Promenade de la Petite Porte & Ramparts Walk
Avallon sits on a granite promontory dropping sharply into the valley of the Cousin river, and the medieval rampart walk that skirts the southern and eastern edges of the old town offers some of the most dramatic views in all of Burgundy — rolling forested hills, the silver ribbon of the Cousin below and, on clear days, the distant outline of the Morvan massif. It costs nothing, takes about 40 min
The Route
Start at the Tour de l'Horloge, the 15th-century clock tower that marks the main entrance to the old town, and follow the signposted chemin de ronde southward along the inside of the ramparts. The path passes several medieval towers — the Tour Gaujard and the Tour des Vaudois among them — each offering a slightly different angle on the valley below.
The Promenade de la Petite Porte, the southernmost point of the walk, is where the drop is most vertiginous and the panorama widest. A stone bench here invites you to sit with the valley spread out like a relief map: patchwork fields, dark Morvan pines and the occasional church steeple punctuating the green.
Best Times to Visit
The walk is spectacular at any season but autumn transforms it: the hillside below the walls turns amber and russet, the Cousin catches the low sun and the whole scene looks like a Corot painting come to life. Spring brings wild flowers pushing through the rampart stones and swifts screaming around the towers.
Sunset is the golden hour here — the western light warms the old limestone buildings and the valley fills with a soft haze. In summer, locals bring aperitif picnics to the benches along the promenade; joining them is entirely acceptable and highly recommended.
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