paris.

Bourges means Saint-Étienne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with its stained glass and crypt. Around it: the old town and its half-timbered houses, the Jacques Cœur palace, and below the town the marshes, 135 hectares of cultivated gardens to explore on foot or by boat. In the warmer months, the Nuits Lumière light up the old town at night.

Things to do

Saint-Étienne Cathedral
UNESCO-listed: stained glass, crypt and north tower.
Marshes by boat
Cultivated gardens below the town, on foot or by boat.
Nuits Lumière
Illuminated trail through the old town after dark, in the warmer months.
Jacques Cœur Palace
15th-century Gothic palace of Charles VII's treasurer.
Half-timbered old town
Rue Bourbonnoux, Place Gordaine and timber-framed houses.
Wine Gaming at P’tits Crus
One-hour wine escape game on Rue Bourbonnoux: about fifteen wines to taste to solve the puzzles.