Ideal for families, the protected area of Langres offers a lovely 3.5 km walk, interspersed with private mansions, religious buildings, Renaissance houses... Perched on a rocky spur of 475m in height, the town of Langres, which is classed as one of the 50 most beautiful towns in France, stands as a proud fortress at the gates of Champagne and Bourgogne. Successively Gallic oppidum, capital of the Lingon people, seat of the bishopric and royal stronghold, the town has been polishing its armour for centuries. Each era brought its own touch and transformed the Langres defence system into a veritable history book, tracing back 17 centuries of fortification. Over its long military history, Langres developed a remarkable heritage with 3.5km of rampart wall interspersed with 12 towers and 9 gates. Classed as a first rank stronghold of the 19th century, its defence system would go on to develop a 13km perimeter with a vast citadel and around thirty other structures including eight detached forts, which made Langres the largest fortified city wall in Europe.