Le Vieux-Sens — Medieval Street Circuit
Within the ring of the old Roman walls, Sens preserves a dense web of medieval and Renaissance streets that most visitors walk straight past on their way to the cathedral. Spend an hour looping through the Vieux-Sens and you will find half-timbered maisons à colombages, Renaissance doorways carved with putti and grotesques, and the kind of quiet cobbled atmosphere that takes real effort to find in
The Streets Worth Seeking Out
Start at the Place de la République and head south along Rue Jean-Cousin, named after the Sens-born Renaissance painter and tapestry designer whose work hangs in the Louvre. The street is lined with 15th- and 16th-century timber-framed houses whose upper storeys jut out over the pavement in the classic medieval fashion.
Turn onto Rue du Général-Alsace-Lorraine to find a run of particularly photogenic colombage façades in warm ochre and chestnut, several of which have been recently restored. The contrast between the carved wooden frames and the white plaster infill is at its most graphic in morning light.
Hidden Courtyards and Forgotten Corners
Push open the heavy wooden door at 9 Rue de la Résistance and you step into a 16th-century courtyard with a stone well and a Renaissance loggia that feels entirely secret. Many old Sens townhouses hide courtyards like this behind their street-facing façades — look for doors left slightly ajar.
The old tannery quarter near the Vanne river channel is rougher-edged but atmospheric, with low stone arches over the water and the remnants of industrial Sens that the glossy guidebooks rarely mention.
Jean Cousin and the Art Connection
Sens has a quietly serious artistic heritage. Jean Cousin the Elder (c.1490–c.1560) was born here and is credited with painting the first French nude, Eva Prima Pandora, now in the Louvre. The Musées de Sens holds a good collection of his drawings and tapestry cartoons.
Pick up the free walking-map circuit from the tourist office on Boulevard du Mail — it marks 22 heritage buildings with explanatory plaques and takes about 75 minutes at a leisurely pace.
More of Sens
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Sens →
