Caves Saint-Nicolas

Caves Saint-Nicolas is a network of medieval cellars carved into the sandstone cliff at the foot of the Surville hill in Montereau-Fault-Yonne, on the eastern edge of the Île-de-France region. Listed as a French historic monument since 1992 and owned by the municipality, the site is occasionally opened to visitors during local heritage events.

What is this place?

The caves were dug in the 15th century as storage warehouses linked to the former Saint-Nicolas port, where the Yonne meets the Seine. Barrels of Burgundy wine bound for Paris arrived here by boat and were sold in Montereau along rue de l'Étape before continuing their journey to the capital. The cellars were hollowed directly out of the sandstone slope to a depth of around 20 meters, and their corridors and chambers are covered with Gothic ribbed vaults — an unusually refined feature for what was, at its core, a working warehouse.

Wine merchants and vintners used these underground spaces for several centuries, until the 19th century, when the vineyards around Montereau disappeared and the practice of rafting wine barrels down the rivers came to an end. From that point on, the caves stopped being a commercial storeroom and became instead a record of the town's long relationship with the river trade.

What will you see inside?

The complex is made up of several distinct sections, each with its own story. The best known is the Cave aux Graffiti, a chamber whose walls are covered with drawings attributed to an unknown 18th-century artist. It's worth taking your time here, trying to make out what each sketch depicts.

A second section, la Glacière, functioned as a natural icehouse: ice cut from the frozen Seine in winter was stored here and used to keep goods cool through the rest of the year — a common solution in the centuries before mechanical refrigeration.

The third and largest part is the Souterrain du Boulanger, an underground corridor roughly 30 meters long lined on both sides with fifteen chambers of varying shapes and sizes. Walking its length gives the clearest sense of just how extensive the whole complex is.

How do you get there?

The caves sit at 23 Route de Paris in Montereau-Fault-Yonne, close to the historic town centre and to the point where the Yonne flows into the Seine. Montereau is in the Seine-et-Marne department and has good rail connections to Paris, making it an easy day-trip destination from the capital.

When should you visit?

Because the site consists of underground stone chambers, the temperature stays fairly constant year-round regardless of the weather outside, so there's no strict best season for a visit. That said, access is not continuous — the caves tend to open on a seasonal basis or for heritage days rather than as a permanent daily attraction, so it's worth checking the current opening schedule before planning a trip.

Frequently asked questions

Is Caves Saint-Nicolas a natural cave? No — it's an artificial excavation, hand-cut into the sandstone hillside for storage purposes, not a karst formation.

What were the caves originally used for? For centuries they stored barrels of Burgundy wine awaiting transport to Paris, and one chamber served as an icehouse.

What's the highlight of a visit? The Cave aux Graffiti with its 18th-century drawings, and the long, multi-chamber Souterrain du Boulanger.

Are the caves open all year? Access is seasonal, so it's best to check the current visiting schedule before you go.