Independent shopping in Semur.
In Semur-en-Auxois, shopping-centre chains have no place. What gives the old town its charm is a succession of small, human-scale shops, set in old houses and run by their owners. You step inside without pressure, you happily strike up conversation, you discover brands and makers you won't find anywhere else.
From the rue Buffon to the Place Notre-Dame, from the rue de la Liberté to the rue Fevret, the route is best walked, at the pace of the shop windows. A gentle way to explore the medieval town — between two visits to the collegiate church or over a coffee — and to return to your room with a small object, a book, a pastry or a bottle for the evening table.
Fashion & homeware in Semur-en-Auxois.
Fashion and homeware shopping in Semur happens in small, human-scale boutiques, far from the shopping-centre chains. Three addresses sum up this curated offering nicely, all tucked away in the town's old streets.
Notre Histoire
Notre Histoire is a womenswear boutique on the rue Buffon, one of Semur's shopping streets. It offers a selection of accessible, elegant brands, chosen for women looking for pieces to wear day to day without giving up a certain individuality. The welcome is personal, the advice precise, and the shop takes time with its local regulars as much as with passing visitors. A good place to start if you want to take home an outfit as a memento of a weekend in Semur.
Chez la Loba
Chez la Loba, at 16 rue Fevret, is arguably one of the sharpest homeware addresses in town. Mélanie, the owner, puts together a rare selection built around beautiful materials: designer jewellery, leather goods, fashion accessories, lighting, stationery, organic teas, household linen and tableware. The pieces are sourced from small makers, in short runs, sometimes as one-offs. The atmosphere of the shop, set in an old house, mirrors what it sells: understated, considered, contemporary. A must for lovers of quiet design and well-judged objects.
Household store & exhibition space in Semur-en-Auxois.
The latest arrival among our addresses, La Droguerie Buffon blends the spirit of an old-fashioned household store with that of a small gallery: you do your everyday shopping there as much as you discover the work of local makers.
La Droguerie Buffon
La Droguerie Buffon, opened in 2024, revives the spirit of the old-fashioned household store in a handsome old house on the rue Buffon, in the heart of Semur — exposed beams, tall green shelves, soft light. Here you'll find carefully chosen quality goods: natural cleaning products and toiletries, soaps, objects for the home and the table, linen, stationery and gift ideas. The shop is also an exhibition space: it showcases the work of local makers and artisans — jewellery, ceramics, illustrations — through hangings that change with the seasons. An endearing, hybrid address, somewhere between neighbourhood shop and small gallery, a few steps from Maison Jazey.
Jewellery in Semur-en-Auxois.
Jewellery in Semur-en-Auxois speaks of women and craft: rather than the big chains, it is a resident designer who carries this offering.
Claire Coq — Hors Saison
Claire Coq designs, draws and assembles her pieces in Semur-en-Auxois under the label Hors Saison. Her world brings together earrings (pierced or clip-on), necklaces, scarves and fine ceramics. The materials are chosen with exacting care: printed silks, poplin, cashmere, Liberty fabrics, antique lace. Each piece is made in small runs or one at a time, with an instantly recognisable aesthetic — soft, poetic, very French. Her studio-boutique is at once a place of creation and a point of sale; you are received by appointment, and you often leave with a piece conceived as a small, precious object rather than an anonymous accessory.
A bookshop in Semur-en-Auxois.
The bookshop in Semur-en-Auxois is a heritage address at the foot of the Notre-Dame collegiate church, now a landmark for readers across the region.
L'Écritoire
L'Écritoire occupies a fine old house on the Place Notre-Dame. It is a lively, independent general bookshop: novels, essays, coffee-table books, art books, children's literature, and a careful selection spanning the classics and the latest releases. Up a staircase from another age, you reach a floor devoted to graphic novels, chosen one by one. Families will also find learning toys for children. The team — small, passionate, attentive — advises with a sure touch. Before you leave, you might slip a Semur postcard in with your purchase: one of the most heartfelt souvenirs the town has to offer.
Patisserie in Semur-en-Auxois.
In recent years, patisserie in Semur-en-Auxois has taken on a designer's signature: a very young address, run by a pastry chef devoted to making everything herself and to the right ingredients.
