SAULIEU, having suffered something of a decline with the depopulation of the Morvan, then the construction of the A6 autoroute that took away the traffic from the old N6, is once more a relatively thriving market town, best known for its gastronomy. Every year the town waits hungrily for its Charollaisfestival, on the third weekend of August – a super-gourmet festival featuring lots of meat and other local produce, and there's a festival of produce from the Morvan on the Ascension Day weekend.The old town – on the west side of the N6 – is pretty enough, perfect for an after-dinner stroll. Its main sight is the twelfth-century Basilique St-Andoche, noted for its lovely capitals (probably carved by a disciple of Gislebertus, the master sculptor of Autun), but little else. Next door, the Musée François-Pompon (daily except Tues 10am–12.30pm & 2–6pm, Sun 10.30am–noon & 2–5pm; €3.30) is also surprisingly interesting, with good local folklore displays and a large collection of the works of the local nineteenth-century animal sculptor, François Pompon. The tourist office (July & Aug Mon–Sat 9.30am–6pm; Sept–June Mon–Sat 9.30am–noon & 2–6pm, Sun 10am–noon; tel 03.80.64.00.21) is on the N6 near the hospital, in the direction of Paris – there is a Pompon statue of a bull in the little garden almost opposite. The gare SNCF is straight up avenue de la Gare opposite the marketplace/car park. You may want to stay the night if you've been tempted by the menus and wine lists at some of the restaurants (Saulieu makes for an excellent stopping point, halfway between Paris and Lyon). A good nine or ten hotel-restaurants are ranged along the N6, which roars through town under the old walls; luckily, most have very quiet rooms that face peaceful gardens at the back. La Borne Imperiale, 14–16 rue d'Argentine (tel 03.80.64.19.76; €40–55; restaurant from €18, closed Wed evening & Thurs), has a fantastic atmosphere, a lovely terrace and rooms which all have a view of the garden. Le Lion d'Or, at 7 rue Courtépée (tel 03.80.64.14.64; €30–40; restaurant from €15, closed Mon, Sun evening & Jan 1–15), is a decent inexpensive option, further north along the N6. At the dizzy top of the price range, La Côte d'Or at 2 rue d'Argentine (tel 03.80.90.53.53, www.bernard-loiseau.com; €125–150), has an outrageously expensive, though exquisite, restaurant run by the famous creative chef Bernard L'Oiseau (menus €160). There are also a couple of gîtes d'étape (Easter–Nov) and a campsite (tel 03.80.64.16.19; April–Oct 20), 1km out along the Paris road.
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