Twenty-three kilometres to the southeast of Chablis – there's no choice but to hitch if you don't have your own transport – you come to the beautiful little town of NOYERS-SUR-SEREIN, sealed from the modern world in a medieval time warp. Its half-timbered and arcaded houses, ornamented with rustic carvings – particularly those on place de la Petite-Étape-aux-Vins and round place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville – are corralled inside a loop of the river and the town walls, and pleasant hours can be passed wandering the path between the river and the irregular walls, with their robust towers. The Serein here is as pretty as in Chablis, but Noyers, being remarkably free of commercialism, has more charm.The town's main sight is the Musée de l'Art Naïf (June–Sept daily except Tues 11am–6.30pm; Oct–May Sat & Sun only 2.30–6.30pm; €2.30), comprising the remarkable collection of art historian Jacques Yankel. The Naive painters had no formal training and were often workers lacking academic education (one, Augustine Lesage, worked as a miner for sixty years before he started painting). Some star exhibits include Gérard Lattier's morbid comic-strip-style work and the excellent collages of Louis Quilici. The best place to stay is the creeper-covered seventeenth-century Hôtel de la Vieille Tour in place du Grenier-à-Sel in the town centre (tel 03.86.82.87.69, fax 03.86.82.66.04; €30–40), with ten beautifully furnished rooms and views across the gardens to the river; it's also the best place to eat (excellent table d'hôte meal for €13). At the entrance to the village the Porte Peinte restaurant (tel 03.86.82.81.07) has a single menu at €19.
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