During this stage, a stop in Bar-sur-Aube is a must. At the crossroads of North and South, the city took a strategic importance and location for trade during the period of the Counts of Champagne.

The latter had indeed guaranteed the security of the merchants and set up an adapted logistic organization which contributed to the rise of Bar-sur-Aube as a commercial place. Thus, from mid-February to mid-April, traders from Flanders and Italy exchanged oriental spices, silk, textiles and raw products from northern Europe. The architecture of the city bears witness to this past activity.