Chez Ninon — Les Pâtisseries de Ninon
Ninon Doudin has set up her workshop at 2 rue Buffon, a stone's throw from Semur's shopping heart. At Chez Ninon, everything is made on the premises, by hand, in the spirit of signature patisserie: layered desserts, seasonal tarts, viennoiseries, individual little cakes, all evolving with the weeks, the mood and the chef's imagination. The choice of ingredients says a great deal about the place — Poitou AOP butter, eggs from a local farm, flour milled at Vitteaux, fruit from neighbouring growers. You drop in for something sweet to take back for breakfast or after a walk along the ramparts, and you leave feeling you have watched an artisan at work who truly loves her craft.
Fine grocery in Semur-en-Auxois.
Fine grocery in Semur-en-Auxois now finds expression in two complementary addresses: a long-established grocer-and-wine-merchant, a fine palate with a fine cellar, and a more recent grocery devoted to organic and local produce. Everything you need to put together a basket to take home from your stay.
Chez Céline — L'Épicerie de Céline
L'Épicerie de Céline, at 12 rue de la Liberté, is one of Semur's finest gourmet windows. Here Céline puts together a selection of wines from Burgundy, Italy and Portugal, alongside a carefully curated fine-grocery offering: matured cheeses, fresh charcuterie, organic eggs from a nearby farm, seasonal fruit and vegetables, truffles in autumn, panettone at Christmas, Beaujolais nouveau in its season. The mood is that of the cellar-grocery you dream of: shelves dense but easy to read, precise advice, a bilingual French-English welcome for visitors from abroad. An ideal stop to put together a picnic basket for a day out in the Morvan, or to choose a bottle for the evening table.
Tout près d'ici
Tout près d'ici is the story of Emma and Mohammed Lhioui, who in February 2023 opened, in the former premises of the Bordot printing works, a grocery devoted to fruit, vegetables, flowers and fine-grocery products from local growers or organic farming. Around a hundred lines, renewed with the seasons, with a clear stance: cutting margins to make quality food affordable. You'll also find loose spices, floral arrangements for a wedding or a tribute, and a warm welcome. In 2024 the shop received the Créadie Vitalité des Territoires award. A ritual our guests happily adopt on the way back from a walk along the ramparts.
The 8 addresses.
- Notre Histoire
-
Womenswear
24 Rue Buffon, 21140 Semur-en-Auxois
Standard opening hours
≈ 3-min walk - Chez la Loba
-
Homeware & makers
16 Rue Fevret, 21140 Semur-en-Auxois
Thu–Fri 3 pm – 6 pm · Sat 3 pm – 7 pm
Instagram: @chezlaloba
≈ 5-min walk - Claire Coq — Hors Saison
-
Jewellery & accessories
6 Rue Varenne, 21140 Semur-en-Auxois
By appointment
hsbyclairecoq.com
≈ 5-min walk - L'Écritoire
-
General bookshop
30 Place Notre-Dame, 21140 Semur-en-Auxois
+33 (0)3 80 97 05 09
librairie-ecritoire.fr
≈ 6-min walk - Chez Ninon
-
Artisan patisserie
2 Rue Buffon, 21140 Semur-en-Auxois
+33 (0)3 73 73 91 81
Wed–Sat 9 am – 6.30 pm · Sun 9 am – 1 pm
≈ 3-min walk - Chez Céline
-
Fine grocery & wine merchant
12 Rue de la Liberté, 21140 Semur-en-Auxois
+33 (0)3 80 92 25 82
Tue–Sat (closed Monday)
≈ 1-min walk - Tout près d'ici
-
Organic grocery · fruit, vegetables, flowers
11 Place de l'Ancienne Comédie, 21140 Semur-en-Auxois
Standard opening hours
Créadie Vitalité des Territoires award 2024
≈ 3-min walk - La Droguerie Buffon
-
Household store · concept store · exhibition space
9 Rue Buffon, 21140 Semur-en-Auxois
+33 (0)6 11 01 04 25
Instagram: @droguerie.buffon
Opened in 2024
≈ 3-min walk
Opening hours are given as a guide — please confirm with the shops, which adjust their hours to the rhythm of the tourist season.
To take it further.
Wine merchants & tastings
Our partner wine merchant L'Oenothèque and the Premier Cru tasting experience.
DiscoverAntique dealers
Flea markets, galleries and auction houses close by, to hunt for treasures or simply browse.
DiscoverRestaurants & cafés
Five hand-picked tables in the medieval heart, from the bistro to melted cheeses.
DiscoverFine-craft artisans
Leatherwork, creative workshops — the living craftsmanship of Semur.
DiscoverReserve your Burgundy interlude
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