Discover Venarey-Les-Laumes

The themes range from architectural history and the town’s industrial past to walking routes, golf and activities at the Plan d’eau « Le Nid à la Caille ». Depending on whether history, exercise or time outdoors matters most to you, you’ll find different ways to explore the area.

Architectural history and traces of the industrial past

The Château de Venarey-les-Laumes is a fortified house that was reinforced in 1324. Its present-day appearance dates to a renovation after 1735. The two dates are more than four centuries apart and mark different phases in the building’s history: its reinforcement in the 14th century and a much later change to its appearance. Visitors interested in historic buildings will find more here than just a single construction date.

At the Port de Venarey-les-Laumes, buildings and older wall remains recall a lime factory that was already operating there in the mid-19th century. This is a different kind of architectural heritage from the château: here, the focus is on the traces of a former production site. If you’d like to explore local history in different contexts, the development of a fortified house and the memory of the lime factory can be considered as two distinct topics.

By the water: swimming, cycling and facilities

At the Plan d’eau « Le Nid à la Caille », there is a supervised swimming area during the summer season. If you’re visiting specifically to swim, check in advance whether your stay falls within the supervised season. Facilities at the Plan d’eau include picnic tables, a children’s playground, a pump track and a multi-sport court. So, alongside swimming, there are places to picnic and be active. If any of these activities are important to your plans, check the condition of the facilities on site.

A cycle path passes the Plan d’eau and connects it with the Canal de Bourgogne or the sports centre. This means you can also combine a visit to the water with a cycle route whose stated destinations offer different starting points for your ride. No distance or travel time is specified, so for planning purposes, the connection described is what matters.

Walking routes and sporting options

The easy circular walking route « Du Village à la Montagne » is 9 kilometres long and starts and ends in Venarey-les-Laumes. The route’s length and difficulty level are both specified. The « Soupe de la Sorcière » route starts at the Montagne de Venarey. A guide booklet is available from the tourist office; if you’d like to use it for your walk, check availability in advance. The two routes differ in the details provided: for « Du Village à la Montagne », the length and difficulty are specified, while for « Soupe de la Sorcière », the starting point and guide booklet are noted.

Another sporting option is Golf de la Brenne: the course, approved by the French Golf Federation, has seven holes. It is flat and wooded, and surrounded by the River La Brenne. According to the description, it offers golf for beginners as well as experienced players. The seven holes and official approval give the course a clearly defined profile; its wooded, riverside setting differs from the walking routes and activities at the Plan d’eau.

Tree species in the arboretum

Visitors to the arboretum can identify tree species using labelled signs. Examples mentioned include the Virginia tulip tree and Sophora japonica. The signs make the tree species themselves the focus of a visit: anyone interested in plants can look for specific names rather than seeing the arboretum simply as a green space. Along with the wooded golf course and walking routes, this botanical focus complements the history of the château and lime factory.

Venarey-les-Laumes therefore offers several distinct themes to help you choose where to stay: historic buildings and industrial heritage, routes with clearly specified features, and leisure activities ranging from swimming to golf. Which of these matters most depends on whether you want to focus your trip on local history, a specific activity or time outdoors.

Discover more destinations: Bressey-Sur-Tille, Champagne-Sur-Vingeanne, Agencourt, Montigny-Sur-Aube, Prusly-Sur-Ource, Ternant, Gilly-Lès-Cîteaux, Is-Sur-Tille.

For the regional travel overview: Cote-Dor.