Situated on a steep ridge between the Marne and Suize valleys, Chaumont (Chaumont-en-Bassigny to give its full name), 93km east of Troyes, is best approached by train, which enables you to cross the town's stupendous mid-nineteenth-century viaduct.The main ancient building to look at is the Basilique St-Jean-Baptiste. Built with the same dour, grey stone of most Champagne churches, it has, nevertheless, a wonderful Renaissance addition to the Gothic transept of balconies and turreted stairway. The decoration includes a fifteenth-century polychrome Mise en Tombeau with muddy tears but expressive faces, and an Arbre de Jessé of the early sixteenth-century Troyes school, in which all the characters are sitting in the tree, properly dressed in the style of the day. As for the rest of the old town, there's not much to do except admire the strange, bulging towers of the houses, through which the shapes of wide spiral staircases are visible. You shouldn't leave, however, without taking a look at Les Silos, 7–9 av Foch, near the gare SNCF (July & Aug Tues–Fri 2–6.30pm, Sat 9am–1pm; Sept-June Tues, Thurs & Fri 2–6pm, Wed & Sat 10am–7pm; free), a former agricultural co-op transformed into a graphic arts centre and médiathèque. As well as hosting temporary exhibitions, it's the main venue for Chaumont's international poster festival (Festival de l'Affiche), held every year in the first fortnight of June. The tourist office is on place de la Gare (Mon–Sat 9.30am–12.30pm, Sun 10am–noon & 2–5pm; tel 03.25.03.80.80). If you decide to stay, try Le Terminus Reine, on place Général-de-Gaulle (tel 03.25.03.66.66, fax 03.25.03.28.95; €40–55), an old-fashioned hotel with great charm; its restaurant, La Chaufferie, is the best place to eat. For a cheap room, there's a hostel at 1 rue Carcassonne (tel 03.25.03.22.77; bus #2 from the gare SNCF to Suize; €10–12 including breakfast).
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