Car boot sale of Vaudes

The Vaudes Car Boot Sale, between the Seine and the Aube countryside

Every year in June, the village of Vaudes hosts its annual car boot sale, a popular summer event in local life. This friendly event, supported by the villagers and local associations, invites sellers and visitors to meet for a day of trading, selling, and buying in the good spirits characteristic of Aube village festivals.

Vaudes, a village in the Seine valley

Vaudes is a commune in the Aube (10260) located in the Seine valley, between Troyes and Bar-sur-Seine, in the area marking the transition between the chalky northern Champagne and the Côte des Bar to the south. The Seine, which originates in Burgundy and flows through the Aube from south to north, irrigates this fertile valley and has enabled the development of diversified agriculture for centuries.

The village of Vaudes is situated in a landscape of hedgerows and wet meadows along the banks of the Seine, with the wooded slopes of the Aube plateau in the background. Bar-sur-Seine, a few kilometers to the south, is the capital of a canton renowned for its Côte des Bar vineyards, the birthplace of Aube champagne. The river Seine, still peaceful here, flows through a landscape of meanders and alluvial forests that give this valley its discreet charm.

The church of Vaudes, like many rural churches in the Aube, may contain works of art from the Middle Ages or the Renaissance, as this region is particularly rich in sculptures, paintings, and stained glass from this period. The rural built heritage—tuffeau winegrower houses, half-timbered barns, old wine presses—recalls the historical importance of viticulture in this sector of the Seine valley.

Valley attics within reach

The Vaudes car boot sale showcases the material heritage of houses in the Seine valley and the Aube plateau. Private sellers offer items accumulated in their attics, cellars, and outbuildings: country and farm furniture, regional crockery and earthenware, household linen and lace, agricultural and winegrowing tools, books and family notebooks, old toys, trinkets, and curiosities. The vine and wine, omnipresent in this area, have left many instruments and containers related to viticulture and winemaking in the village attics.

Rural flea market enthusiasts know that the villages of the Aube's Seine valley sometimes hide beautiful finds: decorations from winegrowers' houses, winegrowing tools, local ceramics, or old photographs of grape harvests.

June in the Seine valley

The month of June in the Aube's Seine valley is a season of particular beauty: the vines begin to be covered with young leaves, the riverside meadows are in full bloom, and the riverbanks invite leisurely strolls. The Vaudes car boot sale is part of this special time of year, offering an ideal opportunity to combine a day of treasure hunting with a walk in the valley and a visit to neighboring villages.

The event is accessible to all, free for visitors, and friendly in its organization. You can spend an hour or a whole day there, depending on your appetite for treasure hunting and the finds you encounter among the stalls.

Access and practical information

Vaudes is accessible from Troyes via the D671 towards Bar-sur-Seine. Parking is available around the village. Free entry for visitors. Information from the town hall or local organizers.