Discover Sancerre life
Welcome to Sancerre Life, a personal guide to visiting this beautiful region. After more than 20 years here, I'm pleased to share my personal experiences, giving you a glimpse into what makes Sancerre so special. It's not designed to be a blog. I simply enjoy taking photographs and writing. I hope it will help you distil some ideas while you organise your stay here.
Bienvenue à Sancerre Life, un site qui vous donne un guide plus personnel de cette belle région. La vie vécu par un anglais qui connais ce coin du Cher depuis plus de 20 ans et qui continue de découvrir de nouvelles choses à ce jour. Ceci n'est pas çoncu pour être un blog. J'espère qu'il vous permettra d'affiner et réduire vos options avant votre séjour.
Sancerre weekly markets
Sancerre and the surrounding towns and villages come alive each week with small and not so small, characterful markets. Beautiful fresh local produce to huge ranges of cheese, gorgeous herbs and spices, fresh dates and prunes, middle Eastern cuisine, they are a feast for the eyes and senses. They are simply part of the way of life.
You’ll find a full guide to market days across the region on the dedicated page.
Place du Connétable - Sancerre
Whether you're staying in Sancerre itself or in the surrounding area, Sancerre should be your first stop.
At its heart is the Place du Connétable, a paved square area around which you’ll find restaurants, artisan boutiques, and elegant tasting rooms from some of the region’s best wine producers.
Visit the excellent Office de Tourisme on the upward approach to the square, after you've taken in the amazing view across the Loire towards the Nièvre region. If you would like to join a professional guided group, it's here you need to do it.
And then spend a morning or afternoon here, walk the winding streets, and find a restaurant of your choice.
L'église de Notre Dame de Sancerre
This central church is dedicated to Notre Dame — “Our Lady”, the Virgin Mary, as so many French churches are. Sancerre’s version has its own personality: simple stone, soft light, and a sense of calm that contrasts with the town’s turbulent medieval history. And organ is an unexpected history.
Bijou shops
Sancerre has a small number of excellent, high quality shops, all worth spending time in. I'm drawing attention at the moment to the Café Librairie (Café bookshop) at 4 Rue des Trois Piliers, just off the top right of the square because it's wonderful!
So many books of different genres with a good selection about the area too. And at the back you can sit down and take a break, or read a book while drinking from a selection of hot and cold drinks including coffee, lemonade and beer.
Something for everyone.
Cycle hire
If you need to hire a bicycle, electric or pedal, head for Cycles Sancerrois at Saint Satur, a long established and respected bicycle shop.
Cycles Sancerrois sells, hires and repairs bicycles and can be found in the corner of the car park at place de le République where on Thursdays the weekly market is also held.